Have your Grocery Shopping/Cooking/Take Away habits changed due to the Pandemic ?

SusanC10

Following on from a conversation yesterday with a friend -

Have your Grocery Shopping or Cooking or Take Away habits changed since pre-Pandemic?
If so, how ?

I used to shop for groceries twice a week pre-Pandemic plus top up as required. Now, we get 1 delivery from Tesco every week. Plus the Butchers.

We cook a lot more. Both Husband and I are decent cooks but we used to eat out a lot more pre-Pandemic - separately, together and as a family.

We didn't get Take Aways that often pre-Pandemic. Maybe every 2 months or so. We haven't had any at all since February 2020. Our favourite place shut permanently last year. And I am slow to try someplace new.

odyssey06

Very similar, switched to one big click and collect shop & maybe topup midweek on fresh meat from butchers.

But a few more takeaways in place of eating out. On a friday evening if have been out and about after work.

We used to have a lunches out at weekends, so that's gone.

Alun

SusanC10 wrote: »

We didn't get Take Aways that often pre-Pandemic. Maybe every 2 months or so. We haven't had any at all since February 2020. Our favourite place shut permanently last year. And I am slow to try someplace new.

We didn't use to have many takeaways either, but seeing as we want the various restaurants we use to still be there when this all ends we've made it a thing to have a takeaway regularly once a week.

SusanC10

Alun wrote: »

We didn't use to have many takeaways either, but seeing as we want the various restaurants we use to still be there when this all ends we've made it a thing to have a takeaway regularly once a week.

Good point. I am slow to try new places. But maybe we should.

Out of our favourites of the Restaurants local to us, 1 has gone out of business (did not open at all since March 2020), 1 has not opened for Take Away at all and 1 is taking the opportunity to renovate.
We haven't to Dublin where our other favourites are.

Dizzyblonde

We go to Aldi once a week and Tesco or Dunnes roughly once a fortnight. Our cooking habits haven't changed, but we're probably saving a fortune because of not having family in for dinners etc

phormium

I seldom have takeaways, once in a blue moon sort of thing so nothing changed there. I now only shop about every 3/4 weeks, might have a small shop inbetween the big ones. Much more organised about meals and stocking up on essentials rather than random stuff, I have two freezers though so that's handy. I never go to Tesco anymore and haven't been in our 'big' Dunnes in over a year, I use the smaller Dunnes usually and occasionally Aldi/Lidl for some stuff. Buy some meat online now too when I get a deal and portion it and freeze.

cee_jay

We used to do a small shop every couple of days on the way home from work. Now it's one big shop with SuperValu online delivery. I think I definitely waste less food now too, as I meal plan a lot more often, and my shops are more organized.
I work in the city centre, so when in the office, I used to eat out a lot with friends after work, and sometimes lunches, so all that is now gone. We have done quite a few dine at home offerings for those that deliver to Dublin 24. Takeaway we do maybe once every two weeks or so, and these are planned into the meal plan also. Before, if it was a particularly late, long day at work we would be more inclined to order a takeaway on the way home. Now as we work from home, and shopping is always on, we cook regardless of how long a day it was.

tangy

phormium wrote: »

I seldom have takeaways, once in a blue moon sort of thing so nothing changed there. I now only shop about every 3/4 weeks, might have a small shop inbetween the big ones. Much more organised about meals and stocking up on essentials rather than random stuff, I have two freezers though so that's handy. I never go to Tesco anymore and haven't been in our 'big' Dunnes in over a year, I use the smaller Dunnes usually and occasionally Aldi/Lidl for some stuff. Buy some meat online now too when I get a deal and portion it and freeze.

Milk has been the big driver for us to go to a shop, or order a delivery. How do you manage? Freeze milk?

Tree

I have a milk man and it is THE BEST! I get eggs and milk and add cream to the order from time to time.

We're shopping a LOT less. A big shop once every two to three weeks, and little shops along with an offie run once a week. Probably getting as much takeaway as before.

God I miss restaurants though. Takeaway naan bread just never hits the spot.

phormium

tangy wrote: »

Milk has been the big driver for us to go to a shop, or order a delivery. How do you manage? Freeze milk?

