I guess I like food, I like food a lot. So because I like food I like preparing it as well as eating it, and because I like preparing it, I like buying it. There is nothing better than a market… but I also like shops which sell food, little ones, and also big ones.
Waitrose is a supermarket chain which is part of the John Lewis group and it is owned by its employees. It’s described as ‘upmarket’ which implies that it is rather snooty, posh and expensive. I have to say that I haven’t found it – i.e. its staff, snooty or posh and although y there are expensive items for sale the quality can make buying them economical; there is also a range of excellent ‘home-brand’ items available. The stores are always spotlessly clean and have a nice smell when you go in… it isn’t just a foody smell, they don’t pump out aromas of baking or coffee, it’s the sort of smell of going into a friend’s house where she or he might have been cooking something delicious for dinner last night, just a faint lingering, enticing scent of something, overlaid with a ‘clean’ fresh flowers smell… You probably think I’m weird now, smelling supermarkets? Definitely weird!
The staff are always friendly and polite but not in a “I want to be your best pal” or “let me sell you something you don’t want” sort of way; they are knowledgeable about the store and what is told, and if they are on a specialist counter, cheese, or fish for example, they know their products.. There is no blaring music, there are no tv screens advertising things, the aisles are wide enough and not blocked by piles of products about to be piled on the shelves. Talking of the products, there is always a wide variety of everything, and yes, as I mentioned earlier somethings are quite expensive… but lots of things are a competitive price with other supermarkets. If you want something rare or unusual, an exotic spice, a particular cheese for a recipe, a seasonal fruit (eg Seville oranges for marmalade) then Waitrose is the place to go.
It was started at the beginning of the twentieth century by a Mr Waite, a Mr Rose and a Mr Taylor who dropped away from the partnership. Waitrose was originally in the south of England but has spread more widely, and you might often find their shops at motorway services – welcome break ( a little pun there!)
I notice we’ve run out of our favourite cheese, Comté… maybe we need to make a little shopping trip…
Lois Elsden 
I have a secret obsession with Waitrose! Whenever I travel to England, the highlight of my trip is a stroll through its aisles.
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Even if you don’t buy anything it’s wonderful to stroll through the aisles, as you say!
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Amen to that. I too love Waitrose and shop there at any savvy opportunity. Discount codes are a must for me though. I grew up with Waitrose so it’s a nostalgic thing for me. A bit weird but there you go. Customer service is leaps and bounds above any other UK supermarket, and I shop at them all.
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I would love a Waitrose nearby and was very disappointed when the new supermarket opened in Greenfield to find it was yet another Tesco, ( we already have four within easy reach). I would have thought there were enough people in Saddleworth to support a Waitrose. I shop at the one in Cheadle when I take my mother there, she lives in Bramhall, and I can find things there not in other supermarkets – Comté being one, but I’ve also found a new one Disagnolo Affine which sound lke a mixture of French and Italian but is actually made in Bavaria. It tastes similar to Morbier.
As to the staff, they’re helpful without being intrusive and don’t ask inane questions – Sainsbury and Tesco please note. I am constantly being asked, “How are you today? What the f—‘s it got to do with them! They also use inane phrases such as No problem, cheers and see you later meaning nothing at all and refer to everyone as “You guys” -grrr!
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THe cheese is actually Montagnolo Affiné. I misread the label which had become smudged.
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It sounds interesting…. have you been licking labels again?!
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No, I’ve just got a drippy fridge.
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Teehee!
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