Berries - UK Prices!

susyw_2003
susyw_2003 Posts: 70
in Food and Nutrition
WOW Berries are expensive for the amount you get aren't they? £3 for a container which would last me a couple of portions!

I've recently switched from higher carb and sugar fruits like bananas etc. to raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and the price is shocking.

Anybody have suggestions for the lowest priced berries - for example would a supermarket or local fruit shop be better do you reckon? Or any ideas on how to cut down on costs regarding these delicious fruits?

Thinks its a bit too late for me to start growing my own for this year.

Thanks guys!
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Replies

  • IAteBethDitto
    IAteBethDitto Posts: 98 Member
    I buy from my local market. Much, much cheaper. Fortunately there are fruit stalls every day.
  • susyw_2003
    susyw_2003 Posts: 70
    Thats lucky. I have a choice of a local town with stalls which would be shut once I finished work or going to the expensive supermarkets :(
  • IAteBethDitto
    IAteBethDitto Posts: 98 Member
    Have you checked out the price of the frozen ones? The bags seem quite large, so it may work out cheaper.
  • rhiannonjh
    rhiannonjh Posts: 11 Member
    Check out local markets. Also supermarkets do reasonable priced frozen fruits
  • SquishyVicki
    SquishyVicki Posts: 280 Member
    I go frozen and then just defrost them in the fridge. It's still not as cheap as some other kinds of fruits but it is FAR better than the cost of buying fresh!!
  • GuybrushThreepw00d
    GuybrushThreepw00d Posts: 784 Member
    market's if you're gonna eat them the same day. otherwise supermarkets or farmshops.
  • FarAway02
    FarAway02 Posts: 211
    I picked up 1kg of strawberries from tesco for £3 the other day....offfft

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  • juleszephyr
    juleszephyr Posts: 442 Member
    Frozen are a good option especially if you are mixing with yogurt.
    Find a local pick your own - that way you get exercise whilst you are picking and they are generally more reasonable.
    Local market at the end of the day - negociate.
    Mix with sugar free jelly to make them go further...
  • FitMrsR
    FitMrsR Posts: 226 Member
    I go frozen and then just defrost them in the fridge. It's still not as cheap as some other kinds of fruits but it is FAR better than the cost of buying fresh!!

    That's what I do too! Wish there was a fresh food market near me. I went to one in London a couple of weeks ago and I was shocked how low the prices were.
  • IAteBethDitto
    IAteBethDitto Posts: 98 Member
    I go frozen and then just defrost them in the fridge. It's still not as cheap as some other kinds of fruits but it is FAR better than the cost of buying fresh!!

    That's what I do too! Wish there was a fresh food market near me. I went to one in London a couple of weeks ago and I was shocked how low the prices were.

    Yup. I'm in east London and although accommodation costs more, food definitely costs a lot less than elsewhere in the south east.
  • tatey2009
    tatey2009 Posts: 47
    I get mine at local farm shops or on the markets. I tend to also buy a pineapple / melon to chop up and add the berries to them, makes the berries last much longer
  • vet272
    vet272 Posts: 183
    Buy them at the reduced section and freeze them
  • Izzwoz
    Izzwoz Posts: 348 Member
    Frozen are a good option especially if you are mixing with yogurt.
    Find a local pick your own - that way you get exercise whilst you are picking and they are generally more reasonable.
    Local market at the end of the day - negociate.
    Mix with sugar free jelly to make them go further...

    ^^ This, all the way!!
  • aliceclutz90
    aliceclutz90 Posts: 151 Member
    Frozen are MUCH better value! A big bag is like £2-£3 and take over a week to get through instead of like 2 days for the fresh ones! Fresh are nice every so often though
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    We go blackberry picking in parks, blackberries grow all over the place, look out for them and enjoy!
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    Am I strange? (lol - well, more so than usual) .. The only way I use frozen berries is when I put them in a smoothie or cook them up and put them over pancakes/waffles.
    I can't stand the texture of thawed berries!

    The price here (Nova Scotia) isn't TOO bad if you find a sale. I got a container of blueberries and a container of strawberries, they were on 2 for $5. And I'm glad, my child eats the blueberries as if they were going out of style!
  • Nerdphiliac
    Nerdphiliac Posts: 136 Member
    When not in season (3/4 of the year), berries are usually $8 - $10 in Australia... for a punnet!
    £2= $3 AUD...

    Stop it. >__>
  • ms_leanne
    ms_leanne Posts: 523 Member
    Just don't pick the ones near railway tracks as they can contain metallic deposits.
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
    Look out for "pick your own" farms - take your lightest containers! - also anywhere selling direct (farms, stalls by the roadside). Our rail station often has a lorry with strawberries off the farm, usually arrives to tempt weary commuters on their way home.

