cricketman

Sure, the fruit and veg grown in the poly tunnels is tasteless. Luckily most of it gets sent to the UK supermarkets, and to be fair, to the Spanish supermarkets like the cra*ppy mercadona which so many of you guys like

As always though, its easy to get good tasting fruit and veg. Just find a good market stall or fruteria.

Dick Dasterdly

I don't think everyone is totally aware of how a lot of the fruit sold in N.European shops is produced, especially those who are less well traveled.

No harm in telling it like it is or did you spot anything in that article that was non factual ?

Because some well known tabloids are given to sensationalism does not necessarily mean that everything they print is a load of old cobblers.

Pocaloca

But there is migrant worker exploitation in British agriculture too. You don't see stories like this in the Mail, do you?

Bitter harvest: how exploitation and abuse stalks migrant workers on UK farms

Dick Dasterdly

There's good shops and bad, just like there's good market stalls and bad, some of which sell of cheap fruit past it's best that many decent shops would reject.

Dick Dasterdly

I think you do.

There's been numerous stories in the UK media in recent years about much the same subject and exploitation by unscrupulous gangmasters.

jackytoo

Yes, our local shop in Spain had good fruit and veg but continued selling it when it was nearly walking out of the shop. Pick an orange up and a swarm of fruit flies came out Not nice for those elderly etc. who don't have transport.

The shops around here Waitrose etc don't stock much from Spain anymore.

cricketman

Obviously your local shop was awful

The central market in Malaga was great, as are the central markets in Barcelona and Oviedo, and some of the street markets on the CDS. They even had great tasting fresones and mangos grown in Malaga province, something you cannot get from the supermarket unless you pay about 5 euros per kilo from the posh fruit section at hipercor

There are reasons why we choose to live in the centre of the cities, the food is way better for a start!

I used to shop at Waitrose when I lived in London. They had nice tomatos, but they cost £1 each! And this was 8 years ago, they probably cost twice that now. Nice tomatos here cost 2 euros per kilo

amideislas

That's it. We're all moving to Oviedo. Goddam garden of eden it is.

Dick Dasterdly

Bloody amazing.

That guy can get fresher fruit that's been packed and transported to the middle of the city, than I can get living in the middle of the biggest fruit growing area in Europe.

jackytoo

Waitrose have some at £2 per kilo, others at £5 or more depending on which sort you want. I remember us growing our own at one time in Spain. Cost us a fortune watering them. They were all ripe at once, taking a bag full off every day so had to give them away. At the time they were only 50 cents per kilo at the market

jackytoo

Is it cos you don't speak Spanish

Dick Dasterdly

Aw shucks, is Valenciano with a Geordie accent no good then ?

cricketman

Well, Woody Allen certainly thought so

I wish it would stop raining though

We drone on about food so much on this forum that I just want to leave you with this thought, which I'm sure you won't agree with, but still..

People on here say British bread, fruit and veg, meat, fish, cheese is all better than the Spanish equivalents, yet every Spaniard I've met who's lived in the UK has complained about how terrible the food is, both when eating out, when eating in people's homes and in the supermarkets.

The only nationality who moan about the food in Spain are the British. The Americans I know rave about Spanish food. As do the odd other Northern European I know. I know an Italian and he says Spanish food is good, but no better than in Italy

So, I conclude that Brits really dont have much of a clue. They have been marketed to death by Jamie Oliver and other TV chefs and the supermarkets and they really do believe that British food is amazing now, and any food that deviates to how it is in Britain is inferior.

It is delusion of the highest degree.

Over and out

jackytoo

I think Italian food is soo much better than Spanish, perhaps it's just a question of personal taste. When I looked around at what the Spanish had in their trolleys they didn't appear to eat well, especially the stuff bought for their kids.

steviedeluxe

At one bit I taught English to learners from various countries in London. Brazil, Bylorussia, Thailand, Germany, Italy, Chile etc.
When I asked about the worst bit about their stay in London, the answer was always the same - the food. They generally loved the city but always complained about the food on offer, either when eating or when they bought from shops/supermarkets.
They may have a point, but I suspect few of them had had access to a home-made shepherds' pie, or toad-in-the-hole or even a decent Sunday roast (the cheap version they may have sampled in Wetherspoons doesn't count).