FIRST TIME GROCERY SHOPPING IN A BRITISH SUPERMARKET! // London Vlog #3 

This was SOOO interesting as a British person, I loved seeing what was so different for you! Thoroughly enjoyed. Also, in terms of the fresh food, the freezer is your best friend. I can only speak for my family but we freeze just about anything, meat, milk, bread-freeze it all, lasts longer then get it out when you need it!

Hey! I hope you're settling in to the UK well, just a few things to point out haha. The 'best before' date isn't the date that food expires. It indicates when the food is at its 'prime'. The food is still edible past this date and will not have gone bad yet. The actual expiry date is usually labelled as such, or labelled as the "use by" date. Also, Sunday probably isn't the best day to do a big food shop. Most stores don't really do big restocks on these days. To get the best things, go early in the morning on a different day! Hope this helps x

The reason that some things like zucchini is called courgette in the UK is because in the US you had a lot of Italian immigrants so you use the Italian name where as in the UK we are very close to France so tend to use the French names instead.

No we don't just like our cookies (we call them biscuits) thin, you just happened to look at the few shelves with all the thin versions on 😂

Get yourself to Lidl or Aldi for penny pinching luv !

Just to add, not only are those preservatives not good for you they're actually BANNED in all foods across Europe. That's why Stateside you should definitely be buying organic foods.

If u wanna be posh go to Waitrose or M&S If u wanna be cheap go to Aldi or Lidl 😂😂

As a person from England who recently went to America, I found he supermarket so different and confusing so it was interesting to see you felt the same.

In England we don’t tend to stock up in food it’s more like we get what we need for the next few days until we go shopping next and this video was so interesting as someone who lives in England xx

The bread 🍞 is Best Before so you can eat it after the date. IT WONT KILL YOU. It normally last maybe a week after the date it says.

What a refreshing video of shopping in the UK for the first time, bugs me when people sneer and joke and not even funny. As regards to the bread, and preservatives, yeah in the UK we buy little and often even if we do a "big shop" it is not bulk buying. The UK has fewer additives and tends to use real sugar more rather than high fructose corn syrup, so sweeter things will taste different. A UK coke tastes different to a US coke.

Go to Tesco at around 7pm they sell there bread for 1p 😂👌🏻

5:25 You can get normal Oreos and digestives but those ones are the new "Thins" version

Mass produced bread ie warburtons/hovis/kingsmill will usually have 3-6 days before the use by date, fresh bread like the loaf you are looking at is meant to be eaten on the day of purchase, but it is great toasted the next day. French bread/sticks/batons/baguettes the next day can be re-baked for 5-10 mins if you liberally sprinkle the outside with water before placing in a warm oven gas mark 5 or 180 degrees celsius. You can also buy part baked petite pain which are good.

The "thins" are quite new things. They are just a new version of all the biscuits we have here in a thin version and double the price!

I love the 'Everything is a teachable moment and I love to learn' haha.

Ok Girl, If you buy meat 🥩 or Kingsmill or Warbutons bread 🍞 & you have a FREEZER at home. Check if the packaging states “SUITABLE FOR FREEZING” if it does then you can buy 2/3 packs in one grocery shop and then pop them in the freezer when you get home. Then when you decide that you would like your turkey mince. ...Just take it out of the freezer and make sure it is totally DEFROSTED before you cook it. With the slices of bread you can deal with it differently. Keep it in the freezer and if you have a DEFROST setting on your toaster; then you can take a couple of slices of bread from and toast it. Hope this helps

lift up the trays that the produce are in and underneath are more fresh products!

Hey Paige, as a UK person and fellow bread lover a hack I found when moving out for uni was to buy bagels instead of loaves of bread. They last a lot longer and like loaves of bread you can freeze them as well! I usually buy two or three packets of New York bagels at a time and freeze the extra ones 👌🏻 Hope you’re settling in well!

As a british person I thought this was really cool tbh even though I don’t shop in Asda

You should make your own seasoning mix, add your fav spices and herbs and store it in a mason jar. That way you know exactly what is in it, minus the salt. But welcome to the UK Queen :-)

As regards names of things - a lot of US English names (Zucchini etc) come from the Italian names, because the US had a lot of Italian immigration - in contrast, UK English uses the French words because they're so close (Courgette etc)... Prepacked will always contain a lot of salt, it's best to buy the ingredients separately and make it at home if you want to skip the salt. There are three sorts of "Use by" dates by the way: Use by, Sell by and Best Before. Use by means it will expire on that date, don't use it afterwards. Sell by means it will expire shortly *after* that date - the shop needs to sell it by then, but you can use it for another few days to a week. Best Before means it's good until it visibly goes bad... but it is... "best" before that date... so bread might go slightly dry before it goes mouldy for example. If you're confident in judging when food has gone bad you can ignore pretty much all those dates, or use them as a rough guideline. Best of luck with your course and living in the UK!

