To say that French supermarkets played a pivotal role in my upbringing would not be an overstatement; my entire life, they have been a constant companion, a thrilling adventure and for a period of young adulthood, a true source of comfort in tricky times. They are, quite simply, my haven and I have never met a French supermarket I don't like. That said, it's important to caveat that I've met many a ‘Tesco Metro’ sized French supermarket that has been less than satisfactory – when it comes to French supermarkets, it's hypermarché or bust.
My childhood holidays revolved exclusively around the car and I knew the ceremony of getting up at 4am, piling into the car and motoring down to the Eurotunnel better than most. Every holiday meant a trip through France, whether it was the end destination or we were driving through it en route to Tuscany, Croatia, Austria or beyond. The end of a holiday for most people signals despair, but for me it always held the greatest prize: the pre-Eurotunnel supermarket sweep at whichever Auchan (my mother's choice), Carrefour or E.Leclerc (her second favourite) was deemed best that day. As young children my sister and I would fly off to the toy and stationery sections and come back clutching Dynamo label makers and square-lined notebooks (both still great buys). But as teenagers, our thoughts revolved more around food (and of course, the cosmetics section) and in my adult years, it is the wine and food that I pore over, while my husband makes a beeline for the wine glasses to replace all the ones I've smashed since our last trip.
Beyond summer holidays and the incredibly British ‘booze cruise’ of my youth, it was in my twenties that the hypermarché and its wares took on a new significance in my life. As a student of French and Russian at university, I had to undertake part of my year abroad in France. I chose Paris, landed a killer job at Vogue Paris and was happy as can be, thinking this was the start of my life becoming the editor of said magazine, marrying a French man and living a chic Parisian life. Long story short, it was lonely, dark, miserable and I hated living there. The one thing that gave me true solace in my loneliest moments there was my weekly visit to the Carrefour hypermarché – I lived in the 16th arrondissement (très chic, very family-oriented and incredibly wealthy) and as such, was close to the Carrefour hypermarché next to Roland-Garros stadium.
I remember so vividly walking in for the first time; it was about 3pm on a dark December day and I walked into the glowing strip lights illuminating row upon row of household items. I stumbled through with my basket (rookie error – I ended up having to take a bus home as I bought so much) and came out into what felt like a clearing in the forest: the fresh produce section. Mist filled the air as it was projected onto a glittering array of fruit and vegetables and I think I almost cried with joy. It may sound incredibly sad and maybe I am incredibly sad but it was one of the happiest moments I had in Paris. Weekly visits ensued and were a consistent highlight of my time in the city – truly I think that and my brilliant boss there were the only things I was sad to say goodbye to when I left.
The joy of a French supermarket while on holiday is so well known that comedians do sketches on them and the trope of the British woman dragging her family around them. There has never been any heel dragging on my end, only skips of glee or mad dashes to hit the right sections for the precise items I would like to bring back. With more time, I will of course browse in a leisurely fashion and spend hours filling a trolley, but if time is of the essence then below is my non-negotiable shopping list. Bonnes vacances!
What to buy
- Maille Cornichons Extra Fins L'Original
- Pommery Moutarde De Meaux
- Gros sel
- Fleur de sel
- Piment d'Espelette
- Herbes de Provence
- Puy lentils
- BN chocolate biscuits
- LU Chocolat Biscuits Le Petit Ecolier
- LU Barquette 3 Chatons
- Haribo Dragibus
- Vico Curly Cacahuète L'Original
- Chips a l'ancienne nature
- Any and all of the cheese
- A whole saucisson
- A head of frisée
- Radishes
- Beurre demi-sel
- La Fermiére yoghurts
- Mixa suncream
- Le Petit Marseillais soap refills
- Little glass bottles of Perrier
- Espadrilles
