Monday 6 April 2009

My new favourite thing

A while ago I decided that going to the supermarket was for the birds. A succession of Sundays where we had to cut short whatever we were doing in order to do some grocery shopping made me very grumpy. So I started to get my groceries delivered. And I really can't see a downside to it:
  • I can run to the kitchen cupboard mid-order to see if we need rice
  • I can have one tab open with my order and one tab open with my recipe, so I don't forget to buy important things (doesn't mean I actually remember to put the bayleaf in the bloody dish when I cook it though)
  • I can comparison-shop much more easily
  • I can take advantage of special offers more easily (I tend not to bulk-buy if I have to carry the shopping home!)
  • The groceries come from the same central warehouse that the store is supplied by - so fresh vegetables and meat tends to last longer
Which is all good, really. I also find that I am more disciplined - I do less impulse buying. On the other hand, I've tried a few new things that I probably wouldn't have tasted because they were on special offer.

Like the camembert with truffle butter I had this weekend. This stuff is amazing! It's made by a Swiss company, Baer, who seem to be responsible for a lot of the cheapier, less characterful soft cheeses that you see in the supermarket. This cheese is in a totally different class to their other output. It's hexagonal, and I found that a wedge bisecting a side of the hexagon was the perfect size to nestle on a spelt cracker. The bloomy rind has a nice, strong mushroomy smell, and when you cut into it the aroma of the layer of truffle butter complements and doesn't overwhelm that smell. It's not a luscious, ripe and runny camembert but the butter adds richness while the truffles add a bit of luxury. Paul thought that it smelled like his socks. I thought it was sexier than that by a substantial margin. Not an every day indulgence, but a really gorgeous treat.

13 comments:

Heather said...

truffle butter?! are you joking me! yum! we online shop for groceries, too. i swear it has given me HOURS of my life back.

Joie de vivre said...

Grocery delivery...oh, I fantasize about this concept. It would be such a treat not to have to take the kids shopping. *Sigh*

NKP said...

Sounds wild! I am living in a cave of a town and I would settle for a farm box but we don't seem to have any choice but the supermarket here.. sigh.

Deb in Hawaii said...

I only wish I could shop for online groceries sometimes, I still like some store time when I am in the mood. Camembert with truffles sound incredible!

Alicia Foodycat said...

Heather - the time saving is incredible, isn't it?

Joie - I can't even imagine shopping with kids! The horror.

Natashya - I'd love a farm box, too!

Deb - it is the best cheese I have tried in ages!

kat said...

I did food delivery for awhile in San Francisco & really enjoyed it but now we do the weekly shopping thing. Hubs just loves going to the grocery store & walking down all the aisles.

Sam said...

Oh that sounds heavenly, looks like I'm off to Waitrose!

Leslie said...

Ok I sooo need my groceries delivered. What serive do you use. Is it on line?

Alicia Foodycat said...

Kat - I don't mind occasional supermarket shopping, but not every weekend!

Sam - good man!

Leslie - it's called Ocado, it's connected to Waitrose, one of the big UK supermarkets.

Bettina Douglas said...

I have heard that shopping online, the fresh produce is fresher than in store - because direct from the warehouse.

Darius T. Williams said...

This is something I totally need to try!

Alicia Foodycat said...

Mother - I think I spent about an hour at Christmas raving about my online grocery shopping!

Darius - you really should. The truffles go so well with the cheese.

Bettina Douglas said...

I do recall our conversation.
I have heard the same re freshness from new mothers & others who find the trip to Woolworths too hard.

We remain tomato squeezers.

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