Berries - UK Prices!

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  • firedupfriend
    firedupfriend Posts: 140 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
  • SaraBrown12
    SaraBrown12 Posts: 277 Member
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    I HATE the taste and texture of both frozen and tinned fruit. keep checking out aldi, they have some fab promotions on fresh produce that change weekly. Also as other said, markets if you eat them same day. The current offer in asda is 2 x 400g punnets of scottish strawberrys for £3 i think thats pretty cheap and they are beautiful!!!
  • CubicCutie
    CubicCutie Posts: 53
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    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.

    Sadly, I live on an island and cannot source such things other than 2 supermarkets. No farmers markets, pick your own or organic meats here:sad:
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    Frozen from Asda are £2 for 500g. Easy and just as good :o))
  • susyw_2003
    susyw_2003 Posts: 70
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    I was thinking that maybe the frozen berries would be very sweet and I tend to take them to work for snacking in between meals.. can imagine them being quite sour almost! But a good idea for mixing in with smoothies or yogurt though.

    I guess its just a case of trying to find the best offers as ASDA do a reguar offer of two punnets for £3 which is good but still the actual amount you get can be tiny.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    farm shop or market if you can, otherwise i look out for the offers in the supermarket - one or the other usually has a bogof or 2 for £2 etc.

    co-op are usually good :)
  • susyw_2003
    susyw_2003 Posts: 70
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    I guess its just the downside of eating fresh foods. I went shopping on Monday and brought turkey, berries, soup, chicken, asparagus and nuts.. didnt get much change out of £30, you can see why people use the 'eating healthy is too expensive' excuse eh :'(
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    At the risk of stating the obvious (but I didn't see anyone else suggest it) try a green grocer. My local one is a lot better value for most things than the supermarkets. Still quite expensive, but nowhere near as bad.

    Also, not a help for this year, but definitely consider growing your own if you have the space, as it's well worth it (usually much tastier too!)
  • luan999
    luan999 Posts: 87 Member
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    i buy frozen summer fruits from tesco and lidl...cheaper than fresh!:smile:
  • bulbadoof
    bulbadoof Posts: 1,058 Member
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    I buy what's on sale, be it frozen or fresh.

    Berries are also super easy to grow, they're very low-maintenance compared to a lot of other things you could be growing.
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    As others have said make sure you buy when in season and check out your local market. Best bet is to get there after 4pm when there are bargains to be had. Not sure where you live but, for example, Leeds outdoor market currently has two punnets of strawberries for £1. If you go late on on a Tuesday they sell everything off as the outside area is an Asian fabric market on Wednesdays. One of my colleagues got a carrier bag of mushrooms the other week for £1. Ask around friends and family to find the best times to go to your local market.

    Also get to know the times when your local supermarket has the yellow sticker goods that have the use-by dates due to run out. My local stores have good prices between 6pm-8pm. Surprisingly, while Waitrose is incredibly expensive for full-price food, they have the biggest mark-downs (I got six baby gem lettuces for 19p yesterday and really posh mozzarella down from £4 to 29p.

    With berries I just stretch them out with cheaper fruit such as apples, oranges and melon to stretch them out, but of course that means more carbs.

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