Thread: English Shops

Eroski are the main superstore in La Porta Marina shopping mall outside Ondara alongside the A7/N332 junction. They certainly have a huge selection and excellent fish and deli counters but don't use them for weekly shop (Mercadona) as it just takes too long to get round!

I agree entirely about Mercadona.
Have you found the Dun More Irish Cheddar? For the price we reckon it's the best cheddar in Spain for day to day use. Their 5 Semillas brown loaves are pretty scrummy too!

Thanks to Val, Country Boy and Big Vern for their info.

Interesting that the Google link to eroski jaen actually takes you to an address on northern outskirts of Granada (I don't entirely trust some aspects of google!) not far from Brico and Carrefour.

We, too, like Mercadona for many things, also Lidl which is a stone's throw from Merc.

It's nice to post a positive comment about Spanish shops/stores. There is a ferreteria in Alcala la Real that often gives an, unasked for, discount - I went there this morning to get some self-tapping screws, I only wanted three but asked for ten
"¿Cuanto es?"
"Nada!" What more can one ask for?

Originally Posted by valenciaholiday

I bought a new kettle a few months back, a Spanish one. It seems to take a lot longer to boil, could it be that it is prepared for the Spanish electric supply more than an English one? I had an english one before and the electric would "trip" if i used any other equipement, with this one it doesn´t happen near as often. It is actually of a nice modern design too! I am happy enough with it, just have to wait a couple minutes extra.

Some of the latest UK kettles are 3KW !, but most Spanish Jobie's I have seen are about 1.5KW and will of course take longer to boil.

For general info .............
Just returned from a weekend down to Mijas & in Fingerola (sic) there is a Littlewoods Direct outlet that has some real tidy bargains in electrical, for instance we bought a 4 slice Salisbury's toaster for 12eu & a bargain by any standard.

Brian

Originally Posted by valenciaholiday

I bought a new kettle a few months back, a Spanish one. It seems to take a lot longer to boil, could it be that it is prepared for the Spanish electric supply more than an English one? I had an english one before and the electric would "trip" if i used any other equipement, with this one it doesn´t happen near as often. It is actually of a nice modern design too! I am happy enough with it, just have to wait a couple minutes extra.

The thing that influences the boiling time is the wattage. Higher wattage = quicker boiling but higher wattage also = higher current and greater likelihood of tripping.

I don't know if they are in Jaen. But Eroski Centres are quite common in my area. The supermarket have been reported as being one of the most expensive chains in Spain. I do sometimes buy petrol at Eroski petrol stations, which are normally a few cents a litre cheaper than elsewhere, but don't use the supermarkets..I find Mercadona or for some items Super Valu cheaper.

CD

Originally Posted by baldilocks

The "good" stuff as you call it isn't so good. It just looks better. The main criterion for fruit and veg going to UK supermarkets is that it must look good with minimal or no blemishes. It is usually picked under-ripe so that it is not over-ripe when it gets to the supermarket shelves and will last a day or two before going rotten. This means that it has not had an opportunity to ripen properly in the sun and fully develop its potential sweetness and flavour.

The stuff you get here may not look as pretty but the taste and flavour is excellent. Go to your local market where the produce is fresh from the huerta, hasn't come miles in a travelling refrigerator operating at near to deep-freeze temperatures adding to atmospheric pollution and adding to costs - the produce you buy in your local market (or, for us, get given by neighbours) is cheaper and far better quality unless of course you want to use it as models for a still-life painting!

I have been looking through the forum with interest as i am moving from England to Spain early August and felt compelled to reply, the supermarkets here (Tesco and Asda have been quoted) all look fantastic but when you get the produce back be prepared that if you are not going to eat the fruit/veg straight away you will end up throwing away a vast majority of it. an example of that is i was bought some lovely looking fat strawberries 2 days ago from a friend and i washed them stored them in the fridge and by yesterday evening there were a couple of mouldy ones.... they give you fantastic offers of buy 1 get 1 free so it looks good but is a false economy as the food is often bland compared with the meat/ veg i buy form the local grocers/butchers. enjoy your wonderful markets with fresh produce as they would be better for you than the plastic food we have here.

Originally Posted by sunshineseeker

I have been looking through the forum with interest as i am moving from England to Spain early August and felt compelled to reply, the supermarkets here (Tesco and Asda have been quoted) all look fantastic but when you get the produce back be prepared that if you are not going to eat the fruit/veg straight away you will end up throwing away a vast majority of it. an example of that is i was bought some lovely looking fat strawberries 2 days ago from a friend and i washed them stored them in the fridge and by yesterday evening there were a couple of mouldy ones.... they give you fantastic offers of buy 1 get 1 free so it looks good but is a false economy as the food is often bland compared with the meat/ veg i buy form the local grocers/butchers. enjoy your wonderful markets with fresh produce as they would be better for you than the plastic food we have here.

Hope you enjoy your future here. Quite how the local produce here will fare now that the EU have dropped some of their ridiculous criteria for saleability of fruit and veg remains to be seen. What was rejected by the EU markets on the grounds of too straight or not straight enough, wrong shade of green, too round, bent or otherwise cosmetically challenged meant that we, here, got it much cheaper in the local markets.

A prime example: In Sainsbury's I would have to pay 69p-89p for a savoy cabbage that was more like an overgrown brussels sprout, here I would pay 39c for something two or three times the size (maybe with a couple of caterpilar holes in the, maybe muddy, outer leaves). Even a toddler could tell which offered the better value.

thanks for your reply Baldilocks, i agree the last time i went to the market in spain i saw the most amazing spring onions and peppers, i cannot wait to buy them, August cannot come soon enough for us...........