Calais Hypermarket - what to buy?

[TheClitterati]

I don't really drink

Going to be popping quickly (I know) into hypermarket before getting le Shuttle tomorrow.

I'm avoiding wheat, don't really drink. Can do cheese. Would like some healthy French stuff, possibly skin care, and hair care. I'm clueless.

What should I buy?

I'll be there tomorrow too, going to load up on peach beer while I'm there

If they sell Caudalie, their skincare and body stuff is lovely and cheaper over here. It might only be in pharmacies though

Unless it's unique to France or the tax is lower, the exchange rate means it's not cheaper. In the past I've bought booze mostly but I pick up merenguez sausages usually if I have a cool bag

I like the fruit syrups - like cordial, but made with real ingredients (no vile artificial sweeteners!). Very strong, so they last for ages and a lovely range of flavours. They do sell them over here but I've only seen a couple of flavours in Waitrose and they're twice the price!

I live close to the exit on uk so cool stuff ok.

Yes I don't expect it will be cheaper these days - just different.

Ooh yes the cordials are the best - I'm bringing back loads of Grenadine!

Are they the syrups in the tins? Good idea.

If you like sweets (I'm a fan!) you can get really nice, properly sour sweets in France. I think the brand is called Lutti. Sour tongues, cola bottles etc. Have been craving them all pregnancy, the sweets in the UK just aren't sour enough!

Also second skincare - Avene, La Roche Posay etc.

My kids love those sour sweets! On list tx

French supermarkets sell excellent bar soap. Petit Marseillais is a good brand to try.

Soap ✔️
Cordial ✔️
Sausages✔️
Sours✔️
Cheese✔️
Skin stuff✔️

🇾🇪

Nuxe also for skincare.

Our standard things (some of which will cut across your wheat avoidance) are:

Cakes
Interesting meat from the butcher’s counter - they do fun stuffings/preprepared stuff
Pate en croute
Air dried ham
Interesting and very garlicy sausages
Remoulade
Cheeses, so many cheeses
Really good chocolate mousse
Syrups
Little aperitif biscuits
Crisps we don’t have in the UK
Water mist sprays for hot days
Cassoulet in tins
Duck fat
Veal stock
Mayonnaise and mustards and salad oils

More if I think of them!

Oooh yes, the soap is great! The eau de toilette is lovely and refreshing. I had a gorgeous almond blossom one I would buy hundreds of if I could get it again. In the tanning section they have a fantastic sparkly body lotion in a tub that smells like summer. (Hawaiian something maybe? Monoi de Tahiti, maybe? Smells like frangipani, anyway.) The eclair things with the toffee on top. No idea what they are called, but they’re divine. Actually, all the eclairs. And all the cheese. BUY ALL THE CHEESE.

I'm going to need a bigger list

Yesl The duck in a can is awesome. You just pull it out and roast it and it goes all crispy. Gobsmacked at how many pieces are in there, too!!!

Take a trailer

Kitchen gadgetry is also fun....

Oh yes, Petit Marseillaise soap, I like the Orange Blossom one.

The bags!

Intermarche and Carrefour do great regional bags for life with local themes.

Petit Marseillaise also do a liquid kitchen soap, which neutralises smells on your hands. We get refills of that one.

And is you have a coolbage, celaric remoulade. - Coleslaw with a kick!

Potato dauphinoise in giant tins is both delicious and incredibly useful.

Mini gnocchi for frying.

La Laitiere set yoghurt, mixed flavour 8 packs are good.
Grand Mére coffee, Dégustation is good, they also do capsules for Tassimo machines far cheaper than UK.
Bonne Maman preserves are cheaper than UK and a favourite is chestnut, which is difficult to find in the UK.
Biscuits Rose de Reims by Fossier are lots cheaper, if you can ever find them in UK, and great for making desserts or eating with fizz....

Oh yes, the vanilla set yoghurts.

Huge blocks of salted butter.
D’Isigny creme fraiche

Both much cheaper than UK supermarkets who slap a massive profit on stuff like that - ditto the mayonnaise/mustards/sauces

The pots of chocolate or coffee pudding with squirty cream on (viennoise),
crisps,
orangina and fuzzy smurf haribo,
Jockey fromage blanc
Sugar cane yogurt
Marseille soap (liquid hand soaps especially)
Le petit marseillais shower gel feuille de menthe (mint leaf, the most truly minty smell ever)
Exciting flavour apericubes
Pizza crackers
Big bottles of oasis
Lime/mint badoit
Ready made croque Monsieurs you just fry
Merguez sausages
Bonne maman (only if on special else no cheaper)
Galette biscuits

Vvv jealous, have fun