woody234 Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 why is it that when the economy is booming and people have more money the price of food is cheap but when there is a downturn and people have less money the price of food goes up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 [quote user="woody234"]price of food goes up[/quote]Not in Tesco and Asda apparantly. I'm in France and so can't benefit from the price war.[quote user="woody234"] why is it that when the economy is booming and people have more money the price of food is cheap but when there is a downturn and people have less money the price of food goes up[/quote]Lack of demand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tegwini Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 CathyShopped in Asda yesterday. We rather thought lots had gone up and was more expensive than France. Back from France last week.RegardsTegwini Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 We've noticed UK prices go up considerably over the last few months. Depending on the item, we reckon prices have increased by 30-40%. E.g. milk was £1.69 it's now £2.29. Can't compare with France over the same period as we haven't been over since September last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Sainsbury's UHT milkAuchan UHT Milk Sainsbury's 'Organic' ChickenAuchan Free-range chickenInteresting to compare the two sites for various produce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceni Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 [quote user="tegwini"]Shopped in Asda yesterday. We rather thought lots had gone up and was more expensive than France. [/quote]Don't see the relevance of this. Most of us have to buy food in the country in which we live.John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceni Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 [quote user="woody234"]why is it that when the economy is booming and people have more money the price of food is cheap but when there is a downturn and people have less money the price of food goes up[/quote]Possibly it just seems that way - maybe people only look closely at prices when money is tight.why should food be cheap anyway ? it is a necessity of life and the laws of supply and demand should rule.John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 [quote user="Iceni"][quote user="tegwini"]Shopped in Asda yesterday. We rather thought lots had gone up and was more expensive than France. [/quote]Don't see the relevance of this. Most of us have to buy food in the country in which we live.John [/quote]Relevant to what? There are people interested in making the comparison, and there are others with places in both countries.Some contributors live in France, some in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boiling a frog Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 [quote user="Iceni"] Most of us have to buy food in the country in which we live.John [/quote] You are quite correct but some lucky people have houses in more than one country so buy food in the country they happen to be in at that point in time.So making a comparison is relevant to them .Unless we now have self appointed relevance police who decide what is relevant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tegwini Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 "Most of us have to buy food in the country in which we live." quote John /Iceni"Unless we now have self appointed relevance police who decide what is relevant" quote BaF Thanks Boiling a frog and NormanH The title of this thread is the price of supermarket foods- country not specified. Plus, not everyone lives fulltime in France, some are planning to move to homes in France, but shop in both the UK & France and like to compare prices. I suspect that the percentage of those of us with a foot in two countries is quite high. Perhaps the Mods might know?RegardsTegwini Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceni Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 [quote user="NormanH"]Relevant to what? There are people interested in making the comparison, and there are others with places in both countries.Some contributors live in France, some in the UK.[/quote]Yes I had realised that there are posters from countries other than France. To me the price of food in the 217 countries (approx) that I am not in at the moment hardly matters - until of course I return/to visit one of them.John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tegwini Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Yes, I for one am interested in the price of food in France and the UK- the other 215 countries not so. Obviously !! And, I suspect that this reflects the opinion of many on this forum. Some living in France even go the UK to shop for stuff they can't find in France, or if such is cheaper in the UK. There has been a thread/posts on this recently. And why not ?Tegwini Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pommier Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 We've just had a few days in the UK (first time in 3 years) and we thought that prices had dropped a lot compared to France. Good quality meat still seems marginally cheaper in France, but everything else seemed cheaper in the UK and the choice................incredible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Yes, it's the choice I miss.I always felt that if I wanted to, say, cook an Indian or an Italian meal, I could just pop into Tesco's and get all the ingredients but here, I fear that our local Intermarche just doesn't cut it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tegwini Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Hi SweetsWhat can't you get in France for Italian/Indian cookery?Just curious, as yet have not got a full large freezer /shelf of jams, bottled stuff as I don't do too much serious cooking in France when we're there. And wonder what is missing in French shops. Only a small freezer/frig in France and all the jam making & cooking for the freezer takes place in England.So far I've been impressed with our nearest Auchan.RegardsTegwini Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 I suppose you would get all that you need at Auchan, Tegs.I have a friend in Cognac and the Auchan there is HUGE.What's missing in our local supermarkets