Online food shopping may be convenient, but it does rule out the fascinating, time-filling habit of glancing at the contents of other people’s baskets and trolleys in the queue.
Rather than being purely nosey, this can be a valuable research tool, or at least that’s what I tell myself. An unusual item spotted in someone else’s basket, or a recommendation given by a trusted friend, can become a regular purchase with the power to make everyday cooking a bit more interesting and satisfying.
So, what are the products that The Irish Times Magazine’s food and drink team buy, week in, week out? Here are our seven baskets, each with five hero products, chosen from things that are readily available in supermarkets nationwide.
Of course, we love to support smaller independent retailers and markets, and buy direct from the makers and growers, too. But sometimes getting hold of the mundane necessities of daily life requires a trip to the supermarket.
These are some of the things we can’t do without, that spice up our supermarket food shopping life, and make cooking and eating at home more of a pleasure.
Marie-Claire Digby
Italian Cuisine fresh gnocchi
€1.29, Aldi
I’ve never cooked these as intended, in a pot of simmering water. Instead I pan-fry them in a mixture of olive oil and butter, with some chopped rosemary, and once they’re crusty and golden on both sides, scatter Maldon salt on them. Easier than roasting potatoes or making chips, and very, very tasty.
Graham's Condiments, steak mustard with tarragon
€3.59, SuperValu and others
This superb, tangy mustard made in Slane by Graham Kearns and his mother Geraldine is so versatile, but I particularly love it with steak, or roast chicken. It makes a wonderful salad dressing, too. There’s always a pot of this in my fridge, and the horseradish sauce from the range is also very good.
Farmers to Market Irish free-range whole chicken
€10.99, SuperValu
Brothers John and Charles Smith produce these flavoursome free-range birds in Virginia, Co Cavan. It's chicken like it used to taste, and roasts beautifully. The company has excellent sustainability credentials, and the packaging is a standout too.
Simply Better organic dried spices, seasoning mixes and herbs
€3.99, Dunnes Stores
Neven Maguire introduced me to the harissa spice mix in this range and it has been a game-changer for me. There are nine to chooses from, including single herbs and spices, and blends. The spicy pepper and herb seasoning is very versatile and useful to have for chicken and fish especially. Just remember to give it a shake before using it to mix up the blend.
San Francisco style in-store bakery sourdough
€3, M&S
Okay it’s not an artisan bake, but it is very nice bread. You can get it ready sliced and mine goes straight to the freezer and thence into the toaster as required, with no appreciable loss of quality.
Paul Flynn
Irish Specially Selected lamb shanks with mint jus
€8.49, Aldi
I adore lamb and I came across this fairly recently. Anything cooked on the bone is always better. The marinade is gentle and fresh, leaving the cook with very little to do. This is a lovely product.
Maldon sea salt
€3.39, SuperValu and others
At the risk of sounding a tad pretentious, I cannot do without this stuff, I always have it at home. I never cook with it but sprinkle it on later. I deliberately under-season a dish to allow me put some on at the table. It’s the texture that’s important for me and the fact that it’s not the saltiest of salts, if that makes sense. I’ve even been known to put it on toast and chocolate ice-cream, when my wife’s not looking. I know, I know!
Primadonna Spanish extra virgin olive oil
€2.99, Lidl
This is a lovely, light, general purpose olive oil that I use for cooking at home and in the Tannery Cookery school.
De Cecco Spaghetti
€2.39, SuperValu and others
The most ordinary of pastas, but without doubt my favourite. You can keep your fancy-shaped pastas, ravioli and tortellini, a cook can make magic every time with humble spaghetti. This is my favourite brand. It’s got great consistency and texture and it never lets me down, no matter what I do with it.
JD Gross chocolate bars
€1.46, Lidl
I have a sweet tooth, unfortunately. I always buy some of these bars as a weekend treat. They come in various flavours including salted caramel, orange and almond, sea salt, mint and white chocolate and vanilla. They are all good. I veer towards the 56 per cent or 60 per cent as I find the 70 per cent too dark for me. I sacrilegiously put them in the fridge, and have a nibble when the mood takes me. It invariably takes me more often than I would like.
