Days 24-43

Truth be told, I lost count awhile ago. I apologise for my extended absence, work, life etc.

To make up for the Tesco visits documented previously, I went to the Unicorn grocery co-op in Chorlton, south Manchester on Sunday March 9. Chorlton seems like a nice little town, it has a good vibe, a variety of interesting independent shops and restaurants, and the Unicorn is closest thing Whole Foods I've seen in the UK that isn't an actual massive corporation.

It's bigger than the Windmill co-op and has quite a variety of items. It is vegan, so that's why I couldn't find any cow's milk, plenty of soy and rice options though. Unfortunately the veg choice wasn't huge, I know it's the end of season in the UK, so some items will be missing, but the carrots and parsnips were about as thick as my finger :/ . The butternut squash and swede I got were fine though. They're big on yeast/wheat/gluten-free type breads. I went for an organic herb loaf, which did seem to have yeast and wheat in it, hurrah, and it was quite herby. It lasted pretty well most of the week though.

Other than that, I've mostly been going to the Bread Shop in Aigburth for everyday items like cranberry juice and sandwich rolls. Husband's patience is starting to fray a bit, he's very much ready to go back to Tesco. I think he's concerned we've spent a lot more than usual on food over the past month. I haven't been keeping close tabs on this, I would say yes, it's probably more than what we would spend at Tesco, but I wouldn't say it's dramatically more. I might see if we can compromise a bit, sticking with the greengrocer and butcher as often as possible and maybe doing Ocado/Waitrose orders once a month so we're not going to Tesco as often. I wish there was a Waitrose closer by, I'd just do my shopping there, but the nearest one's in Formby, which is a bit of a trek.

Still, I think we've done quite well overall, I'll come back with further thoughts over the weekend.