A MIDDLE-CLASS woman has attempted to relive visiting a French supermarket by shopping at her local rustic, peasant-filled Aldi in Worcester.
During a fortnight staying in a converted cowshed outside St Malo, PR executive Donna Sheridan visited a nearby Carrefour supermarket to buy continental goods such as big jars of tiny peas and carrots, paprika snacks and incredible value red wine.
On returning home, a leaflet of Aldi special offers caught her eye, promising exotic continental items like mayonnaise in a French-style jar that goes wide in the middle and then narrow again at the bottom so you can never get the last bit out with a knife.
Sheridan said: “Sadly Aldi was not all I had hoped for. The rice pudding did have foreign writing on, but it was in a standard tin, and it’s only continental if you buy it in individual ramekins to eat cold with cinnamon on top.
“The shoppers were clearly simple, salt-of-the earth folk, the local peasantry if you will, but they spoiled the effect by wearing tracksuits. I’d put them in farm overalls to make them more authentic.
“Also the shoppers were grumpy, but not in a charming French way. The last straw was the lack of a machine that makes you buy fresh juice you don’t particularly want just so you can watch it cut and squeeze the oranges right in front of you.
“Still, the trip wasn’t a total washout. I filled the car with cheap booze to replace the measly 18 litres of wine you can bring back from France now. At just £1.99 for a massive carton I’m sure it will be every bit as tasty as the French stuff.”
