Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

Afternoon.

Just landed in sunny Vancouver and so far all is fantastic. Getting used to the city, found a flat to rent (fairly expensive buy hey) got insurance, t'nternet and hydro all sorted .... even signed up for zip-car which seems a good idea for occasional car usage (in London too apparently)

Anyway shopping trips so far have been fairly interesting, prices seem to vary hugely but the biggest thing for me is trying to find a decent block of reasonable priced mature cheddar (pref not orange in colour) and some tea bags that dont cost $10 for a small box and taste something remotely like tea at home.

Oh also decent brand of olive oil, I presuming the normal european brands would be overly expensive.

Oh and chicken breasts - which arn't battery farmed ..... and any idea what a "frying chicken" is? looks like a normal chicken for roasting to me.... cant imagine sticking in a deep fryer?

Any chance someone could help me out and give me a few recommendations?

Cheers

Andy

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

Whole Foods

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

I buy Harris tea bags, the box on the right. It's between $3.99 and $4.99 for a box of 120. Best tea I've ever had. You can get it at any Indian grocery shop. I go to Sabzi Mandi, its on 51st Ave and Main St.


http://www.harrisfreeman.com/images/...rands_teas.jpg

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

You are in Canada now. Forget you ever heard of Waitrose and accept that this is now how life is. Welcome to the dream :thumbup:

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

I think you have Real Canadian Superstore (Loblaws)

I wouldn't say it's mature but the President's Choice brand of Extra Old isn't orange. It's now a house brick shape rather than a slab. It's $6.99 for a 500g block.

It's very nice but not what I'd call mature. More 'tasty' if they still use that word on cheese packages in the UK.

For proper mature you need brands like Baldersons - for some reason this is in a different part of the supermarkets and is, as you've probably discovered, much more expensive.

Probably more local folk can point you in the right direction for alternatives.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

We are quite happily drinking Tetley tea, which is readily available.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

We brought 3 big bags of Tetley tea bags with us, they lasted 6 months, longer than expected as we now drink mostly coffee. You can get Tetley Bold in Superstore, but the PC English Traditional tea is pretty good too.

As for the cheese...you will soon learn to get over it. (it's taken us 8 months) Canadians are always so surprised when we tell them how much cheaper their own lovely Canadian Cheddar is in the UK.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

Sainsburys?

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

Balderson's is available at Costco.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

cheese is expensive...get over it. There is a decent cheese shop just off west 4 th:

http://www.buycheese.com/

As for tea. The tetley here is no different than the UK. Regualr black tea is called orange peakoe for some reason here.

Shopping here is different than the UK. Watch for specials, buy cheaper, better quality fruit and veg at corner grocery stores, get a costco membership but don't get carried away and buy 2000 bog rolls, a flat screen and a boat!

There are a couple of Brit shops around but they are horrifically expensive and best avoided.

There are plenty of olive oil brands...just experiment.

welcome to vancouver.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

there are decent higher end places here too you know. IGA, Capers, Urban Fare, Choices etc come to mind:

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Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

I drink the PC English (no longer breakfast) Tea FWIW.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

Surly that's the fun part about Costco, trying to fit the wonderful new things you've bought into the car to bring them home while muttering 'But we only came in for a bag of triangle buns...':rofl:

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

I'm sure there is cocaine in those triangle buns. They are bloody great!
We bought an electric piano in Costco once :o

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

It is rather amazing what leaps into a trolly when going around Costco, we try to avoid the whole up and down the aisles now, works out a bit cheaper for us:eek::rofl:

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

<sits in shirt from Costco, chomping on biscuit made with flour from Costco>

This week I was looking at the site of a maker of barn kits, real barns, for, like, livestock. "Available at Costco" it said, making me wonder if it really is time for a towbar on the Beetle.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

It'll fit. Everything always fits.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

I'm not in Vancouver but in Calgary there are several good italian supermarkets with no end of choice for olive oil - would be surprised if you didnt have similar in Vancouver plus Safeway has a reasonable selection :)

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

Maybe have to get less olive oil that week.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

In Vancouver, Commercial Drive is the place for ethnic Italian shopping.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

That made me laugh out loud.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

I suspect that's an element of self-selective bias going on here. This place should have enough poncey overpriced delicacies for even the most discerning Oxbridge palate. ;)

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

we only go for what we need. Last time though a wok managed to 'jump in'

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

Costco has a "Rugged mature cheder cheese" from Coastal UK which is pretty good. tea bags Twinnings Earl grey from just about every where, produce from the garden:p Pork from the British owned and run slaughter house in Blumenort MB. Lamb from wifes best friends son who is one of the only sheep shearers in MB, beef we get in bulk from costco and portion it to size then vacuum pack (also from Costco) Chicken from a Huderite colony near Steinbach.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

Hi
from real canadian superstore
http://www.realcanadiansuperstore.ca...questid=782455

we get presidents choice traditional english tea
frozen sausages big box ( nearest to english we found)
british bacon in package ( US made from irish pigs !! )
extra old cheddar cheese ( white colour in long square shape 500g)
english biscuit assortment ( custards,bourbons, malted milk)
rice pudding, devon custard.
Olive oil, ( a gurt big metal can )

Save on foods
http://www.saveonfoods.com/select-yo...ion=node%2F120

cornish pasties ( not bad )
clotted cream ( well sort of in a glass jar )
coastal cheese

Safeway does brit stuff as well. http://www.safeway.ca/

when all fails ....
caramac bars,yorkies, etc.....

