# What are the 2007 wise-buys in France, Spain and Portugal?



## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

We invariably return to the UK well laden with all sorts of goodies from the French supermarkets - you just can't get that level of scrumptious from Tesco! We also tend to collect all sorts of unrelated bits and bobs - I can't resist browsing in foreign hardware shops and the missus has a goal in life to beat Emelda Marcos in the shoe department.
Are there any particular motorhome related items that are available in those countries that perhaps are a better quality/price than in the UK?
I know many of us consider wine to be motorhome related but I was thinking more in the accessory/equipment line.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Apart from wine we brought very little back with us this time. Even the margin on spirits is not as tempting as it used to be. There are very few things you cannot get in UK now for a comparable price. It's even the wrong time of year for olive oil and I have got tins of confit de canard from last trip.

We've browsed in European camping accessory shops and found nothing different and the prices for the same items often grossly higher than our local shop.

Not sure how motorhome related these are but I buy a stock of 20cl cartons ( small ones) of Knorr sauces particularly bechamel. The're not something I've seen in UK where we tend to go for wall-paper paste type white sauce if available and they are very useful in the van. 

We have bought maps but they've usually been because we needed one not because we couldn't get it at home.

I remember the good old days....laden with cheeses, gratin dishes, and all sorts of goodies.

G


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## 100836 (Sep 3, 2006)

in the lidl and aidl shops, not sure on how you spell it.....we found that the bread rolls that are in plastic wrappers and are part baked were excellent value compared to home, we were paying less than 20p for packets of 6 rolls

otherwise i have to agree not too many bargains except the cheap french beer of course :lol:


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## ambegayo (Jan 7, 2007)

*wise buys on continent*

Is anyone familiar with the Narbonne accessoires chain for camping gear
www.narbonneaccessoires.fr 
They were most helpful in fitting us up with the fitments for french bottle gas, since a fellow m/h er tells me that a windscreen cover is half the price than in UK. We have their catalogue and they have stores everywhere in france


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## autostratus (May 9, 2005)

We always bring back ground coffee as we use quite a lot. We like the Columbia blend and find it extremely cheap in France. Also filter papers for the coffee pot.
Not going to recommend a particular one as personal tastes vary and not all of us will like the same brand.

For wine, this last time we found a lovely soft Cabernet Sauvignon red from Central Valley, Chile in Lidl. €1.99 , I think. Found the same in our local Tesco last week at £3.99
The Riesling from Alscace at Lidl is also a good buy.
We brought back 2 dozen bottles of each!


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

*Re: wise buys on continent*



ambegayo said:


> Is anyone familiar with the Narbonne accessoires chain for camping gear
> www.narbonneaccessoires.fr
> They were most helpful in fitting us up with the fitments for french bottle gas, since a fellow m/h er tells me that a windscreen cover is half the price than in UK. We have their catalogue and they have stores everywhere in france


Today I bought a 1.5l bottle of Aqua-Kem Green from our local camping shop for £7.99 (around €11.10). I think this is probably the usual price here. The narbonneaccessoires site shows what appears to be the same item selling at €15.90 (around £11.43).
http://www.narbonneaccessoires.fr/boutique/index.php?cPath=128_130
Interesting.

I think I'll stick to buying wine.


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## an99uk (May 12, 2005)

Hi to all

Every year we get a late sailing on the last day of our hols so we can spend the day shopping.
It has to be said that last year found us with a "nearly" empty trolley as we found nothing to buy. All our French stuff can now be bought as cheaply in UK
We used to stock up on honey,jam,biscuits, yoghurts and tons of other stuff.
Now all I know that I will be bringing back is, don't laugh, Persil :lol: :lol: 
Its like the persil my mum used to use, apparently its not very popular in France so it is one of the cheapest.
I usually manage to get a special offer and buy a whole years supply. 3 giant boxes of the stuff.
I also like Lux soap and you cant get that in the UK at the moment.
(We always stock up with lidl wines before the shopping day, the price you pay for wine is the same as UK except its Euros, so wine at £1.99 costs 1.90euros over there)
Other half loves the equivalent of the pound shop stuff, tools, lecky tape and such for 1euro.

One tip a nice French lady gave us was instead of using charcoal for the BBQ (those that still do) is to use pine cones.
They flare up without firelighters and burn just as good as charcoal.
I have a gas BBQ but like the taste of smokey BBQ food at home. So now I will add pine cones to my "shopping"list.

Going in 4 weeks can't wait...
Angie..........


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## Pusser (May 9, 2005)

I am not too fussed about BBQ's and I think I can safely say the only one here that isn't but there is some French reseach that compares an average BBQ to the equivelant of smoking several hundred **** at once. Other studies say that they can increase breast cancer risks by 47% so do not let them dangle over the flames. 8)


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## ksebruce (Nov 5, 2006)

Will have to try the Pine Cones, we still use charcoal as we prefer the taste. Thanks for the tip.


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## devonidiot (Mar 10, 2006)

I hate BBQ's, especially when the people on the next pitch light up and all the smoke and stink blows straight into my van whilst I'm relaxing.


