French supermarket must buys!

[STST]

Just that really; looking for some great suggestions of things to bring back from a french trip. Ideally non refrigerated things, there is only so much we can eat of fresh stuff before it all goes off.

So far I’ve got confit tins, chestnut puree, tins of french beans, fleur du sel….

Wanted also to bring some fresh fruit/veggies back, what is in season at the moment? Heard about Bertranne apples. Going to try to fit in a market as well.

Cashmere and stationery suggested by a Friend In The Know.

Any cookware/tableware things to look out for?

Also - does anyone know the ‘rankings’ of french supermarkets, quality/price wise? Is Auchan better than E.leclerc for example? Or Carrefour….

Teisseire sirop - add a tiny bit to water a bit like squash but much nicer and available in a range of flavours like grenadine and mint.

@Nachitoches

Teisseire sirop - add a tiny bit to water a bit like squash but much nicer and available in a range of flavours like grenadine and mint.

This is available in big supermarkets (Sainsburys/ Waitrose) in the UK now too!

There's a supermarket shower gel brand which is great. Petit something?
Homeoplasmine is my go to skin stuff.
Lovely soaps.
Rillete

@GrimDamnFanjo

There's a supermarket shower gel brand which is great. Petit something? Homeoplasmine is my go to skin stuff. Lovely soaps. Rillete

Petit Marseille. The lait scented one is the best imo

Le petit marseillais soaps, love them. There's a whole world of Bonne Maman we're denied here too. Mustards are also worth stocking up on.
Well jel, a big Leclerc is basically daddy day care for my DH when we're on holiday!

Wild blueberry one smells gorgeous too.

Half French here and spent all my school holidays with my grandparents in bordeaux as a child. Shopping for goodies to bring home was always my favourite thing. Whilst you can now get a lot of stuff here that you couldn't back then (cheeses etc) here are some of the things I still like to stock up on:

Petit Marseillais shower gels/shampoos
Tahiti douche shower gels
Body sprays and deodorants
Savon de Marseille
Washing powder/liquid
Cleaning products
Soups
Tins of cassoulet
Tins of saucisses au lentilles
Tins of veg
Tins of EVERYTHING! 😂
Saucissons
Condiments (stock cubes, mustards, salad dressings etc)
Biscuits/cakes
Teas and coffees
Tesseir sirops (like squash)
Crisps and nibbles
Stationary

I could spend an absolute fortune and fill a van every time I go! 🤣

Have fun!

Uhm will there be customs issues because of Brexit?

French stain removers are way better than the ones in the UK!!!
As are French stock cubes.

Also

Instant mash is lovely, especially the one with nutmeg in
Coquillettes pasta (like macaroni)
Tinned pate
Pots of compote - so many varieties!

Aligot. I could live on the stuff! Also as much Cremant as you are allowed!!

If you’re in the U.K. due to Brexit I don’t think you can bring back fresh foods, so no dairy, charcuterie etc. That might include fruit and veg. Tinned stuff should be ok. You might want to look into that (although apparently no one really checks U.K. side so you might get away with it). However worthwhile checking as it would be a shame spending €€€ only to have half of it confiscated.

We always buy cheese and biscuits

Another vote for Le Petit Marseillais.
Also, Madeleines.

Benedicta mayonnaise.
Fig & nut Boursin.
Peanut puffs.
Bonne Maman everything!

Anyone desperate for a Le Petit Marseillais fix I find www.sanareva.co.uk have a good selection.

@crosshatching

Anyone desperate for a Le Petit Marseillais fix I find www.sanareva.co.uk have a good selection.

Second vote for Sanareva. Shipping takes a bloody age, but the selection of stuff like toiletries and parapharmacie is great.

For food (at inflated prices), www.frenchclick.co.uk

Menthise

You are all amazing, thank you so much! Had forgotten about the boxes of soup, always so delicious.

Checked gov.uk. Everything is fine to bring in - meat/fish/cheese/veg/fruit etc. Yay!

www.gov.uk/bringing-food-into-great-britain

Jars of grated celeriac
Jars of grated carrots
Jars of squared beetroot!
I also love the tins of couscous which mix with veg. Admittedly my list is more summer foods but it lasts (we also bring back a huge bag of croissants and freeze them)
really want to go to France now

@Fifilafrog - how do you rate clothing from the supermarkets? A vair trendy friend swears by cashmere jumpers from one of them, Carrefour I think?

[quote STST]@Fifilafrog - how do you rate clothing from the supermarkets? A vair trendy friend swears by cashmere jumpers from one of them, Carrefour I think?[/quote]
Yep, clothes (particularly men's socks for some reason 🤷🏻‍♀️) seem to be well made and last forever.

@crosshatching

Anyone desperate for a Le Petit Marseillais fix I find www.sanareva.co.uk have a good selection.

Thanks for this link! 👍🏻

[quote STST]Checked gov.uk. Everything is fine to bring in - meat/fish/cheese/veg/fruit etc. Yay!

www.gov.uk/bringing-food-into-great-britain[/quote]
Goodness! So it is true they’re letting everything through! I can resume my care parcels for relatives in the U.K., I’d been limiting myself to dry goods as per local rules, but now I can add cheeses back in. Good news for them.

From France I buy cider (not really available where I am), cheeses of course and those lovely thick farmhouse yogurts that come in the blue ceramic pots. Also aioli. For shower gels there is another brand that sells cake and pudding flavours. The Madeleine one really smells of cake.

Found it! DOP childhood aromas