What can't you get over there?

Just wondering, what things do people miss from their home countries/towns that you can not get locally, or at all? food, products etc? I can not think of anything off the top of my head, but once we are there i might have a craving for something to eat that just isn't available. Or that shampoo or talcum powder you always liked but can't find anywhere other than when you go back home for a few days.

Just curious and interested.

We can get most things over here.nothing that you cant get.
But some one else may disagree with that.

Good to hear Coyote. I personally prefer to embrace whatever is locally available.

But for this, I was thinking more about little unnecessary extras, treats and guilty pleasures people miss.

..we used to say we ONLY miss brown sauce and tea bags , but you can get those easily now

Metaldunk wrote:..we used to say we ONLY miss brown sauce and tea bags   , but you can get those easily now

Hahaha, Daddies? HP? or Branston? Im partial to Branston nowadays, used to be HP

What about gluten or wheat-free food? or at least wheat flour alternatives? (rice flour, corn flour etc). My wife is gluten intolerant so avoids it as much as possible barring a few breadcrumbs here and there.

Some bakeries make bread with spelt flour - don't know if that is acceptable?
Otherwise, you can get nearly everything nearby and you can always make a trip to Iceland in Vera now and then if you're missing pork pies etc!
I'm still getting used to the different cuts of meat here, and how to prepare/cook them...

There is a whole section of gluten free items in the Dia Supermarket in Huescar.  Not sure about other supermarkets.

I am Lactose intolerent and can find everything I need, milk, yogurt, icecream, cheese, etc., between the Dia in Huescar, Lidl and Mercadona in Baza.

Good to hear gluten and lactose free products are around.

And also good to hear Iceland is nearby and sells pork pies Although Id like to think I would have the time and inclination to try making my own pork pies by then.

What about the meat? Is it a case of they sell all the cuts instead of like here where it is just the cuts and meats Tesco like and Jamie Oliver brings back into favour

I'm looking forward to pricing things up next week, see how much fresh meat, fish, fruit and veg etc costs.

Iceland is in Vera which is around a 2 hours drive away from Castillejar so not somewhere we go to often. There is a stall that sells English products that visits some of the local markets (Castillejar, Benamaurel, Baza Sunday market, Cortes de Baza and probably some others). If they have the product you want I have found they are cheaper than Iceland but they do not have things like pork pies. Also check out the Spanish supermarkets locally as they sell some "English" items such as Kellogs cornflakes etc.
My husband is a coeliac and has no problem finding items. Several of the supermarkets now stock gluten free items as does the health shop in Baza (down the side of the BBVA bank). Also if you are near a Carrefour or Alcampo supermarket (nearest to here is Granada) they also have a wide stock of items for gluten free, lactose free and other dietary problems.
Meat tends to be poultry, pork, lamb. You can find beef but it is not so common, especially in butchers shops.

As already discussed most things are available... Fresh Swede seems more difficult to get other than being robbed at Iceland Vera for swedes the size of brussel sprouts..

Lovely swedes on sale at Castilléjar market yesterday!

Thanks for peoples replies. I would happily eat whatever is seasonally available and never look back at most of the processed overcharged stuff people eat so much of in the UK. I am looking forward to fresh fruit and veg.

I have heard meat is expensive, but have only seen supermarket prices. What are local butchers prices like?

Any 'local' non-chain bakeries doing gluten-free bread? or is gluten-free flour available easily enough?

Some local butchers are quite expensive compared to the big supermarkets and some don't sell meat that is very fresh.  They don't sell much, so tend to roll it over.

Food in general is more expensive here than the UK.  You can compare prices of what you pay here, to online stores in the UK.

I do not personally know of any local bakeries that sell gluten free bread, or flour.  Maybe someone else knows?  You can buy gluten free flour from Amazon.es and have it delivered to your door though.

As I said above, the Dia Supermarket in Huescar has a range of Gluten free breads, snacks, pizza bases, etc...  Maybe other local supermarkets do too?  Or you can always travel down to Baza, where LIDL and Mercadona will probably sell a bigger range.  Certainly they both have a better range of Lactose free items.

Thanks Mariposa,

I imagine veggies and salad and things are cheap though, or am I wrong? Comparring to Tesco prices and that is what we are stuck with where we are.