    Prices are extra high this year because of such a long cold spring - everything is about4 weeks behind (for example only just started getting UK asparagus in the shops, normally its in by May).

    Strawberries will start coming down next week once Wimbledon is over. They don't freeze well (unlike raspberries) so just enjoy them! Can't beat a British strawberry for flavour :smile:
  • susyw_2003
    susyw_2003 Posts: 70
    Ah you guys are the best, lots of great responses!
    I was considering the frozen bags, do they taste just as nice?

    It is odd because in ASDA this week i picked up a MASSIVE punnet for £3 but then next week, it'll go back down to the tiny ones!
  • firedupfriend
    firedupfriend Posts: 140 Member
    A kg of Strawberries in South Africa would cost between £8 to £10. As would gooseberries, blackberries and raspberries. The nearest picking farm is about 60km away and our fuel currently costs about £1 per litre.
  • nomoredoughnuts
    nomoredoughnuts Posts: 130 Member
    Am I the only person who find frozen berries extremely sour? I only use them in smoothies and porridge. And even in porridge I have to use honey or sweetened almond milk.

    Berries are so expensive in the UK but local berries are the best!
  • viragoeap
    viragoeap Posts: 107
    Good point about Wimbledon! I had wondered why the strawberries were much dearer this week. I'm looking forward to the blackberries coming!
  • CubicCutie
    CubicCutie Posts: 53
    Frozen are a good option especially if you are mixing with yogurt.
    Find a local pick your own - that way you get exercise whilst you are picking and they are generally more reasonable.
    Local market at the end of the day - negociate.
    Mix with sugar free jelly to make them go further...

    I buy 3 bags of frozen, a little over £2 each I think. I bung them all in a large pan and simmer, add stevia to sweeten (no extra cals) and tip it all into a plastic box for the fridge. I use it to put on breakfast muesli with oats & yoghurt and sometimes as a pud in the evening. A box lasts a good week or so.
  • roxylola
    roxylola Posts: 540 Member
    Frozen is cheaper and not bad.

    Fruit and veg shops usually stock things which are in season and so cost less whereas supermarkets sell all year round but the price reflects availability and cost of getting it to you.

    Also market stalls especially towards the end of the day when they are packing up.
  • lisamarie1780
    lisamarie1780 Posts: 432 Member
    WOW Berries are expensive for the amount you get aren't they? £3 for a container which would last me a couple of portions!

    I've recently switched from higher carb and sugar fruits like bananas etc. to raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and the price is shocking.

    Anybody have suggestions for the lowest priced berries - for example would a supermarket or local fruit shop be better do you reckon? Or any ideas on how to cut down on costs regarding these delicious fruits?

    Thinks its a bit too late for me to start growing my own for this year.

    Thanks guys!

    frozen ones are cheaper, come in bigger packs and they are just as nutritious. Also they are great for blending into smoothies as you can just throw them in as they are, no need to defrost :tongue:
  • sbrownallison
    sbrownallison Posts: 314 Member
    I prefer fresh fruit but find it is very expensive here in the US too. I go to farmers' markets but do not find them much cheaper at these events, even see them more expensive than my local supermarket. My tactic is to buy only when on a good sale/promotion/loss leader -- or to buy frozen, as others have said. Virtually no loss in nutrition but ever so much cheaper...
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
    I only use frozen in cooking/smoothie making - freezing changes the texture too much. I use the local markets/farmshops as much as possible, but mostly I look for supermarket deals and buy what's on offer. Melon's low calorie and refreshing and often cheap. I like strawberries and blueberries with balsamic vinegar for breakfast - this isn't a cheap habit, but it's relatively healthy!
  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
    Berries are overrated. Just eat other fruit instead and get dried berries! Go on Amazon and search for Suma fruit. They're a wholesale company and do great deals.
  • thebigcb
    thebigcb Posts: 2,210 Member
    WOW Berries are expensive for the amount you get aren't they? £3 for a container which would last me a couple of portions!

    I've recently switched from higher carb and sugar fruits like bananas etc. to raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and the price is shocking.

    Anybody have suggestions for the lowest priced berries - for example would a supermarket or local fruit shop be better do you reckon? Or any ideas on how to cut down on costs regarding these delicious fruits?

    Thinks its a bit too late for me to start growing my own for this year.

    Thanks guys!

    Im in Ireland, and the cheapest and best quality ones I can find anywhere is in Lidl, beats Tesco and the other majoy chains over here hands down

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