Waitrose

[spanky]

Hello, all--

Morningside, where I live, seems to be coming up in the world. We're exchanging our Iceland for a Marks and Spencer's Simply Food and the local Morrisons (formerly Safeway) is, I'm given to understand, becoming one of the first two Waitroses to open in Scotland. Without sounding too provincial(!), this sounds like a decent move to me. Am I right in thinking so? Is Waitrose one of the better supermarkets? Can I expect something a bit more, shall we say, upmarket? And should our neighbourhood specialty stores (I M Mellis's cheese store just around the corner and a new French deli Henri's) worry about this move?

Spanky

[SBonner]

I'm jealous... when we live in the U.K. we always shop at Waitrose. Great selection and service. Enjoy

Stephen

Vancouver

Edited March 9, 2006 by SBonner (log)

[Jon Tseng]

waitwose wocks!

top notch ingredients, lovely cream cakes. my only beef is that (presumably for moral/ethical reasons) they do not stock foie gras

perhaps a sign that two hundred and ninety nine years after the Act of Union, Scotland is finally coming up in the world?

J

[Timothy Burke]

You will love Waitrose - plus they employ helpful, intelligent human beings which I always find is a bonus. It's a partnership so from what I hear it is a progressive place to work for.

[rme7]

Waitrose has the best wine selection of any supermarket in the UK, and the best cheese selection. Anyone who has a Waitrose nearby would be foolish to go another supermarket. But please don't neglect your local shops! They need your business.

Richard

[Champagne Sadie]

I do my weekly shop in Waitrose.

I have a choice of 4 big waitrose to choose from within a 6 mile radius.

Enjoy your Waitrose when you get it.

[Robinjw13]

They also have a policy of supporting local producers (unfortunately only large well-established ones at present ) & make a conscious effort to stock local specialities.

Also, in my experience the type and regularity of free food samples offered is pretty good, although no comparison to the likes of Kroger in the US (where a free dinner is possible ).

[muichoi]

It's better than other Supermarkets, but it's still a supermarket-for example they stock a few of the same cheeses as Neal's Yard , and the inferiority of the Waitrose versions is quite incredible! the fish is poor, the meat and poultry tasteless and the service willing but cack-handed. Much better than the competition, though.

[spanky]

So the consensus seems to be: YEE-HA! Excellent news. As for fish, cheese and poultry buying, we're blessed with a pretty decent fishmonger, a branch of the town's best cheese emporium and a French deli that sells Label Rouge chickens and guinea fowl. Cream cakes, though. I'd walk over hot coals carrying a donkey for a decent cream cake.

(I should add that the second Edinburgh Waitrose will be in Stockbridge/Comely Bank, so you northsiders won't miss out either!)

Cheers

Spanky

[Pille]

Morningside, where I live, seems to be coming up in the world. We're exchanging our Iceland for a Marks and Spencer's Simply Food and the local Morrisons (formerly Safeway) is, I'm given to understand, becoming one of the first two Waitroses to open in Scotland.

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That's great news. Slightly above my budget for everyday shopping, but as I live in Marchmont, then it's well within walking distance whenever I feel like shopping for something special, or fancy picking up the newest Waitrose Food Magazine.

[GastroChick]

You should consider yourself really lucky.

I used to live very near a Waitrose however when I moved away was stuck with a Sainsbury's which is absolutely diabolical - I'm referring to the one in Angel - Dirty, crap produce and once a member of staff told me to f off when I gave them my American Express card.

I actually found shopping in Waitrose an enjoyable experience and would strangely look forward to it (sad I know) Now I do a weekly shop at Borough market which whilst expensive is still good.

[Portia_Smith]

as we say in the north hampshire ghetto..

respect da rose!

i couldn't live without it - especially after visiting the tesco nearby and finding that they don't ever seem to restock their fresh veg and expect you to buy one of their ready meal selections instead.

[Nicolai]

Waitrose is good but stands in between:

I am a supermarket but I dream to be a Delicatessen store which seems the way St Subery is going as well.

I was schoked to find Iberico de Bellota at St Subery.

What next? Poulet de Bresse, Kobe beef, Tramezzini and Pelmeni?!?!?!