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

From what i've seen I would say general motorhome accessories are on a par with UK and like Grizzly says, sometimes dearer.

On the grocery side, just checked with the finance manager and expert in all things shopping and apparently there are some good grocery buys to be had from Auchan although I agree with the general concensus, nowhere near as many as there used to be...

Small size scented toilet rolls - 24 pack, about £1.50. We always stock up with a few packs of these, last forever and smell nice!

Theramed 2in1 toothpaste cheaper than UK and they do better flavours than us.

Crevette rose (large shell on prawns) are cheap as chips, about £17 per kilo in UK, about £6 per kilo in France. 

Bottled water very cheap Cristaline is about £1 for 6 x 1.5ltr bottles, but it might eat into the wine payload if you're on the way home :roll: 

Vine tomatoes are cheap as well and you can buy just a few if you want.

Don't forget to check the Auchan website as they have some good specials, last time I looked they had 10% off all wineboxes, trouble is I forgot to download the vouchers before we left  

A finally, my wife would like to know why you can't get seedless grapes in France ? Only those horrible ones with seeds in  

pete

ps, lol @ pussers theory on bbq's and cancer.


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## boskybee (May 12, 2006)

BUTTER - Excellent Normandy butter, but get it in Eds supermarket in the Blue or Red packets - 1 euro. 69 (wheres the euro key on my keyboard?) for 500gr.

great if you bake a lot!


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

boskybee said:


> ..........where's the euro key on my keyboard?


Shift/Alt Gr/4 = €


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## boskybee (May 12, 2006)

tonyt said:


> boskybee said:
> 
> 
> > ..........where's the euro key on my keyboard?
> ...


€ - THANKS TONY - GOT IT!


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## ralph-dot (May 10, 2005)

Good quality beers, for example, in Asda you can get 4X330 bottles of Leffe for £4.48 (€6.25) in France you would probably pay at most €3.80 (£2.70) for 6X250 bottles.

In Aldi you can get a beer that tastes the same as Leffe, Ry Ternal Abbey, in France it is the same in € as it is in £ over here, about €3.00 or £3.00 for 6X250.

Ralph


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## JSR (Mar 3, 2006)

*Super U Points Card*

Reading the posts on buying French products a thought occurred to me: I wonder how many of the M-Homers who come over to France frequently have a Super U Points Card? It's the usual credit-sized card you would get in most large UK supermarket and works, I think, in much the same way. After making a purchase you hand the card over and points are then added. You can then exchange these points for goods chosen from a catalogue or for cash whenever you wish.

I mention this because, as a resident of France I've lost count of the number of occasions that I've seen UK visitors at the cash-out with trolleys groaning under the weight of wine, beer, cheese etc then when asked "Avez vous une Carte U"? the answer is invariably "Non". Maybe it's because I have half Scots and half Yorkshire blood that I always wince when I hear this!!!

Getting the card is easy: Go to the info' desk fill in a small form, then 5-10 days later pick the card up. I asked at our local branch if a UK address would be OK on the application form and was assured that it was. They also apologised but if your address was in the UK you would not be able to receive their publicity brochures - what a shame - no junk mail! Small problem is that you would have to plan your trip so that you came back to the Super U branch to pick the card up, but at least once you have it, it's there for keeps.

Just a thought.....!

Cheers,

Jack


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## autostratus (May 9, 2005)

Forgot to add to my previous post.

Dishwasher tablets from Lidl are a good buy. Being quite heavy they take up little space for a considerable cash saving on Tesco's equivalent.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Does anyone know what European motorhomers take back home when they have visited Britain ? 

G


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## autostratus (May 9, 2005)

Grizzly said:


> Does anyone know what European motorhomers take back home when they have visited Britain ?
> 
> G


Frustration, I would think.

No aires as they know them.
Problems if they run out of gas.
Most campsites too far away from towns so making it difficult to eat out at night without using their own transport.

This we have had said to us by European motorhomers.


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## JSR (Mar 3, 2006)

I have also heard the same complaints as outlined by Autostratus, but much, much more than that - the two main fears perceived by French Motorhomers who contemplate travelling to the UK are: Firstly a fear of getting sick and having to go into the NHS system and secondly the fear of the booze culture rife in cities and towns in the UK.


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

*Re: Super U Points Card*



JSR said:


> I asked at our local branch if a UK address would be OK on the application form and was assured that it was.


That's useful information, Jack. Definitely worth thinking about

Gerald


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## Scotjimland (May 23, 2005)

autostratus said:


> Grizzly said:
> 
> 
> > Does anyone know what European motorhomers take back home when they have visited Britain ?
> ...


You can add to that

Higher fuel costs
Congested motorways
Higher Campsite fees
Unreliable weather

The reasons we head for France and beyond ..


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## ralph-dot (May 10, 2005)

Grizzly said:


> Does anyone know what European motorhomers take back home when they have visited Britain ?
> 
> G


Two years ago I met a couple from the south of France on the ferry to Hull, they were going to the Outer Hebrides (or somewhere like that), when I asked why, they replied that they go every year, to get away from the crowds in France and to enjoy the cool weather.

Ralph


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