Moving to France... Things you WISH you'd put on the removal lorry

Reading matter. After a few years you will resort to reading the free papers and the cereal packets…

Noooo! How tragic!!

fret not… i’m doing a monster tesco shop online on monday… plus i still get “free” post at work… p.m. me your address and i’ll trhow one in the mail for you… You know they’re smaller now don’t you?!

I left the UK in 1989 and still can’t do without tea bags, Oxo, Marmite, Golden Syrup, sausages, Heinz beans, jelly for the kids, deodorant and chocolate! I’m hanging for a Creme Egg at the moment!

hahaha, Carrouf, you’re becoming a real local!!! I must admit Carrouf is the best supermarket chain around.

I’d say they’re chuffed all right! Swopping Oxo for Rose - what a deal… I’m onto the tea bags - thanks so much x T

Hi Teresa, i’ve been here 10yrs & still send SOS back to the UK for tea bags, oxo cubes(the french ones are so salty), jelly for the children & books!! When friends come over they fill there cars for me & go back with wine & cheese, so it works quite well :slight_smile: x

Thanks Sarah - I’m way beyond panic now… luckily we’ve moved country and house far too often in the last few years - and it always seems a miracle when i open the boxes and find my possessions inside and in one piece…

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What a brilliant idea! (And thanks STEVE YATES - you said that too - great minds!)

that made me laugh so much… We got stuck in toulouse with the volcano madness last year and ran out of underwear!! I bought 3 pairs of HUGE PANTS from Super U and a pair of proper gorgeous french knickers from a real actual lingerie shop… Combined they cost the same as our (cancelled) flight. I’m thinking a trolley dash round M&S is called for…

thanks Cecile - brilliant. great advise and info

brilliant - thanks. oddly - someone else said coriander?! I’m packing some packets of seeds… i’ll grow some little baby plants make presents of them.

I wouldn’t panic about it. Put anything you really like and get ready to adapt for the rest. You’ll have to do it at some point, so may as well start as you mean to go on. France isn’t Outer Mongolia and if you’ve missed anything, you can always pop back or order it online.

It also depends where you’re moving to. I’m in Montpellier and can get everything I need here, even Yorkshire teabags, Oxo cubes (which I don’t use, I use the organic ones from Carrouf) etc. The only thing I can’t get anywhere is sherry.

J-cloths! They don’t seem to exist here.
Agree with the birthday cards and stock cubes comments too!

cant help it … have to say PAINT , PAINT, PAINT !! … and silly as it sounds bring a couple of english multi socket electrical extensions ( just change the english three pin plug on the end for a french ‘prise’ … and then you wont have to change all those power tools, stereo players, skybox, etc all to french plugs !! not forgeting all those appliances, phones, shavers etc with power transformers built into UK plugs )

- squash perhaps. Syrop is very sweet.

Dont worry about it - embrace your new life and buy locally.... well, except for maybe oxo cubes - soups and stock cubes are so salty! Good luck but don't forget PAINT fill the van - if you don't use it other brits will buy it off you!!!!!! may pay for your removal lorry!

Good luck

But why would you want anything but Extra Virgin!

Ordinary Olive Oil can only get Extra Virgin Olive Oil here, mixed spice, tins of corned beef, Shredded Wheat if you eat them can get all the other cereals here, loads of teabags, exterior and interior PAINT…

rather than stuff, make sure you get firmly embedded the idea of - NOT BEING ABLE TO EAT OUT (restaurant/bar) except between 12.30-14.30 and 19.30-21.30... and - HAVING A SIESTA! (with the first bottle of rose all worries vanish anyway, siesta comes naturally)

(paint in Spain=same UK price)

take backed beans anyway, oh ...

good luck xx

you get that one cheap in Spain too, anyway.