are things like Kaffir leaves, Tahinni sauce, satay sauce, parpadelle shaped pasta, decent soy sauce, sesame oil, Hoisin sauce, etc, etc.Not a problem really because I tailor the meals to what I can obtain. It's just that I understood what was said about the lack of choice.Also, I often buy nice frozen fish from Tesco's like barramundi which I have never seen in France.As I said, it's not an insurmountable problem because I can conjure a meal out of nothing but I'm having to work harder at thinking about what I can cook with the ingredients I can manage to get.BTW, no shitake mushrooms when I was trying to do a prawn and noodles dish last weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odile Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 some of us are in the process of deciding if we can afford to make the move or not - so comparisons of prices = VERY relevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Odile, you are right; it is so............o wretched having to watch the price of everything.I have been very envious of friends who have come to visit from the UK with their cut-price this and cut-price that. "Cut-price", when even the bistrot at our local supermarket has put up their lunch menu by 50 cents!Such uncertain times and I long for the days when I went shopping and never once bothered to look at the prices of things!Let's not do any more comparisons! Pound's on its way up again and, with careful management, I might be able to carry on feeding the OH and the dog and I could go on that New Year diet (the one where you eat hardly anything!)[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 [quote user="sweet 17"]What's missing in our local supermarkets are things like Kaffir leaves, Tahinni sauce, satay sauce, parpadelle shaped pasta, decent soy sauce, sesame oil, Hoisin sauce, etc, etc.[/quote]I so agree Sweet.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 But, you see, that's part of the charm. It's all so provincial and so "local"; you can't always get what you want but then you don't have to feel guilty about food miles either. So, the one balances out the other? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoverfrog Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 [quote user="Scooby"][quote user="sweet 17"]What's missing in our local supermarkets are things like Kaffir leaves, Tahinni sauce, satay sauce, parpadelle shaped pasta, decent soy sauce, sesame oil, Hoisin sauce, etc, etc.[/quote]I so agree Sweet....[/quote]we can get all of those things in deepest Limousin - and so much more! Didn't have them in Wiltshire - have learnt to love them since moving to France.Why lament products from other countries when one hasn't fully appreciated what's available from the local region?BTW - for those of short appreciation, try Grand Frais in Limoges - sure to find all the 'exoctic' stuff and then some!Try the local markets for really 'exoctic' stuff - your taste-buds will reward you.It's France - try some French stuff. Saucisson... huitres... fromage de brebis.... whatever your region offers!A country of over 300 cheeses is never going to agree on anything (De Gaule?) - but they do know how to eat well :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 A lot of french food we don't like very much. Particularly vegetables which they tend to ignore or over cook. We like the freshness and flavour of Asian food. It's not a problem for us as we aren't in France permanently and can take many of the above ingredients with us. We would, however, miss the variety of food that we enjoy here in the UK if we were there permanently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tegwini Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 "What's missing in our local supermarkets are things like Kaffir leaves, Tahinni sauce, satay sauce, parpadelle shaped pasta, decent soy sauce, sesame oil, Hoisin sauce, etc, etc". quote Sweet17Crikey Sweets you're obviously a gourmet!But, I suspect you would struggle to find some of those in my local Tesco - and a London friend tells me it's the biggest he's ever seen. I had a struggle here (in Wilts) to get some Garam Marsala for curry -and that's quite ordinary stuff I think. The French don't seem to eat much Indian food, so that's part of the problem. However, in rural Wilts lots of Indian/Asian restaurants, even one in my small village- that used to be a post office!RegardsTeqwini Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osie Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I quite agree that there are a few things missing in the shops in France... lemon grass is something I find hard to find any where.In fact I travel 400km to pick up those sort of things...p.s. Grand Frais has the lot and lots more... If only they did one a bit nearer to me :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Don't get me wrong, I don't absolutely have to have those things.Just that someone asked me what I couldn't get and I quickly wrote down the first few things that came into my head.As a matter of fact, we don't even eat a lot of Indian meals because OH finds them too spicey and I find them too rich.As for Chinese food, I only eat it when I am in the Far East and perhaps in the Chinese towns of big cities (London, New York, Liverpool and nowhere else). There's a lot to be said for eating local style and local produce as they tend to be the freshest and the cheapest.Having said all that, however, with a husband who doesn't eat meat, it's obviously easier to produce appetising meals and introduce variety when you have some unusual ingredients in the store cupboard.What I do find in our small local supermarkets is that the fresh veg and fruit sections tend to provide only limited choice and what there is is often limp and old looking.The point I was making is that (and I can only limit my remarks to my local area) I have to work harder at planning meals than I would have had to if Tesco were just down the road.I don't mean to make any derogatory remarks about French food, markets, supermarkets or anything to do with French food and meals.Those who know me on the forum would know that, generally speaking, I don't tend to make sweeping statements without qualification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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