I was literally on my way to the comment section to tell you about the fact our food doesn’t contain preservatives, just as you edited in the section about it! 🤓 if you do want to shop less, things like bread can be frozen before the expiration date, and defrosted when needed! However the bread will also be okay to eat a good couple of days after it expires(just check the quality before consuming) 😁 I hope you’re enjoying everything the U.K. has to offer! ✌️

This was so funny to watch as a British person seeing what I have grown up knowing is so different for you like some things you doubted that we had or something. Also Brussel sprouts are the exact same as British sprouts it’s just over here we like to say where things are from but every one calls them Brussel sprouts. Brussels is also a place in Europe but I’m not sure if that’s why Brussel sprouts are called what they are... Love how you went in and it was light and you came out and it was dark

Hi Paige, you're not too far away from some good markets with a wider choice of diverse fruits and veg, cheaper too, like Lewisham. I'm sure you will find your way around and get to know London soon x

Only a minute in but I would recommend you download the app bus times so you check when buses are coming in ur area or check on the TFL website !

One word: Freezer! We freeze everything lol.

When looking at the “use by” date on something, always check the dates on the other packs on the shelf on the shelf for the same item. That turkey mince you looked at for example, more than likely has fresher packs, with the longer use by date towards the back of the shelf as the store will bring the packs with a shorter use by date to the front to get rid of it...

hahha bless you, love watching your adventures here in london. I was born and raised here and it great seeing the city through new eyes!

Most supermarkets in England restock Sunday night/Mondayish so thats why you-kept finding food close to their best before date

If you buy foods close to their best before date, just freeze them. I buy fresh bread every week and freeze it, then remove it from the freezer the day before I need it :)

The reason why shelf life in the UK on bread and milk and meat products is shorter it is because we put less preservatives and chemicals than the US which increases its shelf life but isn’t very good for you.

Best part about this blog was learning about the diff in the amount of preservatives here vs in the U.K.. thanks for sharing good to know for when I go to London

download city mapper tells you exactly when your bus or train willl arrive saves you waiting in the cold for a bus

OMG this was so funny 😂Especially the Oreos part I laughed so hard when you said ‘do you guys just eat thin cookies then’ Great video, new subscriber!

There are lots of things that we call by the french name in UK but is called by either the Italian or Spanish name in America. The main ones you might need to know if you want to find them are Courgette = Zucchini, Rocket = Arugula, Aubergine = Eggplant, Heavy or Light Cream = Double or Single Cream. Coriander is also different in that we call everything from the coriander plant coriander including the leaf, where as you will know Coriander leaf as Cilantro. If you need Cilantro for anything then just look for Coriander in leaf form either in the dried herb or fresh herb sections. Hope that was of help. Incidentally we do call it tupperware over here - I have no idea why the person you asked didnt know what you were talking about. My mum even used to have tupperware parties when I was little.

what an experience, I am loving it!!!! following your journey and I'm so inspired!!!!!

It looks like you went later on in the day to shop, most of the later dates have either been taken or havent been restocked yet (fresh bread, they restock when they bake a new batch). also, when buying anything, i look for the latest date, if not i'll come back again later. oh and days to shop would be weekdays in the morning, sunday is good too :)

Girl yes, I’ve seen in your comment section about using your freezer! It’s true, they are our best friends, buy your meats and freeze it. Then the day you need it simply take it out, and put it in your fridge, go about your day and it’ll be ready to cook in the evening/night! If you buy a lot it’ll last for up to 2 months in the freezer as long as you put it in there before it’s expiry (of course) :) Also yes, I think maybe our foods have less preservatives and so the food is fresher but the shelf life is shorter!

During my time in Europe, I noticed that the refrigerators were smaller than what we're used to in the states. That's when I learned that, unlike a lot of Americans, Europeans don't shop in bulk to stock the fridge for a week or more. For the reasons you mentioned, a lot of them buy just enough for a day or two, and some even shop daily... especially for dinner. I used to love getting fresh bread from the bakery. Of course, it's doable in the states, just not as common.