Yes I freeze milk, when my father was alive and no longer able to do his own shopping we bought an under counter freezer and put it under the stairs and loaded it with milk/bread, saved an enormous amount of shopping trips, we had the main freezer then for the other stuff. Since then I have always frozen milk for myself too, cuts out a lot of shop trips!

Fresh salad stuff is about the only thing that sends me for small trips.

the beer revolu

Am I the only one who's habits haven't really changed much.
We still shop more or less to order.
We were never much for takeaway and still aren't.
I probably have a little more time on my hands so I am cooking a bit more (as opposed to throwing dinner together).

The only real change is that we used to regularly eat in a local café and that had stopped. We occasionally get takeaway from there but it's just not the same.

I miss cooking for others, too.

odyssey06

tangy wrote: »

Milk has been the big driver for us to go to a shop, or order a delivery. How do you manage? Freeze milk?

LIDL's UHT milk is ok in coffees if you don't have much freezer space.
Only have to refigerate it once opened.

tangy

Ha! I remember sterilised milk in bottles with a crown cap. I wonder if UHT is the same thing. We've made yoghurt a few times during the lockdown and used UHT for that to cut out the heating and then waiting for it to cool. Never tried it in coffee.

Alun

UHT milk is vile IMO, and the old sterilized milk, which I remember too from my childhood, is even worse. I lived in Germany back in the 80's and I remember it was difficult to get anything other than UHT milk in the supermarkets for some reason. That taste still lingers ...

Kerry25x

Not really.

We used to go out for dinner a couple times a week, now we get takeaways a couple times a week instead, still from the same restaurants we used to go to.

odyssey06

Alun wrote: »

UHT milk is vile IMO, and the old sterilized milk, which I remember too from my childhood, is even worse. I lived in Germany back in the 80's and I remember it was difficult to get anything other than UHT milk in the supermarkets for some reason. That taste still lingers ...

On cereals yes it's not great or if you were just drinking a glass of milk.
But in a latte it's grand, I wouldn't detect a difference.

Pre covid I always kept an emergency ration carton in case I'd be heading out from work at last minute and shops shut by the time I'd be going home... could still have a coffee the next morning.

Alun

odyssey06 wrote: »

On cereals yes it's not great or if you were just drinking a glass of milk.
But in a latte it's grand, I wouldn't detect a difference.

I suppose when you're heating and/or frothing the milk for a latte or cappuccino you're effectively doing the same as sterilizing it so maybe that's why.

By the way the difference between UHT and sterilization seems to be mainly the temperature used and the time. UHT milk is treated for a very short time at a higher temperature in a continuous flow, while sterilization is performed at higher temperatures for much longer and done in the container in which it's sold.

Tree

the beer revolu wrote: »

I miss cooking for others, too.

God I miss cooking for others. My partner is cute n all but doesn't care for new foods and isn't into sweet things. There's only so much I can put in the freezer for myself

Patsy167

Overall supermarket spend has increased significantly but I imagine that is true for most people. Spending on restaurants has been replaced with premium supermarket products and steaks!

eeepaulo

I really miss walking along a street in cork and see a restaurant type or a meal and think that sounds nice I'll make that, or a colleague in the break room heating up left overs.

This forum has basically replaced all external stimulus.

L1011

Probably shop marginally less.

Where I shop changed hugely, Tesco and Dunnes have had queues to get in nearly all the time so I've used the rather poor SuperValu we have locally as a substitute for specific branded items that Lidl don't do.

Some local restaurants are doing fewer days a week for takeout which has changed that habit a little. And with no sit down cafes for weekend breakfasts they're now cooked at home

the beer revolu

Tree wrote: »

God I miss cooking for others. My partner is cute n all but doesn't care for new foods and isn't into sweet things. There's only so much I can put in the freezer for myself

Thankfully, I don't have that problem. Mrs Beer and I have a great shared love for food!

sporina

great thread...

not changed much.. but eating more at home obviously..

buying nicer ingredients.. we always cooked.. but a bit better now..

experimenting a bit more in the kitchen..

having more brunches.. indulging in the best fresh local produce..

buying more quality confectionary.. artisan chocs and bakery goods/breads..

shopping less in the supermarket and more n the market (fortunate to have The English Market in Cork down the rd)

woodchuck

the beer revolu wrote: »

Am I the only one who's habits haven't really changed much.
We still shop more or less to order.
We were never much for takeaway and still aren't.
I probably have a little more time on my hands so I am cooking a bit more (as opposed to throwing dinner together).

