pricklykina

Exactly....my cooking improved dramatically after moving here as there was less reliance on pre made stuff. Healthier and cheaper...I missed it at first but was over it in 6 months.
I make my own pizza as it's a hell of a lot better than anything in the frozen section

I do buy local produce...apart from rare trips to the english shop for treats.
I get veg from the veg shop and meat from the butcher ...like in the old days before tescos!
I love love love the cheese here...especially anything by Kapiti and te Mata
An wine is good if you like aussie and kiwi wines

Persephone

I've not found things that different. I think it depends on what you used to buy back in the UK.
I have always cooked from scratch anyway so I have always bought meat, veg and the basics and cooked from that. Ready meals would be an occasional buy but usually only once or twice a month. If I wanted something easy I would get a takeaway.
There are ready meals in the supermarkets here [I usually go to New World] but I haven't really looked at them as I wouldn't normally bother anyway.
One thing I miss is a big cheese counter, vintage cheddar and all the various types of cheese you can buy I use to love going to Sainsbury's and getting a few types and spending the day eating cheese
Wine is nice and cheap though and I do like NZ reds

CarolineSwan

yup thats another difference, there isnt row after row after row of freezers full of crap ... i always loved cooking too so not a problem for me either, much prefer home made pizzas, soups , dishes and if i cant be bothered cooking we pop next door to dairy or along to the chinese for something easy.. we had a superb indian on saturdaay night (on our 1st wedding anniversary) was well tasty. it maybe depends where you live in nz but in np all the food stores are on same street so really easy for shopping and you honestly dont have to go to 20 shops for your shopping.. across road from pac and save is the kiwi butcher (i have never used it as love nw's meat) i know thats the one shop jim and debs really miss now they are in blenihm(sp) and the other side is a vege shop with cheap veges and also on a sun morning outside Anz is a big fruit and veg market , so lots of options here

luvwelly

The frozen pizza selection even in Wellington's biggest New World is awful..they taste horrible...so much so that I buy pizza bases now and do my own toppings. The kids also like Hell takeaway pizzas but I don't particularly.

The few ready meals that are available e.g. Wishbone, Daisychain are expensive but edible and not too salty on the whole.

Not as bad as I expected it to be but I do find I buy the same stuff all the time in two supermarkets New World and Woolworths. Cakes are too sweet so don't buy those: better to abstain or make your own. Cheese, meat and fresh fruit and veggie selection in Wellington is absolutely fine. Don't know who buys the New World chicken feet though? Look horrible in the chicken section.

CarolineSwan

ewwwwwwww chicken feet must look out for them lol, i like the marble cake in nw but thats all ive really tasted as i tend to make my own.... we have a cracking takeaway in my street called oscars , omg the pizzas are amazing but im not really a pizza eater i have to be in the mood, though daughter would live on them if i let her lol

sr71

In general the supermarkets vary hugely around NZ.

In places like Auckland you'll find some of them very good, particularly in the affluent areas.

However in many regional towns or even in the poorer city areas you will probably feel like you have been transported back to the 1970's

Most of the food is fresher and of a better quality than the UK in my experience, but there isn't the huge selection and there are far less ready meals and other 'junk' type food.

dkb_herts

Luvwelly, where is your local Woolworth's? Just wondering if it's within hiking distance of me - as I mentioned I've tried four New Worlds in wgtn and it would be good to check out the competition.

luvwelly

Eastern suburbs I'm afraid...any good? The New World by Te Papa is the best you'll get in NZ (free underground car park) I think and the Thorndon one is almost as big too...but they are much smaller everywhere else except Auckland maybe.

crap coffee

I go to Woolworths occasionally - Johnsonville or Queensgate Lower Hutt

irnbru14

[QUOTE=luvwelly;7696849]The frozen pizza selection even in Wellington's biggest New World is awful..they taste horrible...so much so that I buy pizza bases now and do my own toppings. The kids also like Hell takeaway pizzas but I don't particularly.

QUOTE]

Pizza Pomodoro do the best delivery (or pick up!) Pizzas in Wellington, proper thin base and nice toppings, and their pizza garlic bread stuff is fab too...much better than Hells

irnbru14

I generally think Thorndon NW have a better food selection actually than Chaffers NW by Te Papa

Am Loolah

Best New World I have ever been in is in Hastings.

crap coffee

nah. the other way round

luvwelly

I haven't been to Thorndon one for ages but it was the first ever NZ supermarket I went in and I thought it was pretty good for a first impression. It might have a bigger international section maybe - depends what you are looking for I suppose. Quite happy with Chaffers in fact have started going there more often in Winter as don't have to get wet/cold because of underground car park. Crap takeaway coffee though...yuck...most foul...

crap coffee

Thorndon one has a better/wide selection of Asian food - think that's the major difference in between. Whereas Chafferes one has more choices for European. I personally prefer Chaffers as it serves my purpose. What I need is European food Not Asian.

Why on earth would you bother getting crap coffee and dog quality frozen crap Pizza at a supermarket? I don't get my coffee unless I am 200% sure - It's Not crap coffee. So I go to the same place pretty much though. but I don't really drink coffee at cafe - usually drink coffee at home in the morning before going to work. and late afternoon cuppa at work. Thats it.

as for pizza, I never ever buy any frozen readymeals at supermarkets. I've never done that in the UK, either