Loving your UK vlogs. This is soo inspiring! Also, freezing your bread is an option that really helps to slow down the aging process. You can you can slice it before you put it in, then take it out as needed (kind of like garlic bread) it'll stay really fresh. You can store bread like that for up to six months even. It really helps and saves time!

Actually Tupperware is a brand name, it is not the descriptive name for the product. You were looking for food storage containers. Tupperware is a brand of food storage containers (and you can't buy Tupperware products in a retail store in most parts of the world).

I'm American and having been living in London for a year now and grocery shopping is much more different than what i was used to. I live on a high street and need to carry everything, have small freezer space, and like cooking so I may go 5 times a week! Also, I buy bread in half loaves because sometimes a full loaf will go bad way before I can finish. It's a good and bad problem to have I guess since they don't put as much harmful ingredients in the food here just for the shelf life... Same with fruit and veggies, I just buy smaller and more frequently. Sunday evening shopping I try to avoid going, lol. You'll get your flow, welcome to London :)

Welcome to London! Hope you are enjoying it, despite the cold! You should definitely pay attention to “use by” dates - that shows when the food is going to be safe to eat. (Although use your common sense as well. Don’t eat something that smells off just because the date says it is safe!). I may be wrong, but I think some food is required to have a use by date by law (meat products), and Use by dates are generally regulated. “best before” dates tells you when the food will taste nicest - so cake may be best to eat the day it is baked but is still safe to eat 4 days later. (Doesn’t last that long in my house) Sometimes you may also see “display until”, which is about marketing and displays in store, really, and not, as far as I can tell, anything much to do with taste or safety - ignore and use your own judgement or look for the use by date, which is often also on the pack.

ASDA was originally Associated Dairies, hence the name. :-)

I’m not sure what the us do but in the uk fresh produce (fruit, veg and bakery) has best before and other items have use by dates. Best before dates are a guide a loaf of bread or fruit/veg can be still good a week after “best before” they leave it so your own common sense if it still okay to eat. Hope that helps with short date on bread.

I love watching you're channel it's so positive and you give off good vibes👍👍

To make things last longer such as Bread and meat, you can just freeze it on the day of purchase if it runs out quickly. Then defrost for 24 hours before you cook/ eat. Bread that is fresh in the supermarkets have been baked that day, hence why the sell by date is earlier than what you"d expect. Plus, like you said it's to do with the fact we don't use preservatives. With frozen bread though it doesn't taste good once it's defrosted so what I do is slice it (unless already sliced), leave in the freezer and you can cook from frozen to use it for toast. Fresh meat you will definitely have to defrost though before cooking and cook the next day or you will end up with food poisoning. Once cooked you can store most things in your fridge for a maximum of 3 days but I wouldn't advise longer. Hope this helps 😊 x

Saw my 177 bus u on my ends... my semi local asda aswell... But yeah also try the Aldi across the street... and there is a big Primark there too do u have that in USA?

You can just throw things in the fridge or freezer if you don't think you can eat the in time. Even if you have a small fridge, that should work. You'll just have to be more strategic about what you buy.

loveeeeeee I feel like I'm learning what I can do and where I can go when I go abroad while watching you.

Here's a tip for you, where products have a short shelf life left, always look further back on the shelf for a longer date, as when the staff restock the shelves they move the older stock to the front, and where the produce is in trays/baskets look in the trays underneath, again for a longer life.

You need a freezer! My bread and veg etc goes in mine so I don't have to shop as much. Also expiry dates are not 100%, most foods you can use the date as a guide. I don't always throw away stuff on the expiry date. My nose and eyes are a good indicator but pay strict attention with things like eggs, milk.

Buy your bread and freeze it! It lasts how ever long you want it to until you take it out of the freezer! 🍞🍞🍞

Thank you for this. Really interesting. I'm in Australia so great to see what kind of products they have there. With regard to bread, and of course it would be different there, but in Australia we have bread franchises where they bake fresh every day, anything left at the end of that day is either thrown out or donated to shelters etc. The two big chains are Baker's Delight, my favourite, and Brumbies. Baker's delight do charge more but the bread isn't full of preservatives, and is a LOT better, lighter in texture, a quality product. Yes they charge more, but I request thinly sliced (wholemeal flour loaf) and freeze it that night. My son and I then just take out a few pieces when we need it. I buy about one loaf a week for us which is $4 Australian. It keeps better in the freezer than supermarket bread does so is fresh when defrosted. It either goes straight in the toaster or 20 seconds in the microwave for 2 slices. I hate supermarket bread. It seems to upset my system, probably the preservatives. But anyway, sorry for the long winded comment lol you girls are lovely. Just came across your channel. Much love from Australia xx

glad you enjoyed asda!!! hope you’re liking the uk- i’m sure everyone else in the comments has given you all the tips you need so i’m not gonna bother but hope u have a great time woo!!

