Top Ten items on my UK Shopping List

As any expat living in France, when someone says they are going to the UK and asks: "Do you want anything?", I say YES, YES, YES!!

You could be forgiven for thinking that the only things I would ask for is Cadbury's chocolate and Heinz Baked Beans (actually I hate baked beans), but the list is more complex than that.

The British aisle in my local French supermarket

France used to be a lot cheaper than the UK, hence the number of people that moved over here to live. But in the last few years, and especially since the Euro, the prices have slowly risen and risen to the point where the UK shops are more often the cheap ones in comparison.

Mum and Dad just got back from a trip and kindly offered up lots of space in their car to bring me what I wanted. So I went to town! Here's my top ten list of items I HAVE to buy in the UK:


No. 1. Baby Nappies
The price of nappies here in France is extortionate, it really is, I have been here for 15 months now and have managed to only need to buy a handful of packs in French supermarkets. When we moved from England the removal lorry had almost enough nappy boxes to last 6 months! Then we brought more back on our trip in January and had some kinds friends that have also brought out some for us this year.

For £10 in the UK I can get 80 x Size 5 Asda nappies and they are very good.
For the same price in France I would only get 50 own brand nappies and the quality is much lower.
If I want to splash out on Pampers in the UK, I can get a box of 62 nappies for £10. The same box in France will cost me 23 Euros, thats £20. Literally double the price!
The worst thing is that French families will pay this price and think it's normal...




No.2 Tetley TeaBags
I was never that fussy about which tea I drank, but do now prefer a cup of Tetleys. You can buy "Tetleys Breakfast" here, but it's not quite the same. So a big bag of teabags is always on my list.

No.3 Ready Brek
This is more for the kids really, it's good for them, but I like a bowl now and again, especially on a cold morning. Last year I couldn't find any in any of the shops here, I spotted it recently in the English aisle. BUT at over 5 Euros I decided to wait! I got 2 boxes from the UK for the same price.








No.4 Weetabix
We get through so much of this that I do regularly buy it here, but I am convinced it doesn't taste the same! I haven't looked at the price, don't want to actually as it's my favourite cereal and don't want the price to put me off! However, it's good to get a massive box in at Asda price (!) which will probably last us all of a month!

No 5. Baked Beans
I joked about them before, and I really do hate them. But Laila and Max (and François) love them, and when Laila was in a really fussy phase they were a godsend. So I continue to buy them, again they exist here, but I prefer to opt for the low salt and low sugar ones, much to my Mum's disust! I don't care, I'm not the one eating them!

My UK shopping that I collected this week!

No 6. Bisto Gravy
Another thing that can be bought in the English aisle, but it lasts so long I only need a couple tubs a year so can get it cheaper and also opt for the low salt version from the UK.

No. 7 Curry Sauce  and Naan breads
The French supermarkets are getting better with the Chinese and Indian sauces you can get, but the selection is still not as good. I do love a nice korma, so as a treat and an easy dinner I like to have some jars of sauce and naan bread ready to go! What would really make my day would be a proper Indian takeaway, but that's just a distant memory now.

No. 8 Baby and Toddler snacks
This is one thing that really gets my goat here in France. you can't get nice healthy convenient snacks for little kids here. The UK has a great selection of Organic flavoured rice cakes, cereal bars, fruit bars and other snacks which have no salt or sugar, they taste great and are healthy. France is surprisingly full of sugary biscuits, cakes and sweets for kids, which I let them have a little of occasionally, but I try to do the best by them. Even though there is a lot of organic food here, it's most often got chocolate in it for the kids.
Of course you can't beat a nice ripe piece of fruit which is easy to come by here, but for convenience I like to keep a stock of the above.

No. 9 Baby toothbrushes and toothpaste
What's even more shocking after all the sugary kids snacks, is that you can't get toothbrushes for 0-2 yr olds in French supermarkets and all of the toothpaste is either Strawberry or Bubble gum flavour! I mean what better way to give them bad habits right from the start? Don't even get me started on all the chocolate milk available for 6 month olds!

 


No. 10 Cadbury's chocolate
Yeah ok, I've managed a whole year without it (actually that's a lie, someone brought me some Cadbury Creme eggs at Easter!), but I've been struggling by eating French chocolate (such a hardship). I couldn't resist a good bit of Dairy Milk this time, actually because it's also just appeared in the English aisle here, but at 4 euros a pack I wasn't tempted enough! And to treat the kids (yes I do allow sugary treats just not ALL the time) I got them some Cadbury's Buttons. A childhood without those would be wrong in my opinion!!