Aoife Noonan
Sol hummus
€1.70, SuperValu and others
I would happily sit and eat spoon after spoon of this hummus. It is soft and creamy and super smooth, unlike a lot of other brands. It has a dominant chickpea flavour and a wonderful balance of tahini and cumin, without going overboard on the citrus. I eat this for snacking mostly, with crackers or crudites, but also love it piled onto flatbreads with roast shredded lamb and Greek salad.
Glenisk Organic Full Fat Greek Yoghurt
€2.99, Dunnes Stores and others
This yoghurt is thick and creamy as the whey has been strained from it. I avoid low-fat varieties as they are usually higher in sugar. Although there are vanilla and coconut, cherry and blueberry variations of this yoghurt, I always opt for the natural version as I can do more with it. I add it to curries, use it in breads or in sweet bakes to give moisture and tangy flavour.
Bunalun Organic Salted Corn & Quinoa Thins
€2.09, SuperValu and others
These are an upgrade from the soft rice cakes I used to think tasted like cardboard. These have a gorgeous flavour from the corn and quinoa and are super thin, so stay crunchy. I love them savoury or sweet for a quick fix; topped with dips and roast veggies, or spread with nut butter and berries.
Oatly oat milk barista edition
€2.69, SuperValu and others
I like being able to achieve barista-quality coffee at home. My latte art is questionable, but this oat milk makes the perfect foam for my flat whites. I don’t avoid dairy, I just happen to love the flavour of this. It’s gorgeous in iced coffees too. I also use it in porridge and granola, or any baking if I happen to run out of cow’s milk.
Simply Better San Marzano DOP tinned tomatoes
€1.50, Dunnes Stores
These tomatoes have a rich and intense tomato flavour with a mild acidity. The San Marzano variety are grown near Naples in the Valle del Sarno region of Italy and have the Italian Protected Designation of Origin (DOP) quality label, which is the only place this variety can be grown to earn this label. I use these tomatoes mostly for pizza sauce and bases for stews and soups.
Corinna Hardgrave
Le Phare du Cap Bon harissa
€1.69, Dunnes Stores and others
A Tunisian paste made from a blend of red chillies and spices that can be combined with mayonnaise or yoghurt for a dip. It’s great with kebabs, or mix it with yoghurt, grated onion, crushed garlic, chopped coriander stalks, lemon juice, ground cumin and coriander for a marinade for lamb and chicken. Perfect also for adding to leftover rice to spice it up to use in stuffed peppers.
Goatsbridge smoked trout pâté
€3.50, Dunnes Stores and others
If you want to spoil yourself with some nibbles before dinner, this light pâté is delicious on crackers with a crisp glass of white wine. It is also really good on bagels, so ring the changes, and instead of cream cheese, pile it onto a toasted bagel and top with some quartered cherry tomatoes, finely sliced red onions and sea salt.
Simply Better Organic Irish Apple Syrup
€8.79, Dunnes Stores
Made by Rodd and Julie Calder-Potts of Highbank Orchards, this is a chef’s favourite. Like an Irish maple syrup, except with the delicious taste of organic apples, it is incredibly versatile, and can be used to glaze meat dishes. But my favourite is to drizzle it on porridge, or, gently heated, on pancakes, with a spritz of lemon juice.
Epicure organic chickpeas
€1.19, Dunnes Stores
We cook a lot of Middle Eastern inspired dishes at home, which of course, includes hummus. If you want to get a super creamy hummus, you can remove the skins from the chickpeas. I once gave this a try, it’s not necessary. Generally, I find what’s most important is to check the balance of lemon juice and salt at the end.
Four Berry Medley
€2.79, Aldi
I love to ping a handful of this frozen fruit – raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and blackcurrants – with just the tiniest bit of sugar in the microwave, and have it with full fat natural yoghurt, or porridge. It’s also very good chucked in with some apples to make a crumble.
John Wilson
Union Hall smoked kippers
€1.99, Tesco and others
A recent and very welcome arrival in my local Tesco. Lightly smoked and salted, these are delicious, plump, juicy herring that poach in a minute. Serve them by themselves with some warm buttered toast.
Freshona pickled gerkins
€1.49, Lidl
I have a love of sweet pickles (not the French cornichons) and use these in sandwiches with cheese or pastrami. They are a vital ingredient in my tartar/remoulade sauce, and are perfect with pork dishes, pork meatballs in particular. They also come ready sliced, which saves time.