“Do y’all just prefer thin cookies” There the thin versions of the biscuits 😂

“Are British sprouts the same as Brussels sprouts??” that tickled me; I loooove Brussel sprouts

Do your shopping weekly, that's what I do. Usually on a Saturday, shelves gets empty on Sundays because that's when most people shop.

Hi Paige, its been so nice watching your London vlogs, it brought back so many good memories of my first year at Uni here last year. I came all the way from Canada, I'm in my second year now at the University of East London and your Asda trips and moving in vlog were so great to watch. I definitely feel with you with the early struggles of figuring out things here haha

I loved this I'm British and I get curious on what other people's opinions are

Welcome to the UK sister. We have great food here enjoy. X

I shop daily, a lot of people think I'm crazy but I find it helps me budget better and produce is always fresher. Fresh bread does have a low shelf life but it is fresh and best consumed within a day or so, if you want a branded bread such as Warburtons what isn't baked in store then you can get around 5-6 days after purchase of shelf life.

I work at Asda and the bread that is made, baked and packaged in store all has a two day shelf life apart from the breadsticks which are one day! But because they are freshly prepared in store you can freeze them, just be sure to ask someone and make sure it’s safe to freezing but I’m almost certain it is.😘

I'm UK born and bred and I say Tupperware too so you're not alone! :)

This may sound gross but... actually, hard 'stale' bread is really good for toasting (if you're into crunchy toast) as there's less water in the bread to begin with; also with bread (and many other things) you can kinda get away with eating it one or two days after the 'use by date'!

This was so helpful as realia situations and will project it in my future EFL classes (I'm a teacher-to-be)

Bread is something you'll get used to. It definitely lasts longer than the "Best Before" date, you'll notice it going stale and that's when you stock up. As for meat we buy a lot of mince and chicken and freeze it. That way you can defrost it a day or so before you want to eat it and it'll save you from going food shopping multiple times a week. Apart from bread and milk which we pick up every few days as we're going past a corner shop, we do a big food shop once a month and freeze a lot of it so it doesn't go off.

The dates on fresh food are rubbish here. We keep our bread in the fridge because it lasts longer x

Hi Paige; I have been following your journey and I have really enjoyed seeing your experiences. I really hope I can visit the UK someday. I was thinking that maybe you could order the Mrs. Dash online if you can't find it in the stores there, and have it shipped to you.

A little tip, you can freeze bread as soon as you buy it, take it out the night before to defrost and use is, then put in in a bag in the fridge as you use it.

Yes its best to go shopping during the week. Sunday in London buses usually take a while I also HIGHLY suggest getting a card holder for ur oyster

You don't have to do a big shop every time you need bread or milk just go to the local shop

Asda Charlton! You should try the one on Old Kent Road it is bigger

The best before date is just an indicator, that till this particular date the produce will keep all flavours/nutrients etc as intended by the producer but with any day over that date changes in flavour/texture etc. can happen but it is not 'off' or 'bad' by any means. Usually bread will keep for a week or more, in a freezer even longer.

That bread also said “best before” that just means you can use it until you think it’s gone bad. The date is just their recommendation. Exact expiry dates are labelled “used by”

It’s like that here in Turkey as well. My bananas don’t last nowhere near as long as they would in the states. You will get used to it eventually 😰I’m just gonna stop buying 2% milk and stick to almond milk, it lasts longer. You’re lucky to even be able to still read labels. Everything here is in Turkish, and I’m always so lost. Google translate is my new favorite app. 😂

Not all the biscuits are thin the companies brought out thinner “cookies” as another way to get money aha but to me I think the thins taste waaaayyyy better aha

As an American living in the UK, I prefer Sainsbury’s. I do go to Asda as well. Aldi & Lidl are also good. Tesco has the best selection of actual American foods.

