Not been to France for years - what's good in French supermarkets?

[Standstilling]

Indulge me - I am off to France soon with the DCs and LOVE a foreign supermarket. Am idly planning and looking forward but I need some specifics. Do they still do those peanut flavoured wotsit things? Obvs cheese and wine... what else is good?

You can get various sorts of mashed potato frozen. Usually a choice among various sorts of ecrasé de pommes de terre: mashed with a fork, possibly interesting varieties, maybe with a bit of truffle etc. Purée cuisinée is normal mashed potato.

Most of the wine is French in French supermarkets, there is usually a small section for the rest of the world. It's a similar situation with cheese. Fresh milk is limited, when travelling by car we take our own in a coolbox. Strong carriers are quite cheap. Pigeon's heart tomatoes are usually very nice to have as snacks. Baguette type bread is made several times in a morning. Soups in a carton can be remarkably good. Multi flavoured mentos by the tills are nice to keep in the car. There is sometimes a UK food shelf with tea, marmite, tomato sauce, marmalade and so on if you are getting withdrawal symptoms. Trollies need tokens.

Thanks for all the ideas about mashed potato - it’s for a fussy 3 year old, so not sure pommes à la truffe will go down the well! (Pretty sure I’d snaffle it down though). Will give the French smash a whirl - can’t bring myself to mash en vacances

We're back from Auray Super U and stocked up with;
Six flavours of Apericubes (Inc. Salmon)
Russian Earl Grey tea (DH likes it)
Mixed Kraves with the different flavours;
French fly spray (seems stronger than uk stuff)
And
Petit Marseilles shower gel is on offer - 1€75 for 2.
I am currently on the sofa in a Brie coma.

Just got back from Brittany and ate my weight in apericubes!

My other recommendations:
Wine - anything by La Roche Mazet. Excellent quality for a price of under €3 a bottle.
White chocolate and cherry genoises biscuits (Jaffa cakes)
Chestnut mousse (maronsuis)
If in Brittany, try the kouign amann - a sugary, buttery pastry cake.
Greengages (Reines Claudes)

Also, I would really like one of the salad spinners. I saw one in Leclerc for €4 - wish I'd got it.

Yep you should've got the salad spinner!
Mine's brilliant (from Leclerc)
Not rubbing it in or anything

I'm going in a fortnight (more rubbing it in)...I'll bring you one back if you like!

You need to get the Boursin aperitif things - little bits of Boursin wrapped in ham. Sooooooooo good.

Thanks campion. DH said he'll get me one next year so I've got 12 months to clear a space in the cupboard 😀

Talking of mashed potato, did anyone suggest pick up an inexpensive Mouli?

Off to Paris on Sunday so blatantly placemarking.

Marie Rose insect repellent, it doesn't have the nasty smell that ours has.
It works well too.

Did anyone mention the pear jam? It's delicious, and smooth with no bits, so a big hit with children.

Reading this thread made me feel so sad- we came home from central France 4 days ago and I’m still sulking.

Anyway...I would offer tshirts. Men’s tshirts are longer and thicker than comparable ones in the U.K. DH bought about 5 and binned his old ones (cost about €4 each). Also jackets, I often buy my autumn jacket in the supermarket- little biker jackets, blazers etc. Usually there are a few well cut, simple classics to hunt out. My espadrilles were €4 from Carrefour this year.

I’ve now booked for November and may just manage to do a bit of Christmas shopping. For me if no-one else as it’s a slightly selfish solo trip with time to try on clothes. And buy delicious food.

Cacahoots (peanut crisps) and those weird butter biscuits!

My brother's going over with a van to deliver some stuff. Compiling a list ...😬 I already had confit, Pineau and Le Petit Marseillais on the list.

Also love the big metal boxes of biscuits with pretty lids.

Rillettes poulet? The Bordeau Chesnel ones. We live on them.

Children I think we had that from the market! Cut from huge slabs, one with a raspberry centre, one caramel. It was divine - not a cake, not a tart, not a scone.

The DC are getting used to ‘I’m just popping in for some milk’ meaning 45 mins crouching in the shower gel aisle squinting at DOP and Petit Marseillaise flavours.

And I am so not worrying about what to bring back for people - so many options.

Loving reading all your recommendations! On our list to bring back home/eat tonnes of whilst here:
Marie Morin chocolate mousse in the glass jars - heaven!

Tins of potato dauphinois- surprisingly tasty.
Haribo strawberry Tagada sweets.
Apricot juice (wish U.K. bars sold this! Yum. )
The last two you can sometimes get from Ocado in the U.K.. The choc mousse is stocked in Selfridges in London iirc. But cheaper in France, natch.
And - not French food per say - but found beef mince in Super U with all the bolognaise flavour etc already in which was so easy to cook spaghetti Bol on our first night here after a long drive. Fab idea, and wish you could get in the U.K.

I have just stuffed my face with tinned daupninoise. I have also discovered the wonder that is peanut wotsits.
Not forgetting cheese and ham bugles (autocorrected to buggers)
Local super U is a bit pants though.

Have done le big shop! Found a lovely big LeClerc today and bought stacks of DOP and Le Petit Marseillaise stuff (weirdly couldn’t find much conditioner - do they call it ‘après shampooing?’), tinned dauphinois, jars of bolognaise sauce, snacky crackers, pb wotsits, tagadas, wine, all the sirop, cheeses, lovely bags for life, Lu biscuits, Bonne Maman myrtilles sauvage (grrr!) - so much lovely stuff I would not have known about if it weren’t for you lot. Merci beaucoup!

I noticed the lack of hair conditioner too recently. And I didn't notice that French women all had dull frizzy hair so now I'm wondering if I've been conned for all these years!

So you took the DC Standstilling?

I'm now getting trés excited reading your list...and the others, as we go next Friday. DH has just announced that petrol is €1.55 but more worryingly (from my pov) that the Leclerc nr to where we're staying overnight on the way back will be closed on the Sunday morning that we're there. Mon dieu! Forgot les magasins sont fermé les Dimanches.Pauvre Francais eh? Rapid replanning of shopping now taking place. Priorities.

I've hardly thought about the other bit of the holiday!