I’ve been a vegetarian for over 25 years. Finding plant protein in a French supermarket is easier than you think and remember it’s much easier on your body than animal protein. I know folk find tofu tasteless, it is if left in its natural state, but cut it up and marinade before cooking and its delicious. Aldi do the best tofu. Not always available in France but I stock up when I go to the UK. Edamame beans are packed full of protein, all other beans are pretty good as well.
I eat about 65grams of protein a day, I weigh 55 kilos, so that’s plenty and it’s not difficult to do. I don’t eat eggs or dairy yoghurt or milk and still manage it.
I agree with you about potatoes, but as my wife won’t eat them in any form, that’s not too problematic. Here, in the Aveyron/Cantal/Lot intersection there’s a great variety of high quality local meat, veg and dairy produce and we appreciate having several very good artisan boulangers nearby.
Our butcher gets his beef and veal straight from a farm in the Cantal, though I’ve never had the courage to ask him about his pork as it’s not labelled ‘fermier’. Instead we buy direct from a local Aveyron farm. Local poultry is high quality too, so my main gastro gripes are that lamb seems less flavoursome than from northern England, pigeon is extortionately priced and I’ve never see pheasant or partridge on sale.
My re-discovered* local fruit and veg market man has, amongst others, tiny little potatoes that he sells me by the poignee (handfull) and they are delicious. No need for any cleaning or peeling (not that I ever peel spuds anyway) each one is less than a mouthfull.
*I fell out with him after the end of covid when he insisted on keeping the ropes, that kept us away from the produce, in place. I was persuaded back to him by friend Christine and so far I have not been sold a dud, everything is delicious.
And highly priced unfortunately ans we don’t get a lot of them in rural South. The garlic from Brittany - I forget ita name - is alao excellent, though not overpriced, often gone by lunchtime when it pops up on the shelves here.
I really miss the new world wines that were so easy and not too expensive to get hold of in the UK. These days I only see them in Lidl or very occasionally in Carrefour if they have a wine fair. It’s not that I would drink new world all the time but a good New Zealand sauvignon blanc from time to time would be nice.
Thank you. I’ve ordered from Vinatis but didn’t think to look for a ‘foreign’ section. For sherry I’ve found a Spanish website that delivers to France. We don’t drink it often but every once in a while we get a craving for a sherry apero.
You’d better come to our goodbye party then as I’ve just discovered three half bottles of Palo Cortado that I have been hoarding for special occasions, and then forget about.
If you’re only an hour of so from La Jonquera, it’s a good place to stock up with a bulk purchase of some drinks that aren’t easily found in France. I hate huge shopping malls, but whenever we’re passing by there we always stock up with some sherry and a couple of cases of Yzaguerre Catalan vermut for apéros and cooking - the latter’s nearly half the French online price. One can also get over the mall experience with a decent lunch just up the road in the original village,
I’ve ordered from Vinatis but didn’t think to look for a ‘foreign’ section. For sherry I’ve found a Spanish website that delivers to France. We don’t drink it often but every once in a while we get a craving for a sherry apero.
