Every Tuesday is Market Day in Moreton-in-Marsh. Over 200 vendors set up stalls up and down the high street, and shoppers can find everything from vegetables to cheese to bedroom slippers to cookware to linens and beyond.
Although we were curious about the market, Brett and I had a different reason for visiting Moreton-in-Marsh this past Tuesday: we were running out of food and wanted to restock our fridge and pantry for the week at the Aldi store there. I also wanted to visit the Cotswold Cheese Company and get a small piece or two of some British cheese(s). So, we caught the local bus in Blockey over to Moreton-in-Marsh with plans to walk to Aldi which is less than 10 minutes away from the bus stop on foot.
The first thing we noticed when we arrived was that the town was filled with lots and lots and lots of
Apparently, charter buses come from all over the countryside carrying retirees who want to shop at the Moreton-in-Marsh market, which is basically a giant flea market. We took one look at the market as we stepped off our bus, said “nope,” and turned the other direction and headed to Aldi.
Aldi shopping is still very new to us but it didn’t disappoint. We had felt just so-so about Aldi following our visit to the store in Strasbourg, but here I could have easily filled our trolley (cart) to the top with what we found. However, we restrained ourselves as we had brought only three shopping bags with us so that we didn’t overshop and get too much to fit into our tiny fridge. We shopped with a list but had loads of fun looking at everything else. The produce section was positively immense, and there was a huge selection of meats and other proteins as well as everything else you could think of (the store itself was massive). Our total spend came to £41.54, or $51.36, and if we can do that well every week with our food shopping we shouldn’t have any problem keeping our spending average at or below $35/day.
We got a LOT of food too for that $51 – those of you who are able to shop at Aldi are very, very fortunate. Below are all the items we purchased (minus a giant roll of paper towels):
On the way back to the bus stop we stopped at the Cheese Company where sampled some cheeses and bought a small wedge of local Double Barrel Poacher cheese (very tasty!), and two small fruit cakes. We ended up waiting about 35 minutes for our bus back to Blockley, surrounded the whole time by crowds of retirees waiting for their giant charter buses to pick them up and whisk them out of town. A woman did come up to me to tell me she loved my accent!
There is lots to see in Moreton-in-Marsh, and we are looking forward to returning for some more exploration, but we’ll skip Market Day next time.
The Occasional Nomads 
This post reminds me of your farmers market posts on Kauai! I can’t believe you’ve been gone a year.
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I know there were a few vegetable stalls in among all the other stuff, but we just didn’t want to have to fight with the crowds to find them. Aldi had wonderful, affordable produce – lots of organic stuff.
I miss the farmers’ market on Kaua’i – it was one of the best things about living there.
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We actually went to it the first year we were there and it is really good!
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That sign is priceless! I know that British people are big dog lovers, but it looks like they care for elderly as well. When in Europe, we usually buy a shopping cart that saves our backs.The packages there are much smaller than in US but food can be heavy and weight adds up quickly. We usually leave the cart behind for other travelers.You may be able to find some at Aldi.
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I laughed out loud when I saw that sign (the first time, there were more than one) – thankfully no one was around. Actually, I was impressed that they ask people to look out for the elderly. The shopping cart is a good idea too – we will look next time we’re at Aldi, but our three bags weren’t too heavy, and kept us from buying too much.
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Speaking of food. I got obsessed of British scones and hard cider in different flavors. Can’t find authentic scones here in the US.
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I hope to have my first scone today (over in Chipping Campden) and I imagine I’ll get hooked on those as well as the fruit cake. Besides the chutneys, I know I will be tucking a few of the fruit cakes into my bag when we leave. Haven’t tried the hard cider, but gin comes in a variety of flavors here and we plan to try a few of those!
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What a hoot. An elderly Happening. I will include you in the circle of friends/family who are gifted one of Ben and my fruitcakes at Xmas. No glace’ cherries in sight.
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I’ve never seen so many elderly in one place at one time – Brett and I felt like spring chickens! The fruit cakes here are amazing – the date nut cake I bought in Moreton-in-Marsh is my favorite so far. Very, very moist and buttery – a little goes a long way. I appreciate that they’re not full of the icky glaced fruit like you find in American fruit cakes – that was always the problem with them for me.
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Elderly People signage. What a stitch. I can see why you turned away and went to Aldi. I haven’t shopped there, but I do hear great things about it. You got a LOT of food for that money. Sticky Toffee Pudding. I seem to remember Prince William requesting it for his wedding, as it was a childhood favorite. I didn’t find many sweets I loved in the UK. But the Jammy Dodgers were pretty good. And I love Scottish shortbread.
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The Aldi here is amazing – an absolutely HUGE selection of stuff and all very reasonable. And, it’s easy for us to get to as well. We’re going to try the pudding this weekend – I’ve read about it for years and this is my big chance to try it. Hopefully it won’t be too sweet. The fruit cakes are good (for me, anyway) because they are not too sweet – just right. I adore Scottish shortbread (Brett doesn’t though) and plan to pick some up to bring home when we’re in Edinburgh. I want to put together some British gift baskets for the girls for Christmas this year, and the shortbread would be a nice addition.
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