Which foods do you have trouble finding nowadays? (No call for it?? We still eat it!!)

pumpkin89

Rosa_Damascena said:

Chloe_G said:

Flan cases.  Used to often buy empty sponge flan cases and make a flan with fruit and jelly.

I thought you could still buy these?

You can - some examples below

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/294224274
https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/the-flan-co-large-sponge-flan-case/431014-801090-801091

molerat

pumpkin89 said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Chloe_G said:

Flan cases.  Used to often buy empty sponge flan cases and make a flan with fruit and jelly.

I thought you could still buy these?

You can - some examples below

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/294224274
https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/the-flan-co-large-sponge-flan-case/431014-801090-801091

Not available in my large Tesco Extra or the huge Extra store 40 miles away.

pumpkin89

You could also try Morrisons
https://groceries.morrisons.com/products/the-flan-company-large-sponge-flan-case-610784011

They're less widely available than they used to be because fewer people make/eat flans these days, but if national supermarkets are still stocking them I'm not sure they count as "hard to find".

Chloe_G

Hi, thanks - they are not available in my Sainsburys or on my Tesco online order (I'm going to ask why!)  We don't have any other supermarkets for miles.

sarah1972

Chloe_G said:

Hi, thanks - they are not available in my Sainsburys or on my Tesco online order (I'm going to ask why!)  We don't have any other supermarkets for miles.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flan-Co-Large-Sponge-Case/dp/B0C5N8YPRF/ref=sr_1_5_f3_0o_morri?crid=344EP00HFDL63&keywords=Sponge+flan+case&qid=1699427487&sprefix=sponge+flan+case%2Caps%2C57&sr=8-5

or https://www.holleysfinefoods.com/wholesale/tfc346-the-flan-co-large-sponge-flan-case-200g/

or make your own https://cookpad.com/uk/recipes/14891286-sponge-flan-case

Teapot55

(Hi. OP here. Glad this post is useful to people). 

You would think that food available from a supermarket that has branches all over the country would make an item available to everyone but it’s often not the case. Even if you shop online with them they only have what’s available in your local store. So it’s not the same as ordering furniture or clothes or kitchen appliances. 

One good thing is: if you’re planning a trip somewhere or have friends about to visit, you can check the stock on the app or website of the store in the other place to see if they have the item you’re after there. I’ve done it using the Tesco app, anyway. 

Or come on here 😉

Brie

Teapot55 said:

(Hi. OP here. Glad this post is useful to people). 

You would think that food available from a supermarket that has branches all over the country would make an item available to everyone but it’s often not the case. Even if you shop online with them they only have what’s available in your local store. So it’s not the same as ordering furniture or clothes or kitchen appliances. 

One good thing is: if you’re planning a trip somewhere or have friends about to visit, you can check the stock on the app or website of the store in the other place to see if they have the item you’re after there. I’ve done it using the Tesco app, anyway. 

Or come on here 😉

The problem is that supermarkets have stores of varying size and specialities so stocks will be different.  I have a  medium sized Tesco near me that has a very small meat and fish department, much smaller than another medium size Tesco across town.  Fruit and veg sections are similar in size as are most of the other departments.  But neither of these have nearly as much as the Metro sized place in another part of town.  So while the Metro will have several different types of Coke Zero my local one only has the large bottles, no tins, and certainly no good value large packs of tins.  Likewise there are 3 huge Asdas  - only one has Halal items, 2 have Polish food and the third has both a meat and fish counter which the other 2 lack.  Someone obviously is looking at the different populations in the local area and stocking the shelves accordingly.

What rankles though is that I've found that posh areas have good quality and less expensive items while poorer neighbourhoods have less choice, poorer quality and smaller packages which are therefore more expensive.  

These are things that happen elsewhere too - I've seen the same thing around Europe and in North America.

thriftytracey

Tried to buy a Caramac in local (very large) Tesco today but alas there were none.

Eldi_Dos

Not a food item but I cannot find own brand indigestion tablets in any of the supermarkets or high street chemists, only the expensive brand name seems to be available.

Eldi_Dos

Rosa_Damascena said:

Chloe_G said:

Flan cases.  Used to often buy empty sponge flan cases and make a flan with fruit and jelly.

I thought you could still buy these?

Morrisons do a six pack of small ones which keep for a while and are quite more-ish