Food prices in Scotland
Jun 13th, 2006, 08:32 PM
#1
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Food prices in Scotland
I am having trouble locating prices for food in Scotland. We will be traveling there in August. Can someone who is living there or has recently traveled there give me an idea of the prices we can expect to pay for these sample items? Thanks so much. The items are:
A meal of bread, cheese, and fruit purchased from a shop or store and eaten on our own "picnic" style
A fast-food meal like a hamburger, chicken or fish
A meal at a lower-priced cafe of maybe a sandwich and a small salad
An evening meal at a pizza place
An evening meal at a low-priced restuarant and what would be an example of what we could get
An evening meal at a nicer place ordering either fish, chicken, or steak
Thanks so much for your help!
A meal of bread, cheese, and fruit purchased from a shop or store and eaten on our own "picnic" style
A fast-food meal like a hamburger, chicken or fish
A meal at a lower-priced cafe of maybe a sandwich and a small salad
An evening meal at a pizza place
An evening meal at a low-priced restuarant and what would be an example of what we could get
An evening meal at a nicer place ordering either fish, chicken, or steak
Thanks so much for your help!
Jun 13th, 2006, 08:43 PM
#3
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Here's a website for a grocery chain in the UK (I believe they have some stores in Scotland):
http://www.somerfield.co.uk/index.asp
It looks like they offer online shopping, so that might give you an approximate price for some items.
Another suggestion is to go to Yahoo.co.uk and search for Scotland grocery stores.
Cheers
Kaneohe
http://www.somerfield.co.uk/index.asp
It looks like they offer online shopping, so that might give you an approximate price for some items.
Another suggestion is to go to Yahoo.co.uk and search for Scotland grocery stores.
Cheers
Kaneohe
Jun 13th, 2006, 10:21 PM
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A meal of bread, cheese, and fruit purchased from a shop or store and eaten on our own "picnic" style. £2-£5 per head depending on what you buy.
A fast-food meal like a hamburger, chicken or fish. Around £5.
A meal at a lower-priced cafe of maybe a sandwich and a small salad. £4-£6
An evening meal at a pizza place. £8-£10 per head including a coke.
An evening meal at a low-priced restuarant and what would be an example of what we could get. Go to one of the chain-pub-family restaurant places. You often get a free salad then something like chicken or steak, plus a coke for around £10.
An evening meal at a nicer place ordering either fish, chicken, or steak. £15+ per head plus drinks.
A fast-food meal like a hamburger, chicken or fish. Around £5.
A meal at a lower-priced cafe of maybe a sandwich and a small salad. £4-£6
An evening meal at a pizza place. £8-£10 per head including a coke.
An evening meal at a low-priced restuarant and what would be an example of what we could get. Go to one of the chain-pub-family restaurant places. You often get a free salad then something like chicken or steak, plus a coke for around £10.
An evening meal at a nicer place ordering either fish, chicken, or steak. £15+ per head plus drinks.
Jun 13th, 2006, 10:26 PM
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<< A fast-food meal like a hamburger, chicken or fish. Around £5. >>
Basic burger is about £1 - for £5 you'll get burger, "fries", a soft drink & change
Basic burger is about £1 - for £5 you'll get burger, "fries", a soft drink & change
Jun 13th, 2006, 10:39 PM
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Yes I was thinking about a typical MacDonalds/burger king/KFC meal deal. They usually have one on special offer which will be cheaper. Otherwise, it is around £5 per meal, depending on which one you pick.
Jun 16th, 2006, 05:05 AM
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QUOTE: As a rough guide, double the price you would pay in the States and you will be quite close to the British price.
I assume that you're factoring in the exchange rate with this statement.
It seemed to me that the price in pounds was similar to the price in dollars - thus a £4 - £6 sandwich in Scotland would be the equivalent of a $4 - $6 sandwich in the US. (But, factor in the £ to $ exchange rate, and it does come out closer to double that in actual dollars paid.)
I assume that you're factoring in the exchange rate with this statement.
It seemed to me that the price in pounds was similar to the price in dollars - thus a £4 - £6 sandwich in Scotland would be the equivalent of a $4 - $6 sandwich in the US. (But, factor in the £ to $ exchange rate, and it does come out closer to double that in actual dollars paid.)