Same here. We did one big weekly shop before the pandemic and that's what we continue to do now. I'm putting in a bit more effort with dinner though and making more meals from scratch. I've tried a good few new recipes.

We stopped getting weekly takeaways a few months before the pandemic, as they were getting very expensive and just not worth the cost. We rarely get takeaways now.

The main difference really is that we used to eat out maybe once a week on average and we're obviously not doing that anymore. And we're spending a lot more on our weekly grocery shop - sure Fcuk it, what else would we be spending our money on atm. If I want to buy a punnet of blueberries and/or strawberries for my porridge, I will!

SusanC10

We are spending more on Groceries definitely. My Husband travelled a lot for work pre-Pandemic so wasn't at home a lot of the time.

I really miss having friends over for food at weekends. And going to theirs too.

I am looking forward to eating out again as soon as we can.

Muahahaha

Nothing really changed for myself, still shop twice a week in Aldi as normal. Im in Lidl less as there isnt one local to me so only been in one the odd time when Ive been in Dublin city centre.

I live outside the delivery range of takeaways too so I only get one every few weeks if Im passing by one in the evening. Thats no bad thing as I used to be getting two of them a week living in Dublin, there was so much choice youd always be tempted by something if dinner wasnt already planned

FrankN1

Yes, more healthy for sure

Shenshen

the beer revolu wrote: »

Am I the only one who's habits haven't really changed much.
We still shop more or less to order.
We were never much for takeaway and still aren't.
I probably have a little more time on my hands so I am cooking a bit more (as opposed to throwing dinner together).

The only real change is that we used to regularly eat in a local café and that had stopped. We occasionally get takeaway from there but it's just not the same.

I miss cooking for others, too.

Don't worry, you're not!
The only time I used Tesco delivery was when we were isolating last year for 2 weeks. I'll be honest, it didn't impress me. I would buy a lot of fresh fruit and veg, and not being able to see that or pick it out yourself meant getting lower quality (bananas not ripe at all or overripe, same for avocados. Grapes that were going mouldy at the bottom, cucumbers that had been stored too cold and gone mushy, tiny heads of lettuce, bruised apples, I could go on).
We've always gone for 2-3 shops a week, and we still do that now. We tried moving to a single big shop for a short while, with little shops to top up, but I found I was wasting an awful lot of food this way.
The main difference would be that in normal times, I'd go to the shops on the way home from work. Working from home, I now usually go during my lunch break.

I've always cooked most days, that hasn't changed. But now I find I can cook things I'd usually do on a weekend during the week. I can put on a pot of ragu before I start work or during lunch, and it will just simmer along happily with me just occasionally checking in on it. Same for things like bean stews, pizza doughs etc.

We've never been big on take aways - there's a very limited selection here in Cobh. But we still do get the occasional pizza and chips, on a Friday night after a long week. I'd say maybe once a month?

awec

We get takeaway every Friday night.

To be honest the fact that practically all restaurants here have been doing takeaway is great, we've a much more diverse selection to choose from. We love to eat out but once things open again it's not possible to eat out every week when we have young kids and I guess the restaurant takeaways will stop.

Only change for us is midweek lunches. I have actually found this difficult as I'm not one for cooking during the working day, lunch needs to be super quick to make. It has been hard to maintain variety.

cee_jay

I have the same issue with lunch. They are so uninspiring at the best of times.

HildaOgdenx

Shopping habits haven't changed much, although I walk more to local shops, instead of driving a little further afield. There's a good selection of shops within walking distance.
No real reason, just getting in some exercise while shopping really.

I miss eating out. Had some nice lunches out in the brief periods that it was possible to do so. Would usually be meeting friends for meals out in the evening time, fairly regularly, in normal times.

Still get the odd takeaway, so no change there either.