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….

[Twilightstarbright]

I’m in France at the moment and very grateful to this thread for lots of inspiration.

[MotherofPearl]

I've saved this thread for ages. In France now and can't wait to make full use of this list!

[Lexa33]

Fab thread! I am also a lover of exploring supermarkets of other countries. I think a tour could be really interesting... Loved the shipping it back idea too...🤣

[duckme]

Mayonnaise with Dijon mustard, I think the brand is Amora.
Yabons - little rice pudding type things with a layer of caramel at the bottom.
Carambars - chewy sweets
It's not a supermarket buy but, if you happen to go to a Buffalo Grill, you can buy the salad sauce they use, you need to to this as it's amazing!

[CraftyClara]

If you are taking a cool bag, stock up at Picard. Like Waitrose on ice.

[HairyMcLarie]

Not sure if they still make it but for me I was straight to the toiletries aisle to stock up on delicious Bourjois shower gel.
Le Petit Marseillaise a close second but the scents are just beautiful.
Also higher end stuff is stocked in the little 'Pharmacies' usually in the same complex that the supermarket is in. Caudalie is a favourite for prices significantly less than in the UK and that gorgeous golden body oil with a beautiful scent (name escapes me)

Food wise: dried mushrooms! Tinned snails with the shells in a tube! Tins of confit duck. Bonne Maman pastries!

Other: Knickers! Cassoulet dishes and oven ware. Cute French painted serveware

Oh how I miss it! (Now located 12000 miles away!)

[TenoringBehind]

All of the above plus:

Lindt Pyrenees milk chocolate. Blows their standard milk chocolate pit of the water (even though that’s very nice).

tins of cassoulet

ananas tomatoes (although they are so ripe they might not transport well)

comte cheese.- much better than the ones sold here

spaetzles


the one things we couldn’t buy to bring back was mustard. There’s a huge shortage at the moment and the shelves weee bare with apologetics signs in every supermarket we visited. All due to the poor mustard seed harvest in Canada (where most of the seeds come from) last year.

[GnomeDePlume]

In wine look out for Clairette de Die. The Tradition is a light (around 8%) sparkling wine. Sweeter than most champagnes. The method used for making it is older than champagne.

[loveisagirlnameddaisy]

Which supermarkets do people recommend? I'm in the Loire Valley and have only seen Aldi and Lidl. Travelling to Annecy today, hopefully there'll be more choice there?

[Snoredoeurve]

@PersilPower

anyone know why they have porky mice?

Its a piglet

[HairyMcLarie]

@loveisagirlnameddaisy

Which supermarkets do people recommend? I'm in the Loire Valley and have only seen Aldi and Lidl. Travelling to Annecy today, hopefully there'll be more choice there?

Go to Google maps.
Search for:
Geant
Carrefour
E.Leclerc

There will be loads on the way. Look for out of town/just off the main road or motorway branches in what looks like retail parks. Those supermarkets will be MASSIVE.

All the above are pretty good and fairly equal but I love a Carrefour.

[stringbean]

Arrived a few days ago and things we've bought so far are: tins of ratatouille, little jars of chilli purée - I bring back enough of these to last all year, loads better than anything at home; Petit Marseillaise shower gel and hand soap; foil - for some bizarre reason just prefer the French stuff; little chocolate mousses with a swirl of chocolate crisp in them - think they're Nestle; echalote (pickled onion) crisps - Geant Casino seems to be the only place we can find these; and of course wine! Bought a 3L box of rose - Cotes de Provence to start the holiday - costs around £10-14 a bottle at home and the box was 16 euros. Stocking up on Cremant de Bourgogne and Cremant de Limoux to bring home for Christmas/special occasions - far nicer - and cheaper - than champagne. I love French supermarkets and it's really interesting to get ideas from others. We are near Carcassonne so it's cassoulet central here - will bring back a few tins of that as well.

[WhiteCatmas]

As an aside, I was in my local Boots at thr weekend and there were three French women talking excitedly around a Joules gift tin of body lotion etc. I wonder if French Mumsnet equivalent has ‘things to get in the UK’.

[stringbean]

Agree with below post - the big supermarkets are usually on the ring roads rather than in towns themselves - look for 'Centre Commercial' on the road signs.

[stringbean]

Oh - and mustard mayonnaise on a big squeezy bottle - cannot understand why on earth we don't have this in the UK!

[HairyMcLarie]

@GnomeDePlume

In wine look out for Clairette de Die. The Tradition is a light (around 8%) sparkling wine. Sweeter than most champagnes. The method used for making it is older than champagne.

How could I forget Clairette!

Also Cremant. Most wine regions have their own but it is methode champagnoise (made like champagne) but not actually from the Champagne region and tastes remarkably similar. Except it's 4E and not 60E.
God love an appellation!

[HairyMcLarie]

@stringbean

Oh - and mustard mayonnaise on a big squeezy bottle - cannot understand why on earth we don't have this in the UK!

We do. Look for Maille Dijonnaise.

[TwoBlondes]

Grand Frais is excellent but for stuff to bring home I'd say Leclerc, although the newer branches are better, particularly Chinon @loveisagirlnameddaisy

[stringbean]

Isn't the Maille Dijonnaise the stuff that comes in a glass jar? I have seen it in the UK but the jars are tiny!! I'd have to buy several at a time to make up for the big squeezy tubes

[LesserKnownKardashian]

Merguez - sausage of the gods!

[Mummyoflittledragon]

If anyone needs gluten free, Leclerc is great. Couldn’t even find an aisle in Carrefour. Gluten free Madeleines, to die for.

[newtb]

Carrefour locally is the dearest supermarket.
Intermarché and SuperU are similar in price.
Casino is dear and lots of its own brand stuff is crap eg mayo, ketchup, rouille etc
Leclerc is cheaper than Intermarché (but 12km each way from me).

I'd get the little tins of 'sauce italienne à la viande rotie'. Makes a really good pasta sauce. The tins have yellow labels and come in 3s.
Just before crossing the Channel go to a supermarket in Boulogne/Calais and get a kilo tresse of smoked garlic. Wonderful in pork dishes.
Intermarché own brand, Ivoria, choc spread, unlike Nutella doesn't have palm oil in it.

[newtb]

Forgot, foie gras is 4€ a tin in Aldi. Aldi/Lidl are much cheaper for confit de canard.

[MotherofPearl]

@loveisagirlnameddaisy

Which supermarkets do people recommend? I'm in the Loire Valley and have only seen Aldi and Lidl. Travelling to Annecy today, hopefully there'll be more choice there?

We passed through Lens on our way home where we stocked up at a huge Auchan. Not been to Auchan before but it was gigantic with a big range including all the usual brands.

[HairyMcLarie]

@newtb

Forgot, foie gras is 4€ a tin in Aldi. Aldi/Lidl are much cheaper for confit de canard.

Noooo! Please don't support the Foie Gras industry. Boycott!