TestaRossa

No lucozade spotted sorry...We use coca cola for everything tbh and it seems to work! There are some energy drinks around - Aquarius?? The lemon and lime one is really nice! Hope you feel better soon, my OH has been tucked up in bed since 6.30 - makes a first for him at Christmas, normally the rest of us!!

Lorna at Vicenza

I've never ever seen Lucozade either.
Is Gatorade supposed to do the same kind of 'pick me up' job?

TestaRossa

Yeah but it tastes poo!! And it's blue!

I've found a kind of self raising flour too. I say kind of as it has potato starch in it as well as bicarb, but better than nothing!

Margaret M

Is it just down here - chicken stock seems to have dissappeared from the shelves. Tried 3 different places up to now and can't get any. Used to be able to get tubs, never found chicken stock cubes here.

lindaf

I've bought veg stock cubes here but I haven't looked for chicken stock yet cos I'm still using the chicken OXO stock cubes I brought from the UK

Last night in our Italian lesson we were talking about brodo and the types of stock you could use. Our teacher was quite intrigued when we explained how some people would drink a cup of beef oxo or bovril in the same way as you would drink a cup of coffee.

Margaret M

Used up my chicken oxo a while ago. Will have to stock up next time I am in the uk, unfortunately that won't be until March.

TestaRossa

I was looking for chicken stock today - no luck here either.

However found in Vivi - tate&lyle golden syrup original as well as maple and treacle and mincemeat!

In pegna hellmans mayo and Stilton!

Margaret M

Found the tubs of chicken stock in Auchan yesterday. Now, has anybody found Mace anywhere?

ballerina

Hi Everyone, I am back in La Spezia for the holidays and back permanently some time after my exams in Feb are done and dusted, cant wait!

Right then. I am planning on being a domestic goddess (hah!) when I come to finally live with my OH, but every time he asks me to cook or bake something English, I can't find every ingredient I need! Or I can find the ingredients, but they are not exactly right.. can anyone help me please?

Flour: which do you use if the recipe calls for self-raising/plain? do you have to use the standard one and add the 'levitation' raising agent? I have found the perfect flour for making soda bread, but that's about it..

Cream: is there only the UHT stuff available? which is single and which is double? any fresh cream available? and creme freche and the like? I get a bit confused in those chilled aisles and then move on quick because it is too bloody cold to be hanging around there!

Oh, by the way, I am in La Spezia and normally shop in Esselunga.

Found a shop nearby which sells proper English Stilton! OH was very pleased, he loves English cheese! Oh yes that reminds me, he wants to try jacket potatoes too!! he picked up a bag of new potatoes and asked if they were the sort you used for jacket spuds haha... anyone have any tips on where to find really nice floury spuds? All the ones I have ever had here and in Rome were so yellow and watery and don't make a decent mash or roasty.

Thanks very much for any help!

Ballerina xx

TestaRossa

I've been told the La Spezia Esselunga carries different stock to the ones here in Florence so I don't think you will find Creme fraiche, but you should find fresh cream, it is single and in with the fresh milk if they have it. It's in much smaller cartons and is a home brand normally. I have found a self-raising flour in the one here, it is with the flour and the packet is yellow and white. Don't be put off by the fact it has potato starch in as well as bicarb. It works well and means you don't need the levitata. Otherwise I use 00 with levitata when needed.

Esselunga also normally carries white potatoes as well as yellow - the yellow ones are the ones you are describing. You can buy both in 5kg bags. If you check out the loose pots some of them are a decent baking size. Btw, the white pots are literally called that - patate bianca or similar! HTH!

ballerina

thanks!

lindaf

TestaRossa - Ages ago you wrote that a shop in Florence sells Cadburys chocolate (British Shop?). Do you know if it still does cos I'm getting desperate Hubby has said I cannot go to the UK just to buy chocolate, which, secondo me, is obviously quite unfair, so now I'm checking out the rest of Italy

Gio

Can send red cross parcel if really stumped!

lindaf

Getting there, I've already searched the house just in case the chocolate fairy had been Are you still in the UK? Hope you're wrapped up warm if you are

TestaRossa

lindaf - you have two choices. Florence has the Olde English Shop, which normally has Cadbury's or you can try and get to Chamonix, which might be closer or the same distance and all the supermarkets there had it, along with Ribena, cheddar cheese, proper bacon and sausages(this was in Super U). It took us 5 hours to drive there from Florence and 30-40mins of that was sitting waiting to get through the tunnel!!