Whoever Said the British Had Bad Food Was Mistaken...

...at least when it comes to grocery stores. I spent my first day in Ulverston working on my nap skills, followed by a trip to the local supermarket, Booth's. I was a little afraid of what I would or wouldn't find there, but after my first trip, I am in love.

The first thing I saw when we entered was the produce section. It puts the produce in New London to shame. 10 different kinds of potatoes (we all know how the Brits love their mash), every kind of pepper and lettuce you could imagine, fruit, and fresh herbs. It was in the next aisle - the meat aisle, where I really fell in love. You can buy fresh rashers, whole chickens (marinated or not), the biggest pork loin I have ever seen, and 1/2 or whole ducks. I'm excited that I can practice my duck cooking before the big Thanksgiving dinner we are throwing for Mini Deal and the Felty's.

Where I really lost my mind was in the dairy section. The cheese counter holds at least 25 different wheels of cheese that are made in the area and cut to order. I have already tried the aged cheddar, sage derby and basic goat cheese, and they do not disappoint. They have Creme Fraiche! And not just one kind - multiple kinds. I would KILL to get creme fraiche in the US. (No really, I would kill someone to get my hands on it). For those of you non-foodies (pretty much everyone but Amy W. and the Feltys), Creme Fraiche is a traditionally French, slightly soured, heavy in fat dairy product similar in consistancy to sour creme or cream cheese. Its traditionally used in finishing sauces, or with fruit and contrary to popular American belief, can NOT be substituted with sour creme, yogurt or the "homemade" version of buttermilk/sour cream. It has a wonderfully nutty taste, and the best of it comes from Normandy in France. Booth's has not only English Creme Fraiche, but imported Normandy Creme Fraiche. I can't wait for Katie and John to come out at Thanksgiving so I can make something with it and share it with my French food loving friends.

Right after the dairy section is the second best section in the store - the booze section. Now I know that Connecticut grocery stores are a poor example of America, but I am so used to only seeing beer (and crappy beer at that) that I had to contain my squeals of delight. A whole section of wine, a whole row of hard cider, hard alcohol, and several novelties awaited me as I entered this section. England, not content to meerly have bottled wine and boxed wine, also has bagged and cartoned wine. I grabbed a carton of French Connection Savignon blanc and a bag of Arniston Bay Cabernet Savignon/Merlot from South Africa. For the eqiuvalent of 12 USD and the volume of 3 bottles of wine, the Arniston Bay is fantastic. Its a decent, fruity table wine that would go with just about anything. I haven't tried the Savignon Blanc yet, but for 6 USD and 1.33 bottles worth of wine, it can't be terrible.

The novelty booze section contains a shelf of what looks like soda cans in 4 packs or individual, but they are really premixed drinks. I immediatly gravitated towards the Pims and Lemonade cans, and then noticed the gin and tonics, which the rest of the Trifecta would be sure to love. Picture it - you come home from work and want a drink but don't have the energy to mix it. Don't worry, just open the fridge and pop open a can. The only forseeable problem that was pointed out to me is that the % alcohol is just 8%. However, this is a benefit to me. Just think how much trouble you could get in if they were full strength and you didn't even have to make them.

Now that I've made you all hungry and thirsty, how about you check on plane tickets and book a trip to come visit!