Big spend, best deals ?

bullinn1

We generally shop in the usual places but we have to buy for a wedding type party and expect to spend £500+ on food and booze, any advice on the best place for best deal please ?

PLRFD

I would definitely have a look at Costco if you can you will at least get the cake type things sorted they are pretty unbeatable.

bullinn1

Sadly plrfd we live in the South East, our nearest is 40+ miles away ... thanks though for the suggestion

VfM4meplse

rogertb wrote: »

Sadly plrfd we live in the South East, our nearest is 40+ miles away ... thanks though for the suggestion

If not Costco, then Makro. Investigate all wholesale options because buying in bulk attracts the best value for money, and supermarkets can't hope to match this.

Have a good idea of what it is you want to serve, when it must be prepared by and storage conditions. I think your biggest challenge will be securing enough fridge and freezer space so unless you fancy investing in more white goods, ask family and friends if they wouldn't mind sheltering some of your loot, and start emptying out their freezers well in advance.

There is plenty of advice on the finer points of mass-catering on the OS board btw - consider moving the thread there.

pumpkin89

VfM4meplse wrote: »

If not Costco, then Makro. Investigate all wholesale options because buying in bulk attracts the best value for money, and supermarkets can't hope to match this.

I would also recommend Costco in terms of quality, but Tesco is frequently cheaper per unit so you do have to check.

To OP's question, it depends really on whether your primary concern is spending as little as possible or getting the best produce.

bullinn1

Thanks again chaps. My son, the groom, has seen lots of stuff he likes in his local 'Morrisons' ?

dlusman

No idea as to quality or value - but if you are looking at Morrisons , have you seen


https://my.morrisons.com/foodtoorder/

pumpkin89

If you don't have a Morrisons store nearby (they are few and far between in the South East), their online operation is very good - it's fulfilled by Ocado but with Morrisons pricing.

nuatha

VfM4meplse wrote: »

If not Costco, then Makro. Investigate all wholesale options because buying in bulk attracts the best value for money, and supermarkets can't hope to match this.

Sadly, the supermarkets are the real bulk buyers and their prices often reflect this. Bookers and Makro can be worthwhile if you can handle 5Kg blocks of cheese and sacks of onions and carrots or want specifically sized potatoes. (Sacks of potatoes are cheaper on markets and from arm shops around here.
Though I thoroughly agree about white goods.

If you qualify for membership, Costco is worth a 100 mile round trip a few times per year (assuming you have storage space). And often works out cheaper than the big wholesalers. Unfortunately you need a wholesaler membership just to access their websites for prices and Costco only lists offers on their website

Look around for catering wholesalers, particularly butchers, they often work out to beat supermarket prices and quality and will trade with the public.

robin58

pumpkin89 wrote: »

If you don't have a Morrisons store nearby (they are few and far between in the South East), their online operation is very good - it's fulfilled by Ocado but with Morrisons pricing.

I think there is more in the South East than you think.

Since they brought out Safeway and converted them to Morrisons there Southern store penetration is a lot better.

In fact where I live they out number Adsa.

VfM4meplse

robin58 wrote: »

I think there is more in the South East than you think.

Since they brought out Safeway and converted them to Morrisons there Southern store penetration is a lot better.

In fact where I live they out number Adsa.

The local Asda is notorious. It's walking distance but I prefer not to be mugged