Tips for buying abroad (1 Viewer)

[scotjimland]

Some useful info here

Link Removed

so what's your Top Tip for buying abroad ?

 

[sedge]

Quick nip to Adinkerke from Calais or Dunkerque for baccy. Much cheaper than France. At least one place is 24/7 (although it's not actually in Adinkerke itself but you'll find it on the internet and it's dead easy - lorry park!) so no matter if it's early or late.

Brioche tranche (Harry's !)

Poulain (Grand Arome) drinking chocolate (and bar chocolate when you can get it) because it's much finer, much higher cocoa solids than the stuff we get here.

In season:
Reine Claude plums cos there are never greengages for sale in UK ever.
Nectarines blanches for the same reason

Shallots

Minced pork and herb etc mix for stuffing tomatoes, making into burgers or (skinless) sausages. Sometimes have to buy loose off the butchery counter but if it's pre-packed it will say 'pour le farce' or 'pour (eg) tomates farcies' (the verb farcer is to stuff; farcie means stuffed)

Any fresh sausage (usually with the BBQ meats in supermarkets) because it's high meat content and tastes of meat instead of mashed up pink rusk

Veal if you like it - it's certainly no cheaper in France but it's a lot more available than UK

This time of year we are getting towards the Marron (chestnuts) season. Some of em are Appelation Controllee with prices to match if you are a connoisseur! Ditto mushrooms of all sorts - don't think they have an Appelation, mind you!

Trophychap's No 1 wine tip - go to the supermarket where all the French cars are parked as the article says, then if you aren't already certain exactly what you want - station yourself on the wine section for a while and watch what the locals are buying!

Bakeware, cookware, kitchenware, crockery and cutlery, esp of course - knives. They have a FAR greater choice in the Hypermarches. And we had some v. good quality towels from (I think) LeClerc - end of range and mega cheap, I said well if they fall apart when I wash em, we've lost nothing. 3 years later, in regular use throughout and no sign of them deteriorating. 6 steak knives, ditto.

And you chaps will love the Bricolage shops!

Keep out of the Garden sections; the large pots etc are sooo tempting but take up a lot of room for the next fortnight !

 

[sedge]

Oh sorry, you wanted one Top Tip? OK.

Enjoy!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[chesterfield hooligan]

use Wildman's credit card ​

 

[CarolynandMike]

Some useful info here

Link Removed

so what's your Top Tip for buying abroad ?

I buy clothes in a chain such as Kiabo. That way you buy something styled differently to high street British clothes.

 

[vwalan]

hi if your off to morocco look out for argon oil.
you can use it for cooking its lovely .but these days its being sold in uk for a fortune for use as hair oil and skin oil . we buy it by the gallon .
i use it alot while cooking makes a special taste that really gives the moroccan taste .

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[scotjimland]

hi if your off to morocco look out for argon oil.
you can use it for cooking its lovely .but these days its being sold in uk for a fortune for use as hair oil and skin oil . we buy it by the gallon .
i use it alot while cooking makes a special taste that really gives the moroccan taste .

Broken Link Removedis a miracle solution for:
Lines and Wrinkles
Acne
Age Spots
Scars
Psoriasis and Eczema
Stretch Marks
Dry/Frizzy/Damaged Hair

I've just ordered 5 litres

 

[MikeandCarolyn]

Poulain (Grand Arome) drinking chocolate (and bar chocolate when you can get it) because it's much finer, much higher cocoa solids than the stuff we get here.


This time of year we are getting towards the Marron (chestnuts) season. Some of em are Appelation Controllee with prices to match if you are a connoisseur! Ditto mushrooms of all sorts - don't think they have an Appelation, mind you!


Poulain :thumb: I buy some 1848 as well -It has higher cocoa content,then I use 2 teaspoons Grand Arome to 1 teaspoon 1848


Marron- To roast them a 'poele a marrons' is the 'must buy utensil

Mike.

 

[vwalan]

yes they have been using it for years . only grows in morocco i believe . but now it gets fancy names here like argonine and the likes . they dont say about the goats eat the fleshy nuts shit the stones out then the women collect the stones /nuts .crush then to get the oil etc . we try to get ours from a family with a small farm up the hills behind tahgazoute . you can actually watch it being made or extracted . all very interesting .
getting pricy in morocco now due to world demand .

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[ukbill]

supermarket in main street in salou cheapest spirits i have ever bought ie: litre smirnoff £8 litre southern comfort £11

 

[magicsurfbus]

In France:

Fuel - Elf stations seem to be cheaper than most, but supermarket fuel can be up to 20 cents a litre less than Autoroute services so it's worth a detour to save a tenner filling an 80 litre tank.

Long-sleeved teeshirts and summer shorts - I always go for special offers on Tex Basic in Carrefour, either at Easter or end of summer. Wearing French togs makes you look less obviously like a British tourist as well. Has anyone else noticed the apparent British obsession with camouflage shorts?

Wine - I'm not very sophisticated with wine so I look for the grape varieties I like then only buy bottles in the 3-4 Euro range with Gold, Silver, or Bronze prize stickers on them from national wine shows. We're rarely disappointed.

Beer - I don't buy lager in Britain any more, I just stock up on crates of supermarket 33 Export every time we're in France. Cheap and cheerful.

If you drink bottled water abroad, the bigger the container the cheaper the water.

French supermarkets have their equivalent of Sainsburys Basics - in Leclerc items are labelled Eco+