What's one thing you always buy the best of?

[Dandy0911]

When you do your weekly food shop.
We don't get all the fancy branded organic bits but...
Eggs! Nothing beats a poached burford brown on some seeded bread!

The things we try buy the best of is -
Eggs
Bog roll (absolute must)
And free range meat.

What are your best of the best necessities?

Dog food and general dog related costs she's worth every penny we spend on her and I would go without so she could have. Luckily never had to make make decision.
Good quality handbags not talking ££££ but definitely a good name and quality.
Same with shoes. I just feel more put together with a good bag and shoes.
Tea
Coffee
Butter
Cleaning products literally pennies more but so much nicer.
Holidays - 4* minimum so not the Burj Al Arab level but definitely not going to go on holiday and be less comfortable than at home.
My car I love Audi and whilst I can afford to I won't drive anything else.

vet Royal canin cat wet/dry food
hellmans mayo
bird's eye pea's
decent sausages

oh forgot T Gel shampoo

decent purse always Radley
decent bag just bought Radley as have so many useful pockets
Ugg boats,dont care if they are out of fashion have 6 pairs
i'm not well of at all but these items will last years

boots not boats

I thought this thread wasn't for me because I usually buy own brands but when I thought about it I buy some branded things. I just forgot.

De Cecco pasta (this is what made me think of it. When we had the run on loo roll, tinned tomatoes, rice and pasta last year I had enough - not prepper levels though - of those things to tide me over. When pasta came back into the shop I wouldn't buy because it wasn't De Cecco. People laughed but it is the Ferrari of pasta.)

Other branded things are:

• Green & Blacks chocolate or Prestat if I'm pushing the boat out;
• Hellman's mayonnaise;
• Crosse & Blackwell baked beans - Heinz are too sweet for me;
• Carr's Melts original flavour biscuits for cheese
• Sainsbury's Taste The Difference meat though I buy meat from the butcher's because that is really good but more expensive;
• HP Sauce - not fussed about red sauce. Heinz is a bit sweet so I prefer the Sainsbury's one;
• Maldon sea salt (but table salt for cooking);
• D'Aucy tinned flageolets. They are gorgeous. I always eat couple of spoonfuls cold from the tin before cooking. Their cannellini and borlotti are very good but the deli that sold them has closed so I buy Sainsbury's own brand now. It's no different to Napolina except price;
• Cirio tinned tomatoes but the shop has closed so I go for Sainsbury's;
• Kellogue's Cornflakes - there is nothing better than a bowl with ice cold milk on a sunny morning;
• Wolford tights - they are expensive but are the best and if you're careful they last about five wears before laddering - that's the 7 or 10 denier ones. The opaque ones go on for longer;
• I love expensive body moisturiser but will settle for Dove;
• Perricone foundation but I'll settle for Clarins Everlasting Youth Fluid; *MAC eyeshadows but their lipsticks are poor and mascara is terrible;
• Max Factor mascaras - all types;
• Guerlain lipsticks.
• Cashmere but that's a cheat because my husband has contacts. You could do a lot worse than buying M&S cashmere from their posher branches. The styles aren't very exciting - just sweaters and cardigans but the quality and colours are good for the price. Just keep away from the patterned ones.

I also buy loads of own-brand stuff which is great. I think that's just as interesting as talking about brands. I'd love to hear what own brands people recommend but I've gone on enough Thanks @Dandy0911 for starting this.

Forgot about Canagan cat food. You could serve it on blinis at cocktail parties and no one would ever know. One night I heard a noise in the kitchen and it was my cat fishing the tin of sea bass and plaice out of the bin for the last morsels. Luckily he was also happy with Felix and a brand called Coshida that is cheap from Asda and Lidl that he loved too.

