SHOPPING... VIVE LA DIFFERENCE?

French supermarkets are just that..............super.  They have excellent choices of all foodstuffs and especially fresh food.

In the bigger supermarkets you will find big fresh fish counters, with shell fish as well as wet fish, all sorts of kinds, displayed in ice.

The butchery counters are vast by UK standards.  There's often a butcher on hand to serve exactly what you require but even if there isn't there will be several chilled counters of fresh meat.  One for beef, one for pork, one for poultry, veal, lamb etc etc.  In summer there will be huge quantities of freshly prepared kebabs, beefburgers etc.  There will be beef kebabs as well as pork.  They thread the meat with small slices of fat and peppers in between. Very tasty.

 Some of the bigger supermarkets have large packs of meat or fish in the chiller cabinets which you can split and freeze.  You can make good savings here.

Fruit and vegetables take up a much bigger shop floor area than in the UK, both organic and not organic.  In summer clementines, apricots, nectarines and peaches come by the boxful....a very good way to buy them.  You can always get fruit and vegetables loose so you can buy just 1 apple if you want.

BUT you must remember to weigh your produce and stick on the price label.  If you don't then when you get to the checkout your fruit or vegetables will not be accepted and you will have to go back to the fruit/vegetable department and weigh them!  Very embarrassing since everyone has to wait till you get back.  It helps if you make a note of the reference number of the particular item, especially is there are several varieties of apples or pears etc.  There are pictures on the weighing machines but it can be confusing so it helps to note the number, displayed above the counter, together with the price.

Individually priced fruit and veg don't need to be weighed.  The checkout girl (it's not usually a man in France) will know the prices.  

Of course there are big frozen food cabinets with everything you would expect and more. 

Cheeses are on display in abundance.  There will often be a fresh cheese counter where you can specify exactly what you would like or you can choose from the chiller cabinets.  There will be a much bigger selection than you are used to here.  Enjoy, though if you love Cheddar or Double Gloucester you will be disappointed.


Water... there will be a bigger variety than UK.  Just be careful because some are rather unusual.  We have a house near Vichy and some of the waters from the various springs are not always pleasant to our taste.


Wine.....a very great choice.  Take your time and keep a lookout for special offers.

Spirits.....not always the choice you expect, though whisky is freely available.  You can't usually find Pimms or sherry but gin and vodka are plentiful.  Port is there but more often tawny or white.  Ruby port is not always on the shelf.  There are other drinks which are very similar to amontillado sherry....Muscat.  Very drinkable.  Funnily enough brandy or cognac is not always easy to find either. Strange.

You will usually find the crisps, salted peanuts, olives etc near the alcohol. 


There is usually a very good array of breakfast cereals, together with biscotts, dried bread rusks, very nice with butter and jam but very brittle.


There will a wide variety of oils and vinegars on the shelves but you will struggle to find white wine vinegar.


One thing to note French supermarkets do NOT give you bags for your shopping!  There will be bags you can buy but no cardboard boxes.  You need to be aware of this if you go shopping as soon as you get off the plane!  It can give you quite a shock if you are not aware of this.


Opening hours are not as they are in the UK.  There are no 24 hour openings and most will close at 7pm or 8pm at the latest.  They may open for a couple of hours on Sunday morning but no more.  And smaller supermarkets close for lunch, for at least 1 hour and often 2.  

Bread shops stay open till 1pm or 1.30pm and then they close, not reopening until 4pm.  They may not wrap the bread, especially the long baguettes, which folk carry home under their arm.  They may wrap a paper round the centre of the long loaf but that's usually all you get.

Patisseries will be open on Sunday mornings and many town have one which stays open all Sunday afternoon so families can enjoy a Sunday afternoon gouter, tea or coffee and a delicious (and expensive) cake.



All small shops close for at least 1 hour at lunch time but stay open till 7pm or so.  I think that's the reason why events in the evening don't usually start till 8pm or later.  Most people don't finish work till 7pm so can't get there any sooner.