Northern Pride: Booths makes Waitrose look like B&M. Be like me and press your nose against the window this Christmas

[bellinisurge]

The Booths Christmas catalogue is out! It's always hardback. 2020 is no different. I always get one just to drool at and giggle over. Can't afford anything in it but it's a Christmas tradition. Pick one up if you are lucky enough to be near a Booths .

I live in N Ireland so have access to neither Booths nor Waitrose. But I have visited Booths on holidays and it was a beautiful wonderland, I loved it

Have visited Waitrose too, it was good but it was no Booths...

Haha absolutely agree OP! I’m a terrible cook and have never hosted Christmas before but have ordered the whole lot from Booths this year - can’t wait!

I grew up in Booths country and loved ordering Christmas food from them when we moved- a taste of home!

Absolutely gutted they stopped delivering last year and this year. Really, really hoping they’ll start again next year!

Suotherner here - what is Booths?

Southerner 'who can't type' here

Southener here too.
I've seen the eBook and drooled thought "Oh that's quite nice"

Waitrose is nice for a Christmas wander , it's a 30 minute drive to my nearest one though. They are scarily well organised with queues at Christmas anyway , and pointing you to spaces in the car park.

Not sure I'll get to a Waitrose before Christmas though ?

I;m really jealous of Betty's , I don't know if there's anything comparable darn Sarf . We've got Gails and Patisserie Valerie .

We visited a Booths whilst on holiday in the Lake District and didn't think much of it to be honest! Perhaps it was just the branch we visited but we found it had a very poor selection of vegetarian, vegan and free from foods. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit again.

@70isaLimitNotaTarget There's a reasonable selection of online treats for delivery from Betty's but obviously no substitute for an in-person visit.

I know Lily but I want to go into the shop and come out with a box of cakes

I look at the Betts by Post website ( more than I should ) and dream.

@AnnieMaul , I know the one you mean. You need (well, you don't, but you get my drift ) to try one of the bigger ones.

The Booths that I knew had a whole lot of vegan and free from foods long before it became popular.

They tend to be smaller shops that focus on high quality, locally sourced products but not specialising in free from etc exactly as they just don’t have the space. The touristy ones were never as good as the local town one. They’re not exactly comparable with Waitrose as I always feel not quite posh enough for the southern Waitrose, but Booths had quality while being really friendly.

The bakery section used to give my mum a pot of fresh yeast on request for her bread making for less than 10p.

I miss the Morecambe bay potted shrimp and the Christmas herdwick mutton the most.

And their deli section set the standard far too high, every one I’ve been to since down south has been a disappointment.

Oh I miss it so much.

I agree, I've been in several Booths on holiday and they weren't all that. Maybe that's just the toursity branches. Though I see you can get your JL click and collects there now so Waitrose are obvs embracing the rivalry.

Sorry, South Lake's dweller here and am meh about Booths but give me a Waitrose to browse and I'm happy, maybe it's just familiarity?

The catalogue is food porn I agree but I do feel a bit sickened by it, just too much money spent when I think they they could donate some of the money to local good causes. It just ends up in the recycling. Spoilsport I know.

@Roystonv , I know. But it's a guilty pleasure. And I love doing pointless bragging to Southerners who don't have access to it.

I love Booths. When we holiday in Booths land, DM and I wander around open mouthed like in fairyland.

@Brandaris You can buy Booths products on AmazonFresh if you don't object to giving money to Amazon.

I live near 4 Booths branches
The Christmas book is divine this year!

Love a wander round Booths, my nearest is an hour away. We have considered a visit near Christmas for treats and a bit of luxury, will have to see what restrictions are like nearer the time.

Thanks @orangenasturtium but I don’t live in an Amazon fresh area either

I don’t get it... whenever I’ve been in Booth’s a lot of the food has been stale and fruit/veg on the turn and it’s all just been a bit 🤷🏼‍♀️. Sorry peoples...no drooling from my corner! Agree about Betty’s though!

Though I just had a look at the Booths website and that does look great to be fair (slow work day here!!)

@70isaLimitNotaTarget

Southener here too. I've seen the eBook and drooled thought "Oh that's quite nice"

Waitrose is nice for a Christmas wander , it's a 30 minute drive to my nearest one though. They are scarily well organised with queues at Christmas anyway , and pointing you to spaces in the car park.

Not sure I'll get to a Waitrose before Christmas though ?

I;m really jealous of Betty's , I don't know if there's anything comparable darn Sarf . We've got Gails and Patisserie Valerie .

Try Fortnum and Masons (aka The Queen's Grocer) :)

our small branch has a fantastic cheese counter
I had friends living in the south and they had a Booths delivery at Christmas, is that not possible this year?