Meat from local farm/butcher
Fairy Liqiud
Charlie Bigham Lasagne (I don't bother making my own anymore).
Piccolo (variety of) fresh tomatoes
Heinz Mayo (can't bear Hellman's)
Heinz Tomato Ketchup
Petti or Mutti tinned tomatoes
Loyd Grossman curry sauce jars (DH usually makes curries from scratch but if I have to, then I use these).
President salted butter (the one in a dome)
Kenco decaf instant coffee (I only like instant coffee and after 'extensive taste tests' this is my favourite)
Blitz kitchen towel
In summer - Cyprus potatoes (when I can get them). Jersey potatoes are just rubbish these days.
Vimto

These are my must haves. I'm pretty relaxed about most other stuff, I'm happy to chop and change, buying whatever is on offer.
Also, I do think that the 'Finest' ranges aren't necessarily a guarantee of the best quality.

Forgot again: Maille Dijon mustard. I like the coarse grain stuff as well but you have to watch in case it gets stuck in your teeth and you smile. I love mustard. If you want a strong one you should get Colman's English powder and make it with water but be careful because it will blow your head off. I bet if Prince Philip squirted that on the ceiling it would take the plaster off.

Fairy Liquid is the best @GoallessFirstHalf but only the original green or lemon variety. I made the horrible mistake of buying their pomegranate one years ago and I can still taste it.

Tiptree jam

Carrots 🥕 organic only as normal are utterly tasteless.

@limitedperiodonly

Fairy Liquid is the best *@GoallessFirstHalf* but only the original green or lemon variety. I made the horrible mistake of buying their pomegranate one years ago and I can still taste it.

😂

I love carrots @CatherineCawood. They are my second favourite vegetable after peas - only frozen, mind. I can't tell the difference between organic and bog standard but am a sucker for the nubby little Chantenay variety. They are very good.

Heinz Tomato Sauce.

I absolutely cannot bear cheap tomato sauce .

Regina Blitz kitchen towel

Cushelle or Andrex toilet roll

Fruit esp raspberries and melons/pineapple/avocado

Decent fresh tomatoes

Bonne Maman black currant jam

Pendragons hot chocolate flakes for DH&DS Velvetiser

Teabags - various brands - same with coffee

M&S tea cakes to toast

Certain alcohol others happy with store own version

Contact lenses

Elnett hairspray

Ariel and comfort, most cleaning products actually
Fage greek yogurt
Pink ladies
Green bottle
Wine
Perfumes
I love tomatoes, we go though 2 family packs of salad toms, 2 bags of cherry toms and 3 or 4 tins a week. I never buy dear ones. Something is telling me it would turn into a very expensive irreversible habit to try them

Green Giant sweetcorn
Birds Eye frozen peas
Blitz kitchen roll
Cravendale milk

I say always, but of course at the moment it's often a case of what you can get. I'd sub the milk and the kitchen roll, but the wrong peas and corn and I'll get something else.

Eggs: organic
Milk: organic
Meat: organic or high welfare
Kids shoes: ECCO
Kids bikes: islabikes

Definitely coffee for me! Coffee has 3 levels

Proper coffee - the stuff I drink, a lovely Nicaraguan medium blend
Council coffee - any instant coffee
Coffee factory floor sweepings - the shite we have at work

Just to let the Mutti chopped tomato fans know, single tins are on offer in Sainsbury's at the mo!
You're welcome!!

@limitedperiodonly

I love carrots *@CatherineCawood*. They are my second favourite vegetable after peas - only frozen, mind. I can't tell the difference between organic and bog standard but am a sucker for the nubby little Chantenay variety. They are very good.

Frozen carrots!!!! Whatever next 🤣 Organic fresh carrots are the best you should try them!

I don't have frozen carrots only frozen peas @CatherineCawood. Frozen peas are the best vegetable in the world. I can't tell the difference between organic carrots and ordinary ones and I am a root vegetable connoisseur.

Tinned Green Giant sweetcorn is the finest sweetcorn on God's green earth.

Mutti tinned chopped tomatoes
Gia garlic paste
Isle of Wight fresh tomatoes
KTC tinned chickpeas are inexpensive but the best for me.
Epicure tinned puy lentils
Santo Domingo smoked paprika
Teapigs for herbal tea
All wines must be excellent but not all of these will be expensive.

Diet Coke
Fairy liquid