Category: UK Supermarkets

About the so called “grocery stores”

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Something Fishy ?

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On Monday night, intent on making Fish Soup, we raced into the Morrisons branch, in Chapel-en-le-Frith, to get some Fish Stock, this store is really too small to be a Morrisons, but does at least have a Fish Counter, obviously the place!

We seached in vain, they had several types of Beef Stock, Chicken Stock, and vegetable stock, but no fish stock.

In desperation we went to Tesco in Whaley Bridge, once descibed to me by a local as a “mean little store”, the fish counter here suggests they have more or less given up trying to sell fish (nobody actually cooks any more do they?) except mainly, the processed “fish finger” type, ( am I only person who has never actually never seen a fish that has any “fingers”). Not really expecting much luck here we found at least three type of Fish stock, with cubes, powder, and best of all liquid stock ( also loads of other choices, and even Pork stock.)

Is this odd or what, or is it a sinister plot to make us drive from Store to Store frantically trying to complete our shopping list?

Score 7 for Tesco and 3 for Morrisons (lack of “joined up thinking/products” – to put it into modern terms)

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Best Value Veg

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On Sunday, we went towards Manchester, and had a reasonable list of veggies we needed, we called into “the Indian Supermarket” (as we call it,) in Longsight and we purchased:

  • Box of good Tomatos (£2.99)
  • Box of Red peppers (£5.99)
  • Bunch of Coriander
  • A Butternut Squash
  • 6 nice nectarines
  • 1Kg Pack of dried fried Onions
  • bag of Chewra Mix (Bombay like stuff)
  • 4 Green Peppers
  • 2 Bulbs of Garlic
  • 2 Red Onions
  • 1 Cucumber
  • 1 Galia Melon
  • 5 Bananas

All for less than £19, agreed the peppers are well ripe and strangely aren’t all the same size colour and completely unblemished, and they did not have the cardboard trays and plastic film that the supermarkets grow them in, but you know they seem to taste better despite that?

Serious recommendation, get out and try your local Asian or Chinese etc Supermarket, try some of those strange things like Mulfi, Okra, or some Goat (makes wonderful Curry) – people there will tell you how to prepare them if you ask. You will not only find it hugely cheaper than the Sheds, but tastier and more exciting.

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I Like Morrisons White Grapefruit Juice!

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Each morning as some attempt at “5 a day”, we all have a glass of fruit Juice, in my case I like grapefruit juice ( I guess as a child itwas nicking the breakfast juice, small glasses of Britvic from the tables at my Uncles hotel?) Anyway part of the thing about grapefruit is that it is a “tart” taste, and I suspect that’s the way those who like Grapefruit want it, however the “industry” has relentlessly pushed to make sweet sickly (usually pink) girly grapefruit.

The effect seems to be that many smaller stores don’t even bother to stock grapefruit Juice, the only choices being Co-op Grapefruit Juice, which is OK (despite dodgy packaging changes in their range meaning that you have no clue from the picture on the outside as to which juice it is) and going to more expensive “Tropicana” ranges.

Wonderful then to find in our local Morrisons a choice of Girly Grapefruit , and “White Grapefruit Juice“, this a first rate product, really good taste and (so far anyway) it tends to be in stock most days. A pat on the pack to Morrisons who are not normally the most innovative of stores.

However, I couldn’t not find something to grumble about, and it’s the stupid “plastic ring-pull” that comes after the plastic cap is unscrewed, get rid of it on all juices, it’s unnecessary, useless, usually breaks and I end up attacking the carton with a sharp knife, (not wise when still half asleep). What does the ring pull achieve, the screw caps are sealed and I don’t miss the ring pull on the few brands that don’t use it, meaning that as a prevention of malicious contamination it’s still useless, how are the elderly and blind supposed to open these things?