13 replies to this topic

[Harters]

I often take the FiL for his weekly shop at Morrisons. Invariably, I sit in the caff with a coffee and a bacon barm till he's finished.

However, Mrs H suggested that we go and do some actual shopping. And how right she was.

There's an excellent range of herbs and unusual leafy vegetables, kept fresh by a misting device. There was veg that I had never even heard of. There was even a range of about half a dozen different beetroot. And more than that by way of chillis. And it was all very reasonably priced

The fishmonger's stuff looked good, as did the help yourself salad bar.

The range of bread was superb. As were the offerings on deli counter (which had Palma & Serrano ham on sale at £1.99 per 100g).

Now, of course, there's a lot of cheap crap on offer as well. I doubt if I'd buy much cheese there. And you wouldnt find free range or organic stuff amongst the meat (although tell me another supermarket that will sell you a pack of lamb bones for 50p, or have sheets of pig skin just to make crackling). So, you'd have to exercise some thought but go give it a try.

[bethesdabakers]

How many of the superb range of breads did you try?

Mick

Edited by bethesdabakers, 12 April 2012 - 08:08 AM.

[thampik]

I think their fish counter is the best of the big supermarkets - they (apparently) get stock in every morning and have a pretty good variety of fish on offer.

Can't say I am enamoured of their bread at all - in fact, I think the only supermarket with decent bread is Waitrose.

[Harters]

How many of the superb range of breads did you try?

Mick

Two so far.

Far more extensive range than our usual Sainsbury's. And, without doubt, these two are better quality than anything turned out by the independnet baker in the village.

We don't buy too much bread as my partner bakes most of what we need. And, on that subject, I think Morrisons is the only supermarket where you can reliably get fresh yeast (as opposed to the packet yeast)

Edited by Harters, 12 April 2012 - 08:48 AM.

[Al Nicol]

My local Morrisons has just had the 'refit' with the misting for vegetables. The selection of vegetables is amazing ... lots of things I have never heard of but want to try (and lots of things I've needed for recipes but never been able to source). I hope that they keep selling all of these things ... many of the vegetables are not 'everyday' ingredients and one has to wonder whether some of the more obscure things make any profit.

[Jenni]

Can you talk more about the veg on offer. Are any Caribbean and South Asian vegetables offered? Would be interested to know as the Tescos close to my family in the UK used to do an ok range but has gone down hill and it is now a pain to go and get such things from way into town.

[thampik]

Saw fresh turmeric (!), Okra, cassava/tapioca, scotch bonnet chillis at ours recently.

[Sidney]

John you are right they are worth a visit. Their fresh fish counter is good, they don't sell 'previously frozen' unlike Tesco and Waitrose. Their bread is properly seasoned unlike Waitrose where the 'food police' have moved in. A lot of their pastries are good, their cheese counter is crap and their wine buyer has no palate. When they took over Safeways they lost an excellent wine buyer who bought lovely wines at low prices, unfortunately I can't remember her name.

Edited by Sidney, 15 April 2012 - 07:22 AM.

[PoppySeedBagel]

I have always avoided Morrison's since I grew up in Leeds, and in the 80s their shops sold lots of biscuits and not much else. Then they took over Safeway in our Surrey town about 8 years ago. I tried some of their fruit & vegetables, found them tasteless, so unless I really needed anything at short notice, always avoided shopping there.

However, it is surprisingly good for garden plants (superb clematis £1.79!), so I do still pop in and recently noticed they have increased & improved their fresh ranges - last weekend, I got some fresh galangal, & lots of chillis of different strengths, for example. Mind the flat leaf parsley was half yellow (cleverly packaged so I didn't notice too). And in season it's the place for Yorkshire forced rhubarb. Waitrose usually sells Dutch forced rhubarb - upon which, as a Yorkshirewoman, my opinions are unprintable.

[MaLO]

I quite like Morrisons. I did use Sainsbury mostly until they extended the store and started selling all sorts of clothes, electricals etc. It became a pain in the arse with families of day trippers so I only go if I have to.
Morrisons new veg range has some interesting items. Not sure how the produce will sell in the West Kirby branch though.

I picked up a couple of the dry aged British beef fillets yesterday - they were very good. I would think they were the best supermarket beef I have ever had. They were about £15 per lb and the two I bought cost £12ish. Very good.
I also order Turbot from time to time. I think it is farmed from Norway - it usually costs about £10 a kilo.
Not forgetting the Christmas Champagne offers - Bollinger under £20, Pipier £15.

[MartinGill]

Like PoppySeedBagel I too was traumatised by Morrisons in Leeds, especially when the Merrion Centre branch was my local supermarket in the 90's, shudder..... I certainly can't imagine a positive thread on egullet from those times.

But this thread and a billboard on the way home from my sons swimming lesson made me try the revamped Huddersfield branch this afternoon. Now 3pm on a rainy Sunday afternoon with 2 small children isn't ideal browsing time, but I'll be back one evening next week after their bedtime for a proper look.

Not sure if the water misting on the veg is a gimmick, but I loved the range of vegetables and herbs on offer. I'd always rated their fish and bread counters, but in the past the "market street" full of pre-packed veg and meat hadn't appealed, especially as it normally went off in a day or so. But they are now competing with my local Asian store for interesting ingredients but with easier parking, and the veg at the entrance is so enticing that I probably hunted out other ingredients that bit harder, whereas in the past I bought fish and bread and left as quickly as possible. Lots of interesting cuts in the meat counter which I'll explore in the future.

I hope the range on offer lasts, I'll certainly be visiting a lot more often if it does.

[Kerala]

Yeah, after years of snobbishness I have had to accept that actually at the moment it offers a more interesting range than the other supermarkets. Still love Waitrose, but I wonder if I'm letting them coast on past glories. Don't know how they make a profit on some of the stuff- fresh octopus and squid sold in a store smack bang in the middle of a (white)inner city. And at least their canned fish section isn't the usual wall of tuna.

[antdad]

Blimey, must look harder.

[Sidney]

Does anyone know the name and location of the wine lady that was working for Safeways when Morrisons took them over she was great on taste and price.I have tried at least twelve of Morrisons wines and not a good one amongst them?