Lindt 78 per cent dark chocolate
€2.69, Tesco and others
The 85 per cent is a little too severe, 70 per cent a little too sweet. A square or two of Lindt 78 per cent chocolate every day is one of my favourite health foods. Frequently eaten with a Nairns stem ginger oat biscuit alongside my morning coffee.
Rockfield sheep's cheese
€10 for three, Tesco and others
I am a big fan of sheep’s cheese, Ossau-Iraty from south-west France in particular. I love that tangy, sweet richness. But we now have several excellent Irish sheep’s cheeses – Cashel, Cáis Na Tíre, Cratloe Hills, and Creeny to name a few. But Rockfield, from the people who make Velvet Cloud sheep’s yoghurt, is my current favourite.
Italian pork sausages
€4.60, Marks & Spencer
These are 85 per cent pure pork sausages flavoured with fennel seeds as well as other spices. They are ideal for using as an ingredient in various dishes. I love fennel. I find these great broken up in pasta dishes, with a plate of lentils, or in a simply crusty roll. You can also use them in meatballs. I try to keep a pack in the freezer as an emergency dinner option, or just for a treat.
JP McMahon
Shines Irish tuna in olive oil
€4 (tin), €6.99 (jar), Tesco and others
Shines tuna takes canning to a new level. I grew up eating tinned tuna and never thought very much it. But this tuna in olive oil is so moist and flavoursome that it always finds its way into my supermarket trolley. Check out their range of other tinned fish as well.
Smoked Knockanore cheese
€4, Sheridans at Dunnes Stores, and others
We’ve used this cheese for years in my restaurant Aniar to make our cheese custard. It’s great to see it more widely available. I like to use it instead of Parmesan over Bolognese or a white sauce for lasagne.
Atlantic Treasures smoked mackerel
€3.29, SuperValu and others
Oily fish is important for our healthy physical and mental development and I try to eat as much of it as I can during the week. Atlantic Treasures, based in Donegal, have a range of different flavours. All are great flaked into salad or served on nicely buttered brown soda bread.
Burren Smoked Salmon
€10.50, Dunnes Stores and others
Birgitta Curtin is a legend regarding the process of curing and smoking salmon. With so many imitators, I always reach for the top shelf with it comes to good-quality smoked Irish salmon. You won’t be disappointed.
Kelly's black and white puddings
€2.29, SuperValu and others
With so many black puddings on the market, it’s often difficult to see the woods from the trees. But Kelly’s of Newport is consistently great. It always has a place on my plate as part of a weekly full Irish.
Lilly Higgins
Bunalun wholegrain pasta
€2.25, SuperValu and others
I love the quality of this pasta. Even though it’s wholegrain it looks like regular pasta once cooked, so my kids happily eat it. It’s an Irish brand and organic too, competitively priced and widely available.
Green Saffron aged basmati
€3.49, SuperValu and others
If you’ve ever had issues cooking rice, then let me tell you the problem was with the rice and not you! This vintage aged basmati from Cork-based Green Saffron is such a superior rice, beautiful quality, it smells amazing and cooks perfectly every time. The ageing process makes it unique, it has a low starch content and a medium GI index, the same as most good brown rice. It has a delicious flavour and fluffy texture once cooked.
Flahavans organic jumbo oats
€2.75, SuperValu and others
These are my preferred oats for baking, and porridge too. I love the texture and the fact that they’re Irish and organic. Often I find porridge oats can be quite floury, but these hold their texture really well when used to make granola and flapjacks.
Old McDonnells Farm live natural yogurt
€1.55, SuperValu and others
Made in Co Wicklow for the past 30 years, this is my absolute favourite natural yogurt. Anytime I see it, I buy a few pots. It has a unique tang and a divine set texture. The live cultures set this yogurt in the pot so it isn’t stirred like most yogurts and doesn’t have the same heaviness or creaminess. I really do wish their full range was stocked everywhere.
Thai Gold organic coconut milk
€2.29, SuperValu
Thia Gold is an Irish brand based in Wexford that imports the finest Thai produce. I always write about how not all coconut milks are created equal and the wrong tin can result in a poor dish. Well this coconut milk is organic, responsibly sourced, in a BPA-free tin and is super creamy. It is 99.65 per cent coconut milk. By far the best coconut milk available.