Edited March 10, 2006 by Nicolai (log)

[Jon Tseng]

Waitrose is good but stands in between:

I am a supermarket but I dream to be a Delicatessen store which seems the way St Subery is going as well.

I was schoked to find Iberico de Bellota at St Subery.

What next? Poulet de Bresse, Kobe beef, Tramezzini and Pelmeni?!?!?!

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not entirely sure what you're going on about here!

but yes sainsburys does seem to be stocking bellota ham (and bellota chorizo too). they actually used to do it from a third party but now seem to have repackaged the same stuff as own brand. and very good it is too. eight quid a pack or thereabouts?

poulet bresse, kobe beef, pelmeni... that last one seems to stand out a bit! surely more like to find the freezer cabinet of dodgy east european groceries (which are noticeably multiplying in london) than upmarket deli. Having said that I have to say pelmeni and pierogi are awfully addictive - the ones Baltic nr waterloo serve in the bar are great!

ta

J

ps gastroC never thought sainsburys angel that bad... has advantage of being 24 hrs doing the week which is dead useful plus borders across the road (though the road its on is well dodge). if you're that neck of the woods, have you been to the angel mangal yet?

[JudyB]

That's great news. Slightly above my budget for everyday shopping, but as I live in Marchmont, then it's well within walking distance whenever I feel like shopping for something special, or fancy picking up the newest Waitrose Food Magazine.

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If you haven't actually shopped at Waitrose before then I would strongly recommend that you give it a go and compare the prices. When a colleague of mine broke his collarbone he and his wife did their shopping using a taxi at Waitrose instead of Tesco because the Waitrose was nearer and were pleased to discover that it was more or less the same total price. We see them in Waitrose most weeks, so they are clearly still convinced that it is good value. Obviously it will depend on what you buy, but it's most definitely worth investigating.

[Pille]

poulet bresse, kobe beef, pelmeni... that last one seems to stand out a bit! surely more like to find the freezer cabinet of dodgy east european groceries (which are noticeably multiplying in london) than upmarket deli.  Having said that I have to say pelmeni and pierogi are awfully addictive - the ones Baltic nr waterloo serve in the bar are great!

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Home made pelmeni can be just as delicious as any posh ravioli. Maybe not exactly in the same league as poulet bresse and kobe beef, granted, but as far as filled dumplings etc go, they don't deserve the "dodgy eastern european grocery store staple" title either.

But then I'm probably not objective. I grew up eating the stuff almost on a weekly basis, and I really miss them here in Scotland. You can't find a decent thing anywhere One other reason to check out the forthcoming Waitrose then, maybe..

[Jon Tseng]

Home made pelmeni can be just as delicious as any posh ravioli. Maybe not exactly in the same league as poulet bresse and kobe beef, granted, but as far as filled dumplings etc go, they don't deserve the "dodgy eastern european grocery store staple" title either. 

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oh i quite agree

east european corner shop groceries - a happy by-product of new accessions to the EU - are one of london's hidden gems. pierogi, bigos, gulyas and chlodnik/bortsch (sp) are GREAT and wonderfully moreish, particularly in the cold months

i have to say though, on the world-class dumpling front a properly done crabmeat filled shanghai soup-dumpling (or its bastard half-child crispy panfried equivalent) kicks pelmeni and ravioli ass any day

l8tr

J

[Nicolai]

Home made pelmeni can be just as delicious as any posh ravioli. Maybe not exactly in the same league as poulet bresse and kobe beef, granted, but as far as filled dumplings etc go, they don't deserve the "dodgy eastern european grocery store staple" title either. 

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oh i quite agree

east european corner shop groceries - a happy by-product of new accessions to the EU - are one of london's hidden gems. pierogi, bigos, gulyas and chlodnik/bortsch (sp) are GREAT and wonderfully moreish, particularly in the cold months

i have to say though, on the world-class dumpling front a properly done crabmeat filled shanghai soup-dumpling (or its bastard half-child crispy panfried equivalent) kicks pelmeni and ravioli ass any day

l8tr

J

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Love Pelmeni and wouldn't mind shanghai version but would have Uzbek Manti anytime.

Now this really kicks ass

[Janice]

That's great news. Slightly above my budget for everyday shopping, but as I live in Marchmont, then it's well within walking distance whenever I feel like shopping for something special, or fancy picking up the newest Waitrose Food Magazine.

