British Staples!

What the rest of the world think!

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I have just come across this article on the internet and thought it would be of interest to my readers.  It describes in photographs, different displays of British food, in supermarkets, for the expat community, in different countries of the world.  It is interesting to see what each country regards as a British staple.

I myself was up early this morning, shopping.  Up until recently I used to shop in Lidl, but have switched along with Katie and am now, shopping at Mercadona, in Gran Alacant.  If you shop wisely, Mercadona is actually much cheaper, as I discovered recently.  This is a change from what I believed to be true at the beginning of my stay in Spain, always shopping in Lidl, but as they say, we learn as we meander through life. Today I spent 22,80€ and that will get me through a week, yes a whole week.  A little bit different from those days shopping in Tesco or Waitrose and the 120 pound bill at the end of it.

Like all the other supermarkets that I have been into, Mercadona has its own British section, including what it regards as British fodder.  Sadly they have failed in every respect, in fact out of all the shops selling such goods, Mercadona has the worst display.  I wish I had taken a picture today, but completely forgot. In all honesty, none of these establishments have to sell anything from the Mother country, so the fact they do is a bonus in itself.  Mercadona's section was quite sparse and didn't include the biggest essential item of all Marmite.  Everywhere else sells the black stuff, just not the Spanish leading supermarket.  Good for them, keep it Spanish, because everything else, is great.  Paying 2,00€ for 500g of mince meat, can't be bad.  In fact all the meat on sale there is much cheaper than I have seen anywhere else!
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If I need anything British, I usually go to my local shop, Unide, a short walk away from where I live. They have a fantastic range of produce and compared to most other places are much cheaper when trying to find items from home.  The thing is, the price you pay, does vary dramatically  in Spain.  In Unide I would usually pay about 2,95€ for a small jar of Marmite, in Dialprix, today I paid 3,85€; that is a huge difference in price.

Dialprix, however does have the best British range of goods on offer, but shopping around is key, because of the variation in price.  With some items, being as much as 1€ more expensive, depending where you shop, it really does pay, to look around carefully, especially when on a budget.  It can be a bit hard work at times, especially when you just want to go to one shop and buy your weekly groceries, but it is just the way things are out here and it isn't going to change anytime soon, if at all. In reality the shopping culture in Spain is very different to that in The UK!

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The one thing you should remember is, you are going to have to pay over the odds, for whatever British products you want or need, during your stay away from home.  There are however many ways you can purchase everyday essentials.  Many Spanish towns and cities, will have dedicated, specialist, British outlets.  If you are thinking of moving further South in Spain, you will also find a vast aray of British shops in Gibraltar.  Maybe take a trip over the boarder and see what is on offer, especially with a weak pound

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I have also come across many online shops, based in Britain, selling goods to expats overseas and have included a couple of links here.  Just click on the photograph to take you to the shop.  These online stores are a great way of obtaining items that are not readily available in the foreign country you are living in.  There are delivery charges, but, as with most of these shops, the more you buy, the cheaper it becomes and the delivery charge isn't that much of a problem. 

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Wherever you are living in the world, you can be sure of obtaining your favourite British food. We live in a highly globalized time, where connections between people and countries are closer than they ever have been. It is easy the have items sent to your home address, although a few words of caution. The postal service in Spain, is not as good as many others across the globe.  In my opinion, the use of postal boxes, away from ones home, is a security risk.  If you are going to have regular parcels sent from abroad, I would advice you get a postal box. Many places offer this service, from banks to estate agents, and you do have the guarantee of receiving items, that could otherwise get lost in the Spanish postal system, which is easily done over here!

A final few words about 'Marmite'.  This is the only thing I can not do without, living in Spain. At nearly 4,00€ for a small jar, it is very expensive. Ideally shops need to stock the bigger jars. Don't be afraid to ask those behind the counter, to see if they can stock something you want, but currently can't get, especially in the British supermarkets. We have found them to be obliging and do all they can to accommodate your request. Sending a 400g jar of Marmite, from the UK, could be cost prohibited; a false economy, so speaking to those who currently stock British items, is the best way forward, after all, they can only say no!

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