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-   -   How Britain discovered a taste for Tapas (https://britishexpats.com/forum/spain-75/how-britain-discovered-taste-tapas-720523/)

steviedeluxe Jun 11th 2011 1:39 am

How Britain discovered a taste for Tapas
 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddr...for-tapas.html


The Spanish invasion is gathering pace. Several supermarkets report that paella, tapas and chorizo are outselling Italian favourites such as lasagne and prosciutto. And the speed of the change will be causing sleepless nights in Tuscany and Umbria: Asda says that sales of chorizo (as slices and sausages) are up 21 per cent on last year, with Parma ham up only 8 per cent; Tesco reports that Manchego cheese is growing each year by 9 per cent, while Parmesan plods at 1 per cent. At M&S, paella is now more popular than lasagne – not to mention British pies.
M&S sell paella? Huh? Amazed too that Manchego cheese is selling in Tesco; plenty of good home produced cheese to choose from. However, for me the best import in UK supermarkets is not a food, but Cava. :thumbsup:

Rosemary Jun 11th 2011 2:23 am

Re: How Britain discovered a taste for Tapas
 

Originally Posted by steviedeluxe (Post 9425827)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddr...for-tapas.html



M&S sell paella? Huh? Amazed too that Manchego cheese is selling in Tesco; plenty of good home produced cheese to choose from. However, for me the best import in UK supermarkets is not a food, but Cava. :thumbsup:

I must admit Spain do produce some really great cheeses.

Graham

steviedeluxe Jun 11th 2011 2:48 am

Re: How Britain discovered a taste for Tapas
 

Originally Posted by The Oddities (Post 9425881)
I must admit Spain do produce some really great cheeses.

Graham

Well yes, but I can't see the point of UK supermarkets importing them when there are so many good British (and Irish) cheeses. I mean, I've often sought out chorizo or a nice jamon serrano, but I don't generally go looking for Spanish cheeses in the UK. Even Cabrales (for me the King of Spanish cheeses) - we already have Stilton, which is more than a match. Still, the Brits eat French or Italian cheeses, so why not?

rugbymatt Jun 11th 2011 3:54 am

Re: How Britain discovered a taste for Tapas
 
Nothing new, I've been buying pork and olive oil for years.

Domino Jun 12th 2011 9:46 pm

Re: How Britain discovered a taste for Tapas
 

Originally Posted by rugbymatt (Post 9425991)
Nothing new, I've been buying pork and olive oil for years.

was buying (and using) olive oil 15 years before I went to Spain.

can't understand why (in Granada) it isn't possible to get any olive oil based margarine type stuff. Sainsburys do a really good own label one but can't seem to get a home delivery for some reason.

Domino Jun 12th 2011 9:53 pm

Re: How Britain discovered a taste for Tapas
 

Originally Posted by steviedeluxe (Post 9425912)
Well yes, but I can't see the point of UK supermarkets importing them when there are so many good British (and Irish) cheeses. I mean, I've often sought out chorizo or a nice jamon serrano, but I don't generally go looking for Spanish cheeses in the UK. Even Cabrales (for me the King of Spanish cheeses) - we already have Stilton, which is more than a match. Still, the Brits eat French or Italian cheeses, so why not?

must agree about Stilton - a king of cheeses. And soaked in port for a month or so
not too sure about the Stiltons with fruit and chilli in them - seems an adulteration

Generally seems to be Tesco who are pushing all these "foreign" cheeses - not that many people will come away from their usual plastic cheddar and it increases the carbon use in getting it to the UK

When in Rome etc - eat good local cheeses, they are much better for not having travelled a few thousand miles in chilled\frozen containers. What's next - cheese from the Philipines or some monastry up a mountain in Tibet ??

johnnyone Jun 13th 2011 1:39 am

Re: How Britain discovered a taste for Tapas
 

Originally Posted by Domino (Post 9429153)
must agree about Stilton - a king of cheeses. And soaked in port for a month or so
not too sure about the Stiltons with fruit and chilli in them - seems an adulteration

Generally seems to be Tesco who are pushing all these "foreign" cheeses - not that many people will come away from their usual plastic cheddar and it increases the carbon use in getting it to the UK

When in Rome etc - eat good local cheeses, they are much better for not having travelled a few thousand miles in chilled\frozen containers. What's next - cheese from the Philipines or some monastry up a mountain in Tibet ??

Agree about the Stilton.

You are wrong about cheddar. A good Cheddar is great. It's generally the imported stuff that's crap.

Soft cheeses are Ok but loads of snobbery about French cheeses.

Domino Jun 13th 2011 2:14 am

Re: How Britain discovered a taste for Tapas
 

Originally Posted by johnnyone (Post 9429557)
Agree about the Stilton.

You are wrong about cheddar. A good Cheddar is great. It's generally the imported stuff that's crap.

Soft cheeses are Ok but loads of snobbery about French cheeses.

oh don't think I am wrong - there is really good cheddar but the modern supermarket seems to want to encase in plastic all sorts of rubbish which is called cheddar to give it some credibility.

My snobbery is cheese should breath, it is after all an organic entity, sealing poor quality "cheddar" makes it worse not better.
Many French cheeses are made from goat's milk which is a different taste entirely and can be stronger than cow's. I have found several versions of Camembert in the same supermarket.

Britain has had a number of really good cheeses but they are decades behind with the PDO|PGO system so all sorts of rubbish is being offered to an uninterested public.

johnnyone Jun 13th 2011 5:10 am

Re: How Britain discovered a taste for Tapas
 

Originally Posted by Domino (Post 9429645)

My snobbery is cheese should breath, it is after all an organic entity, sealing poor quality "cheddar" makes it worse not better.

of course cheese should breath. However it's not just Cheddar that is packaged in plastic. Almost every cheese you buy in a supermarket is packaged and any cheese suffers when packaged in that manner.
My least favourite cheese is Edam that to me is so bland as to be pointless.

lynnxa Jun 13th 2011 7:28 am

Re: How Britain discovered a taste for Tapas
 

Originally Posted by steviedeluxe (Post 9425827)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddr...for-tapas.html



M&S sell paella? Huh? Amazed too that Manchego cheese is selling in Tesco; plenty of good home produced cheese to choose from. However, for me the best import in UK supermarkets is not a food, but Cava. :thumbsup:

cava isn't food:confused:

johnnyone Jun 13th 2011 7:34 am

Re: How Britain discovered a taste for Tapas
 

Originally Posted by lynnxa (Post 9430195)
cava isn't food:confused:

And there was I thinking it was one of my 5 per day

lynnxa Jun 13th 2011 7:37 am

Re: How Britain discovered a taste for Tapas
 

Originally Posted by johnnyone (Post 9430208)
And there was I thinking it was one of my 5 per day

well it is made of grapes


I spose if you have enough of it, it could be all 5!!

rugbymatt Jun 13th 2011 8:10 am

Re: How Britain discovered a taste for Tapas
 

Originally Posted by lynnxa (Post 9430195)
cava isn't food:confused:

I wish you would tell the other half that!

lynnxa Jun 13th 2011 5:57 pm

Re: How Britain discovered a taste for Tapas
 

Originally Posted by rugbymatt (Post 9430257)
I wish you would tell the other half that!

that it is, or that it isn't??

bxpuser24710519 Jun 13th 2011 7:49 pm

Re: How Britain discovered a taste for Tapas
 
Many spaniards now living in UK so why should the country not import food them as well all the Asian Indian Polish markets etc

Spain does it for the British etc The british sellers need to learn more about the products they are selling though, they are mis selling Jamon in some stores.


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