cost of food in FRENCH SUPERMARKETS- just how expensive will it be this year...

[noonar]

... thanks to the terrible exchange rate? have already accepted that we are unlikely to eat out during our holiday to the dordogne, but will i want to weep at the supermarket checkout?

any tips on what's still good value/ what to avoid/ take with us( we are camping), would be greatly appreciated.

tia

SW France near Perpignan, blowbroth - not camping, but our gite had no fans so nearly as hot!

Now I'm dreaming of L'escale. We've been there the last couple of years but this year did a budget trip to Languedoc. It was good fun and loads to do, but the beaches just aren't as damned pretty! And the food is not up to the same standard. I will move to Gassin when i win the lottery!

We will move to Roussillon when we do, Protofino

I'll come and visit you in Gassin! Is the pub/restaurant still there with all the football club pennents in? I'll be there in 2 weeks time and I can't wait

Not sure if it helps, but I know they've dropped VAT in restaurants? Apparently they now have similar stickers to those you see on sale items in shops on the menus! So whilst it may still be expensive, some of the key items (coffee, house courses etc) may be a little cheaper. I found some info here www.tiny.cc/vatdrop

Hope that helps!
Lx

we've just got back from France and the prices of food and drinks were shocking.
We took tea,coffee, cereals, biscuits and bags of dried fruit etc plus lots of cartons of juice for kids and was very glad I had.

Meals out were ridiculous. A meal for 5 (2 adults, 2 teenagers and 2.8 year old) in a brasserie with no alcohol was 120 euros. Take pot noodles seriously, I'd take as much dried food as you can and stuff like tins of tuna/ham to at least reduce the cost of lunches. The baguettes were not too bad, around 2 euros each where we stayed

I live in Switzerland and regularly shop in France. I find that the meat is often more expensive than you might be used to in UK, but generally good quality.

I normally pack stuff that I would not use up in a holiday, salt, sugar, etc rather than trying to save on stuff like tins of tomatoes. And cleaning products.

Lidl and Aldi are getting more popular in France so check out their locations.

I generally spend around 100 - 150eu for a weekly shop, including meat, wine etc. I would imagine that it is comparable to Uk, even with the weak pound.

I'm in Brittany, my local supermarket is so expensive, then when I go into Waitrose when back in the UK I think it's cheap. Imagine what I'm like when I'm walking round Asda!

Lidl and Aldi are the way to go and the markets for fresh fruit and veg, far and away superior quality to any supermarkets.

mumoverseas do you really think it was expensive or is it just that you don't eat out at home?

Because we've just got back from the UK and we are horrified by the prices of meals, sandwiches, drinks etc.

Did you order lots of courses in a restaurant?

Because round here you can get a really posh 4 course meal for about 26? a head, with children's menus being about 8-10? (main + dessert).

I have our boot open atm
in it is all sorts of food we have not previously taken..

Are off this weekend then Badger?

I have this week's shopping receipt if you want to know the price of any standard stuff but probably a bit late.

Have fun.

Bon voyage.

demain matin!

Sending sunny and non thundery vibes your way then.

I agree about eating out, HaventSlept. Most restaurants have a Plat de Jour or Menu de Jour which is very good value. With the added incentive that I try things that I might not normally. My parents went for a meal in Evian a week ago and it was 13eu per person for a 3 course meal.

We have noticed that Italian food/drink is really cheap in France and Switzerland. San Pellegrino is one of the least expensive bottled waters here and the most expensive back in Germany.

MmeLindt I have just eaten a huge chunk of Lindt Double Lait Chocolate!

Can't comment on France as we haven't been yet this summer but am just back from Ireland - also in Eurozone. We had a family meal in a pizza/pasta place along the lines of Zizzis and pasta dishes were around ?15 per head. They're about £8 in any of our local pasta places (expensive part of UK). The meal overall cost about twice what we'd pay here....

ta!

Ireland is mad expensive at the moment, I was there a couple of weeks ago.

Don't know what happened to the euro symbol there! Have a great holiday badger!

Just found a receipt.

Kellogs Special K 600g 3.41

Bonne Maman Framboise 1.97

Bag mixed salad 1.69

Pain au lait 20x 2.65

kg Tomatos, Roma 1.09/kg

Milk 1.5l 1.88

Butter 1.74

Scottish salmon (4 slices) 4.99

Melon 1.50

San Pellegrino 6l pack 4.50

Eurosymbol does not work on MN, Tech is working on it.

Lol, HaventSlept. The irony is that I don't actually eat a lot of choc.

we have never managed to FIND bonne maman in france! the ultimate irony
are improting this year

If you go to Super U they don't have a lot of it (they have their own brand).

Elswhere it seems to be everywhere.

Is it £££ in the UK? (thinking of possible future presents to bring over with me!)