Re the garlic and parsley seasoning stuff - if you want it without the salt, get separate parsley and ground garlic (check the garlic as some brands add salt, but it's easy enough to get it without - or use lazy garlic). Our best before dates are different. It's advice, not so much a hard and fast rule. If you store stuff carefully it can last for days or weeks (depending what it is) beyond the best before date. Learn to tell when something's gone off rather than relying on the packaging. Except if it says 'use by'. That's more important. Oh, wee tip if you're buying nuts and seeds and stuff - don't only go to the snack aisle for them. They're sometimes cheaper in the baking aisle. Tupperware is called tupperware here too. You just encountered the classic British experience of asking for something then having an assistant look at you like you're insane. It's normal.

Another video, hooray! My advice is to go to Asda much earlier in the day because if it's anything like my local Asda, they never have enough stock to last the day despite trading 24hrs Monday to Saturday. Also, I saw you were checking use by dates - keep doing this, especially for refrigerated items as Asda tend to have fridges full of items that are close to or even passed the use by date!! I've been a victim on numerous occasions when rushing :-( Personally I prefer Sainsburys.

Oh yeah digestives are bomb 💣 they don’t only have thin ones tho, it’s a variety. You should also try out tesco, and you’ll get use to the items named differently. I’m from the US but I visit London quite often

Also if u freeze bread or meat it lengthens its shelf life so like it expires in how many days u can put it in the freezer and take it out when ur ready to use even after the expiry date z

This video popped up in my recommendations. From the video I can see straight away you study and shop near where I live! I hope you’re enjoying London! I went to Florida for 3 weeks and yes food shopping is so different! Shopping tips! Always grab from the back as it will mostly have a longer ‘use by’ date. Stock rotation, new stock will always be behind old stock. You can always use sliced bread if you want it to last longer such as ‘kingsmill, holvis, warburtoms’ which have preservatives but has far less salt and sugar than US alternatives.

You should go Tesco, Iceland and Morrison ❤️😂

A couple of little tips for you! When buying fresh fruit and veg you'll probably find there are boxes underneath that are fresher and have a longer shelf life so have a look as the stuff due to expire sooner is always on the top. The same goes for fresh meats, reach to the back of the shelf and you'll find produce with a longer expiry date. Also, the bread you bought was from the in-store bakery, however there would also have been an aisle with branded breads and these will have a longer shelf life. You can also buy half loaves there if you don't want to have to throw any out!

With bread I get the pre-cut then put it in the freezer then just pick out a few bits in the morning each day. This allows you to keep bread that may go of in two days for a while !

Digestives! They have brought out a thin range. But they still do normal digestives, caramel filled ones etc :). We get warburtons sliced bread, they do brown, thick white, etc. The packeted stuff stays fresh longer than the fresh loaves that you have to cut yourself!

Download a London bus times app. Way more reliable than those boards. They give the exact minutes a bus is due at the bus stop. And it’s freeeee. Just type the bus stop you’re at or the number bus you want

I kept saying to myself,only get as much as you can carry. Did you get a cart for your bags to carry on the bus and wheel down the street. You can buy them on Amazon

I loved this video!! ASDA is life and Tesco too! Yes girl like 4-5 times a week. You get use to it tho, I get sliced bread and keep it in the fridge to make it last longer.

Basically, the best before date is mostly when they are meant to sell it by. It doesn’t usually come with a use by on it, especially bread. Usually it just goes harder and bread lasts for like a weekish, so don’t worry babe!

when you kept saying “it all goes off so soon” it was really irritating me because it says best before! best before just means it’ll be nicer before that date but you can still it after that date 😹😹

Slice your bread then freeze and take out as you need x

We have normal cookies and Oreos too! Even double stuffed but we are a nation known to watch our sugar/fat intake so always have the ‘better for you’ choices :)

Hi Paige. Regarding the best before and use by dates. Be aware that supermarket staff move the products that are close to these dates to the front of the shelves to try and get them sold and to avoid discounting. If you grab a product that is towards the back of the shelf quite often they will be newer and have a longer use by or best before date. I have about a 50% success rate on this.

You should try Aldi or Lidl? They're the cheapest supermarkets for the UK and have great value for money

You live near me! I am in Plumstead :-)

Best before dates on things like bread are advisory dates for when the product is at its peak. “Use by” is the key label to pay attention to! Meat generally last less than a week in the UK, generally cheaper to buy in bulk and freeze it for when you need it!

food is much fresher in the UK and if often locally sauced which is why the shelf lifes are so much shorter. we freeze an awful lot of stuff. freezing bread works absolutely fine and is a good way of not wasteing a whole loaf because its gone off. by buying sliced bread you can defrost a slice at a time and keep the rest fresh. we waste much less food this way.