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….

[Basilandparsleyandmint]

We go to France at some point most years and stop off at the large carrefore in Calais. It’s one of my favourite things to do and I stock up on some of my fave French bits such as:
salad dressing
mayo
all the couscous bits
tins of cassoulet
green beans
I always buy a large tub of French carrot salad, cheeses, olives.
just so much more choice than English supermarkets.

[botharna]

@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?

There's a very nice Monoprix in the Courier shopping centre right in the centre of Annecy if you are daytripping. Not an enormous hypermarché but lovely selection. Look out for SuperUs also in the Annecy/Haute Savoie region, I think they have some of the best selections of local products.

courier.klepierre.fr/horaires-acces/

[Tiggy321]

Am in Belgium and love a trip back to Sainsburys! Take all this French stuff for granted but have to say never buy half of it. Food prices are in France and Belgium - way more than UK for basics

[Doubleraspberry]

Anyone heading to the Dordogne, can I recommend the L’Eclerc in Sarlat? Very new, huge, and a patisserie counter to die for.

[Bichette]

I have recently discovered tins of ratatouille Cassegrain and always bring some back.
Plus their fromage râpé is better and cheaper than here.

[donkeymcdonkface]

So funny, agree with lots of these. Although I thought i was the only one who brings the Knorr soup back!! At least 12 cartons and I go out 6 times a year! its delicious! Bonne maman and Le Petit Marseillais is always in the car too.....😊

[Borgonzola]

Apericubes!

[Polkadotpjs]

@Doubleraspberry I've been there! I concur

[Kerrrmieee]

It's worth getting cornichons and pickles just for the plastic scooper in the jar that pulls them up from the bottom - ingenious 🤣

Always mustard mayo, although am happy with it in a jar (with a big spoon).

Cartons of fish soup - creamy soup packed with scallops, mussels, white fish, prawns, carrots and green beans.

We had SuperU locally and an E l'eclercs (?) Further afield - their cooked pizza was to die for after a particularly cold day at the beach!

[MerryMarigold]

It's worth getting cornichons and pickles just for the plastic scooper in the jar that pulls them up from the bottom

Lidl do these!

[Kerrrmieee]

@MerryMarigold

It's worth getting cornichons and pickles just for the plastic scooper in the jar that pulls them up from the bottom

Lidl do these!

😱 I'm getting me to a Lidl! Then reusing them in all my little jars from Asda cos Lidls is miles away 🤣

[Kerrrmieee]

Although I'd have to decant everything first... Getting a little ahead of myself!

[MerryMarigold]

@Kerrrmieee

😱 I'm getting me to a Lidl! Then reusing them in all my little jars from Asda cos Lidls is miles away 🤣

Lidl can't be as far away as France!

[TwoLeftSocksWithHoles]

The large (1350g) tins of 'Confit de canard du Sud-Ouest'
🦵🦵🦵🦆🦆🦆

[DanceWithYourBalloon]

@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.

@stringbean if you ever get desperate for the Limoux, you can get it in Tesco.
I live in France now and always but the Bordeaux or Limoux fizz!😍
It's soooo cheap!

[stringbean]

Yes, we've recently spotted Limoux in English supermarkets - really resent the prices in the UK though!!

[MsFogi]

Can anyone point me in the direction of the equivalent thread (it must exist) for French pharmacies?

[Kerrrmieee]

Aren't they all the same? One in every village... Although I did lose 2 stone in one night with the laxative they gave me 🤣 massive exaggeration it was just 7lbs.

[Kerrrmieee]

@MsFogi

Can anyone point me in the direction of the equivalent thread (it must exist) for French pharmacies?

Apologies - what would you be looking for from your local French pharmacy?

[prettyteapotsplease]

In the homeware department they might have storage jars with fleur, sel, poivre, fines herbes and the like.

We used to like tinned Mont Blanc and scallops with a wrapper attached with their shells.

[MerryMarigold]

@Kerrrmieee

Apologies - what would you be looking for from your local French pharmacy?

Oh yes, pharmacies are fantastic. Their large plasters particularly tend to be the types only available on the NHS. You can even get them in supermarkets. You can also get la Roche Posay cheaper than here I think.

[ItsnotaHenryMoore]

We're off on Friday to the Lot Valley and I'm on the hunt for this:

www.carrefour.fr/p/creme-visage-anti-age-a-l-huile-d-argan-jour-nuit-le-petit-olivier-3549620033144

[LadyMonicaBaddingham]

@Haus1234

@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!

But not in the wide range of flavours... My vote goes to fleur de sel, piment d'espelette and fond de veau stock powder. And tons of cacahuétes enrobées.

[basilmint]

I think you need this thread @MsFogi !

www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/4521982-What-should-I-buy-from-a-French-pharmacy

[ItsnotaHenryMoore]

@ItsnotaHenryMoore

We're off on Friday to the Lot Valley and I'm on the hunt for this:

www.carrefour.fr/p/creme-visage-anti-age-a-l-huile-d-argan-jour-nuit-le-petit-olivier-3549620033144

I ordered online and had a lovely parcel delivered to the gite!