The Weezer

Thank you for that. I might give it a try. It will be my last chance to grow tomatoes in my garden. We do have several mature citrus trees, so we get plenty of fresh as fruit already. More than we can possibly use.

The Weezer

I never meant to imply you can't cook a variety of good foods in NZ. My point was, in a global sense, the variety is certainly limited. Not surprising, of course, but I was just extrapolating on that idea. Also wanted to point out that if you want to try other foods, some of them are quite expensive. Also, someone who's favorite cuisine in the world is Ethiopian, for example, would be a bit disappointed here. I tried cooking some a while back. It was very tasty, but the staple accompaniment, injera, is quite impossible to make, as I never found a source for the grain, teff, from which it is made. You can make an ok subsistute, but it's not really the same.
I wish someone would open an Ethiopian restaurant in Auckland.

It's not a reason not to migrate to Auckland, of course. I was just making comparison on prices and quality, mostly.

bearskin

I thought this place was reasonably well known?
Aotearoa's first and only Ethiopian restaurant! - CAFE ABYSSINIA
It has been reviewed in the NZ Herald at some point, for example...

The Weezer

Thanks for that! It looks like it's only a couple years old. I wasn't aware of it. I don't think Mt. Roskill is particularly known for dining, but it makes sense. There's a sizable African population there. I've been here 10 years, things have changed. I tried cooking Ethiopian before my child was born, which is actually nearly 10 years ago. For some reason, I thought it was more recent than that.

bearskin

Sorry to quote myself - I just wanted to follow this up now I've had a look in the seed box. The place for your online seed goodies is All the wildflower, flower, herb and vegetable seeds you will ever want, the best range for sale online in New Zealand. They do indeed have Pomodoro San Marzano (plus about another 30 types of tomato)

Also, I found my stash of Chilli seeds - Ancho St Louis. Also known as a Poblano, and very similar to the Mulato. PM and ask away if you'd like.

The Weezer

Wow! I don't remember seeing such a variety a few years ago. You must try poblanos. They are amazing. Fruity, with an very faint hint of heat. It's what chilis rellenos are made with. Yes, anchos are often eaten dried. If you plant those, you're gonna have a real feast.

I guess since I've known I'll be moving away for a few years, I haven't tried as hard to find unusual seeds. I never did get a chance to plant a cherimoya shrub, alas.

bearskin

Nice. and $20 for a huge feed. I heard it is about as authentic as you are likely to find in NZ.

On the subject of eating out I have to say I had a really decent curry at the Bolliwood in Browns Bay recently. It was noticeably good. However, I do point people from the UK who say it's hard to get a decent curry here in the direction of Mt Albert, or Sandringham Rd establishments. (has been discussed on here before)

bearskin

Yes, I had a plant - I bought it growing in a pot, then when it fruited, saved the seeds - is why I have plenty. It was/is top notch. Will be planting again soon. you're welcome to a few if you like, I have plenty of seeds

davros1984

This post is specifically targeted at those who still refuse to accept my findings, who cannot handle the truth!, or the fact that I was able to "eat OK" on 14 POUNDS and 50 pence in a week. Here is some proof of what you can get for not a lot of money.

TommyLuck - enjoyed that chat we had, a lot of valid points. I think the cost of food is less relevant based on where you are. I have found the price of items more or less the same in 3 different Morrisons stores (Sussex, Cornwall, Scotland). I am not posting this stuff to upset people, I want people to be aware that moving to NZ will not necessarily make you better off due to the so-called "rip-off UK" that people seem to think is the case back here.

Note: I was OK with the cost of food in NZ, I found some things very expensive at first, BUT you soon get used to it - once you stop doing conversion into pounds. I do believe though that had we had a household income of under 90K NZD we would have struggled

In fact, it was getting used to the cost of items in NZ that made me so shocked on my return (I had simply forgotten how cheap stuff is in the UK and did not expect items to be so cheap). This in my view is something to be aware of if moving out to NZ, especially if you are moving on the belief that the UK has a cost of living crisis.

Woodlea

Does that mince contain any horse flesh?

davros1984

Morrisons get their stuff locally,they cut out the middle man and go direct to farmers, hence I only tend to shop there. If you look back at the horse scandal, morrisons were exempt!
http://yougov.co.uk/news/2013/02/27/...its-morrisons/

Can tell you the quality of the mince is of higher quality than the premium mince we have previously purchased in countdown ($9-$12 for 500g).

A Rush And A Push

Davros, I'm not denying that some groceries are more expensive here in NZ. I've had a quick look at the Tesco website and I particularly notice things like own brand stuff is cheaper - e.g. a bag of flour is about 40p there and the own brand stuff is $1.99 here.

BUT I have to comment because I bought all of the three items in your photos last Friday here in Auckland, for the following prices.

Your bag of apples - 99p for a minimum of 5 I think. I bought a big bag with about 14 apples in for $2.99, the smallish crisp apples, very good for the kids lunchboxes. So cheaper than your example

I bought a pack of 4 capsicums (2 yellow, 1 green, 1 orange), also for $2.99 - a bit more expensive than yours but one more capsicum, so similar price to yours

The mince (from our local butchers) was $5.33 for just over 500g, there's no way I'd pay Countdown prices of $9 for 500g! But yes, still more expensive than yours - I don't eat much meat though.

Obviously the apples and capsicums weren't from Countdown either, they would have been at least twice the price. They were from my local fruit and veg shop.

Like I said - I'm not denying some groceries are pricier - but as has been said on here many times, you can keep your bill down here by shopping around, buying on special, buying from the fruit and veg shops, the butchers, growing your own herbs year round, etc etc. It's a bit of a PITA when you're used to just chucking everything in the trolley at Tesco but it's pretty ingrained in me now and I don't think twice about it.

I think you'd agree that the cost of housing (especially in Auckland) is a far bigger financial concern for people moving here than $20 extra a week on the grocery bill.

I did do a quick comparison shop on the Tesco website for my last week's shop - $120 in Auckland (cheap week, normally spend $150-200). At Tesco it was around the £50 mark.

BEVS

Oh noes. Don't get me started on palm oil production let alone dickering with milk.

We are able to buy real milk here thanks to a group of people who felt the same about food quality.

Blade Down Under

With regards to those, they can be matched away from supermarkets

How much are Cauliflowers, Brocoli etc? Only yesterday I bought a cauliflower and a broccoli for just $0.99 each. What's that, about 50p? Even the grapes were still cheap - far cheaper than supermarkets.

I won't argue about supermarkets as I find them hideously expensive. Even the local supervalue is expensive and sells rubbish. However, I do have the luxury of Woodend veg shop which I can't moan about at all. If I want my British fix, I just ask family friends of mine to pick some up as he gets them imported cheap (runs a British shop in Kaiapoi).

There's also a veggie shop in Belfast on state highway 1 that does some very good deals - kumara for $2.99 a kilo - faints!

Blade Down Under

Try finding jerk seasoning here or having to make it from scratch

A favourite of mine is jerk seasoned chicken breasts with piri piri rice and some steamed vegetables. Finding it was harder than a politician answering a question. I ended up having to buy wrong ingredients and make the thing from scratch. T'was ok but didn't have the power that the scotch bonnets provide for the seasoning.