Generally all food is more expensive here.

I see very good prices on the Tesco/Lidl/Asda/Morrisons websites, compared to what I pay here.  You get offers there, which you don't really get here.  It depends where you shop.  I suppose if you want to not shop locally, then there might be some good prices somewhere, but certainly not around here.

This is a rural area, getting things here costs money, which is then added onto the price of the items.

You also get a huge choice of different foods/clothes/etc., there, which we don't get here.  I like to cook Asian meals sometimes, getting ingredients is a real pain.  It has become easier over the years, but at a cost.  There are still many items I just can't get.

Buying fruit and veggies in season saves money - tomatoes and peppers in season are practically given away by local growers who sell direct to the public in the village markets. Potatoes, broad beans, garlic, onions, peaches, cherries as well. Dried white beans too. Get to know your neighbours who may have surplus fruit and veg that they'll invite you to pick - we get loads of peaches, pears and plums that way. Save your jam jars for pickling and preserving! Meat from the butchers isn't especially cheap tho offal is (1€ for a huge bag of lamb's liver and lights - feeds us and the cat!). If you have space in your freezer you could buy a lamb direct from a local shepherd (the meat is delicious) and there's rabbits sold by local people in the marmet ir you might be able to buy direct from neighbours. Huescar and Baza markets have stalls selling a fair range of herbs and spices but I stock up at the larger stalls in Granada too. I don't miss the massive UK supermarkets!

Cheers Miron,

We are more than happy to buy, swap and eat seasonally, and I have heard good things about trading produce for produce if you have an excess of anything growing on your land. Although I have tasted the local grapes in Huescar and we would find it very hard to give any of them up

As Miron says, buying in season is a way to save money, but most items are still more expensive than the UK, which was your original question.

I find the markets quite expensive for fruit and veg.  Sometimes a seller will give me some items for free, but not very often.  Supermarkets are usually a fair bit cheaper.

Getting to know your Spanish neighbours will always mean a constant supply of free goodies, but that wasn't the original question!

You asked about prices compared to Tesco, or UK supermarkets in general.  Food items here are generally more expensive than the UK supermarkets.

Hi Mariposa, it's all good info, all going in the stack of info we are compiling
I think going into something like this without buckets full of money, we need it warts and all, so thank you all.

Don't forget clothes and shoes too.  Again usually much cheaper in the UK, especially if you are a bit tall, wide or something! 

I am talking about local shopping again, which I think is what you were wanting to know???

Glasses and contact lenses also are cheaper online from the UK, than buying here in Spain, but you then have to pay the postage to get them here.  Even with the postage, they are still cheaper from the UK though.  

Saying that, I currently buy my Myopia (short sight) prescription glasses from Portugal.  Under 20€ delivered.  Finding a local Optician to give me a Prescription and then not buy their glasses, was a nightmare.  It took me nearly 6 months to find someone that would do it!

A proper eye test from a qualified Opthalmologist (there is a great one in Huescar!) is currently 50€ and worth doing once a year, (if you have eye problems) or maybe once every two years if not, as the Opticians here don't generally have the same equipment, as those in the UK.  Eye tests at the Opticians are free though.

Don't forget you will have to pay Medical Insurance when you move here.  For many, this is more expensive than Council Tax on a house each month and it goes up each year.

I have just got some quotes for a couple, both in their 70's, with no pre existiing conditions (lucky them!) and it was quite a shock.  The cheapest I could find was nearly 500€ each pcm!

Another couple in their early 60's, with a couple of pre exisiting conditions, got quotes around the 270€ mark each pcm.  This was for very basic cover, with a large excess.

It makes the UK National Health Service look quite appealing!

I have a Spanish Medical Card. I also have Private Medical Insurance, which many Spanish people take out too.  I pay around 60€ pcm for that, as the Spanish Medical Card doesn't cover everything and you have to pay (sometimes up to 40%, because I am not a pensioner) towards certain treatments.

In the UK, I was used to having a selection of good Vets to hand, to look after my dog.  Looking online, there still seem to be lots of Vets in small towns and on the edge of some villages.  Here, trying to find a good qualified one, locally and that is open reasonable hours, is hard.  Things are done very differently here!

Warts an' all is what you wanted!

Caroline