←

If you haven't actually shopped at Waitrose before then I would strongly recommend that you give it a go and compare the prices. When a colleague of mine broke his collarbone he and his wife did their shopping using a taxi at Waitrose instead of Tesco because the Waitrose was nearer and were pleased to discover that it was more or less the same total price. We see them in Waitrose most weeks, so they are clearly still convinced that it is good value. Obviously it will depend on what you buy, but it's most definitely worth investigating.

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My understanding is that Waitrose price-matches on branded groceries in the same way that John Lewis does, making it as good value as anywhere for those items. Of course the problem is that there are so many more temptations in Waitrose that you end up spending more regardless.

In this vein, one of my friends has some very tasty cured goose breast from the one on Finchley Road recently...

[Jon Tseng]

Love Pelmeni and wouldn't mind shanghai version but would have Uzbek Manti anytime.

Now this really kicks ass

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Nah, thats just tarted-up sheep tortellini right? although the tail-fat in there does add a nice juiciness.

still not as good as a crispy soup-filled shanghai dumpling, although I admit that the tandoor baked version (samsa they were called in chinese turkestan; don't know the uzbek equivalent) migth run it close...

prove me wrong!

J

[Tim Hayward]

My understanding is that Waitrose price-matches on branded groceries in the same way that John Lewis does, making it as good value as anywhere for those items. Of course the problem is that there are so many more temptations in Waitrose that you end up spending more regardless.

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Is there any definitive source of cost comparison for the supermarkets online?

I'm having a huge row with my wife at the moment because I favour Ocado, which appears to be the only decent home delivery service. She's somehow convinced that, because it's from Waitrose, our weekly shop is about three times the price as when I drag my sorry tripes all the way to the bedlam that is Camden Sainsbury's.

(Before you ask - no, neither of us actually knows the price of a loaf. Who reads receipts?)

[Tim Hayward]

they don't deserve the "dodgy eastern european grocery store staple" title either.

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In case you missed it there was a fabulous Food Programme on R4 last week on Eastern European food in the UK.

Here's the listen again link.

I listened to it with a Lithuanian decorator I'm working with. H made a couple of quick phone calls and this morning I got a huge parcel of assorted Lithuanian smoked treats and some splendidly lethal looking liquor.

The EU definitely rocks

[Pille]

Love Pelmeni and wouldn't mind shanghai version but would have Uzbek Manti anytime.

Now this really kicks ass

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Nah, thats just tarted-up sheep tortellini right? although the tail-fat in there does add a nice juiciness.

still not as good as a crispy soup-filled shanghai dumpling, although I admit that the tandoor baked version (samsa they were called in chinese turkestan; don't know the uzbek equivalent) might run it close...

prove me wrong!

J

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This is getting very interesting:) Maybe we should have non-Italian dumpling cook-off:) I'd do Estonian "pelmeenid" (which we've nicked from our huge Eastern neighbour - same thing, just nicer obviously:)

In case you missed it there was a fabulous Food Programme on R4 last week on Eastern European food in the UK.

Here's the listen again link.

I listened to it with a Lithuanian decorator I'm working with. H made a couple of quick phone calls and this morning I got a huge parcel of assorted Lithuanian smoked treats and some splendidly lethal looking liquor.

The EU  definitely rocks

←

Thanks, Tim - I did miss this one, although I listen to it regularly. What's the Lithuanian lethal liquor called? We have something called "Vana Tallinn" in Estonia, but don't you dare to call it lethal looking (and the cream version of it beats Bailey's any time

[spanky]

Now this is funny! A thread about Waitrose metamorphosing into a "my-dumpling's-better-than-your-dumpling" tit for tat!

Is that because this is the class without a teacher (i.e. forum manager)?

Spanky

[Pille]

Now this is funny! A thread about Waitrose metamorphosing into a "my-dumpling's-better-than-your-dumpling" tit for tat!

Is that because this is the class without a teacher (i.e. forum manager)?

Spanky

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Sorry Spanky, I did get carried away. Apologies But it is great to have some of the more upmarket supermarkets here in Edinburgh as well, though personally I would only take advantage of them occasionally.