1st choice Supervalu http://www.supervalu.ca/

2nd choice british butchers http://www.thebritishbutchershoppe.com/

dollar shops occasionally do decent cream crackers

It's all pretty much out here.:thumbsup:

I suppose the only thing I haven't found is hogs pudding..:thumbdown:

If you haven't sorted out work yet might be worth posting your area of expertise, someone may have a lead.

Good luck.:fingerscrossed:
Cheers
Jerry

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

Thanks for the advise!

We plan to go a trip to Canadian SuperStore when we move into our flat to stock up so I will try out the PC "English" tea or get Tetley, whatever I can find.

Actually went to Santa Barbara Market today on Commercial (our temporary gigs arnt too far away and I had a local recommendation) It was brilliant. Definitely recommend it, the fruit and deli counter (including lots of cheese) was really nice and actually quite reasonably priced - fruit definitely so.

Looks like were be doing the normal monthly fill up at Canadian Superstore and buying fruit / veg / cheese / milk etc from either this place or another like it. Just hope its that nice all year round ....

Cheers Me'dears.

Andy

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

I do most of my shopping at santa B :)

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

Whatever happened to the English breakfast tea?
Is the PC English the same?
I will drink tetley or pg tips.

The cheese we like is from safeway, in amongst the orange stuff there is a regular yellow cheddar,which seems like the stuff from the UK to me!

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

I used to quite like Meinhardts. Problem is to get decent meat and produce etc in Canada you have to go somewhere wanky. I only once went to Costco, strangest experience of my life. We wanted to go in and see whether we might want to buy anything or not (never having been there). We were barred at the door, no card no browsing. They were hard-core about it too. Worse than trying to get into a nightclub in the UK while wearing trainers.....
So, we lined up, paid for some crappy membership. Walked round, looked for the cheap booze. Found none. Decided to leave. Refunded our membership on the way out. Never been back.

Pure hell on earth.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

i would also kill myself if I had to go to the Real Canadian Superstore. If for no other reason than they don't take AMEX. Oh, and they have a really shit name.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

Parliament and Winchester in Cabbagetown next to the Tim Hortons an Indian lady sells Yorkshire Tea and British chocolate.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

You can ask for a day pass at Costco.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

wow, bit of a shopping snob aren't we. ;)

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

I bought some Yorkshire Tea in London Drugs this week, $6.99 for 80 bags.

I buy Kraft cheddar chesse, the large 700g block (yes, it's orange, but I like the taste better than other brands of cheddar) - it was on sale in Save On Foods this week for $8.99 :thumbup:

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

He said without going bankrupt

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

I bought some cheese and tea bags in Costco. Seems OK to me, what's the big deal about cheese and tea bags anyway?

Bigger things to be concerned about now in BC, like the fiasco that has been created voting out the HST.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

Just because he's moved country doesn't mean he should abandon all the things he likes. Look at immigrants in UK. They live their lives as if they never left their homeland, especially when it comes to cuisine.

Excluding the Benidorm crowd, Brits have about the most diverse taste for foods of different regions, than any nationality in the World. Canada has bugger all to offer brits, increasing the appetite for delicious British and foreign cuisine.

Given the sucky Canadian contribution to the culinary map, and the huge number of Brits in Canada, it's amazing that British food, which is world renowned and loved by others including Canadians, is only available in expensive stuffy boutique stores, and usually way out of date.

There is nothing dream like about cuisine in Canada. It's very limited indeed, and most is just expensive American trash. The British have a deep and rich culinary culture which should be the envy of other countries. Suggesting that one should abandon this is a bit preposterous.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

You should also look to the US for much better pricing on most things, especially cheese. There are import limits but these are fair, although the $20 dairy limit per person could be eaten up quicker than the product itself.

Popular US destination for shopping from BC border is Bellingham, where you'll find Costco in addition to most of the other popular shopping venues, such as Target and Walmart (shudder). There is a perception that the US pumps their food with mind control drugs and growth hormones. Most of the food we buy from there is high quality and guaranteed to be free of such modifications. The equivalent Canadian food is more suspect and higher priced.

There's no tax on almost all foods you could buy, so nobody at the border is going to worry about you bringing in groceries, but make yourself aware of the limits and stick within these. They are generally more than adequate. You'll save a small fortune on expensive foods this way, but take a cooler and then buy a bag of ice down there, to keep chilled food in good nick.

Cheers

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

Yes this stuff is the dog's knackers. I bought 10 boxes when it was on sale thinking the regular price was $12 or something, but $7 is a bargain and it's strong enough that a tea-bag will make 2 cups, living up to good old Yorkshire frugality.

Re: Help me buy decent tea and cheese without going bankrupt!!
 

My sympathy to you. The cost of living in Canada comes as a shock, particularly the cost of food.

Tea. Red Rose tea is one of the cheapest and isn't bad -- an Irish Breakfast Tea type of teabag. However, I go back to the UK once a year and bring back loose tea. Sometimes I buy it from Fortnum and Mason's -- even that is cheaper than the "boutique teas" you get here, which are mostly rubbish.

Cheddar, as other posters have said, you'll get over it. The cheese may be very expensive, but it is very good. I recommend some of the french style cheeses, even though you need a second mortgage to pay for them.