Jun 16th, 2006, 05:50 AM
#10
"<i>double the price you would pay in the States and you will be quite close to the British price.</i>"
I suppose if people keep repeating this it will become the conventional wisdom (like the food is crap in the UK and it is always foggy). The problem - simply not true in my experience.
Some things are more expensive (in real terms) and some things are a bit less expensive. I find on average prices are about 25%-35% more for comparable things. But you also have to factor in tax. In most parts of the States a $5 sandwich is actually about $5.40 because sales tax is added on afterwards. A £3 sandwich in the UK is £3 since the VAT is built in the price.
I suppose if people keep repeating this it will become the conventional wisdom (like the food is crap in the UK and it is always foggy). The problem - simply not true in my experience.
Some things are more expensive (in real terms) and some things are a bit less expensive. I find on average prices are about 25%-35% more for comparable things. But you also have to factor in tax. In most parts of the States a $5 sandwich is actually about $5.40 because sales tax is added on afterwards. A £3 sandwich in the UK is £3 since the VAT is built in the price.
Jun 16th, 2006, 06:05 AM
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We just returned from Scotland and Ireland. We purchased many food items at "Spar" (7-Eleven type store)stores or local grocery stores but prices are almost double to that of ours. Subway was a great "less-fatty" restaurant to grab a bite . Prices are in British Pounds. (6 inch sub was 3 pounds).
Drive carefully on the "left" and watch for the many, many twisty narrow roads. Great scenery and some "drizzle" daily. Safe trip to you. Enjoy it.Ilonka
Drive carefully on the "left" and watch for the many, many twisty narrow roads. Great scenery and some "drizzle" daily. Safe trip to you. Enjoy it.Ilonka
Jun 16th, 2006, 01:09 PM
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Thank you all so much. It does sound like, with the exchange rate, most food will be about double what we would pay. A Mc Donalds meal is around $5.00 here, which is closer to $10.00 in Scotland it sounds like. That really helps me with our budget.
Any EXTRAORDINARY pubs or restaurants we shouldn't miss while there? We will be all over the place, beginning in Edinburgh, going through Stirling, Perth, Stonehaven, Ballator, Inverness, Lochniver, Ullapool, Loch Ness area, Fort William, and Oban. By EXTRAORDINARY, I don't necessarily mean that the food must be excellent, but more the atmosphere would be memorable.
You mentioned "Subway". Is is similar to the US equivalent sandwich selection and are they prevelent or hard to find? Are there many "US" type fast-food places in Scotland and are they mostly in the big cities or are they all over now?
Thanks again for all the help!
Any EXTRAORDINARY pubs or restaurants we shouldn't miss while there? We will be all over the place, beginning in Edinburgh, going through Stirling, Perth, Stonehaven, Ballator, Inverness, Lochniver, Ullapool, Loch Ness area, Fort William, and Oban. By EXTRAORDINARY, I don't necessarily mean that the food must be excellent, but more the atmosphere would be memorable.
You mentioned "Subway". Is is similar to the US equivalent sandwich selection and are they prevelent or hard to find? Are there many "US" type fast-food places in Scotland and are they mostly in the big cities or are they all over now?
Thanks again for all the help!
Jun 16th, 2006, 01:35 PM
#13
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Especially thank you so much for the link to the grocery store! I am pleased that they have locations in almost every area we will be in. I am going to print maps and purchasing meats,cheeses, breads and fruit at them each day will save us a large amount of money! Thank you so much.
Jun 16th, 2006, 02:47 PM
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"If you are paying 4-6GBP for a sanwiched then you are going to a fancy sandwich shop. Much cheaper from the likes of Boots, Tesco, Asda, etc"
True, it's a lot cheaper to buy a takeaway sarnie, but the OP was asking about the price of a sandwich plus salad at a cafe.
True, it's a lot cheaper to buy a takeaway sarnie, but the OP was asking about the price of a sandwich plus salad at a cafe.
Jun 17th, 2006, 04:51 AM
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The "Subway"chain in Edinburgh (1 street west and parallel to Princes Street heart of town) is the same chain
as North America and almost identical menu. There are also many pubs with happy hours and outside seating in this pedestrian street mall area. Fun with historic granite buildings
everywhere!Cheers,good health,enjoy the people and land. Ilonka
as North America and almost identical menu. There are also many pubs with happy hours and outside seating in this pedestrian street mall area. Fun with historic granite buildings
everywhere!Cheers,good health,enjoy the people and land. Ilonka
Jun 18th, 2006, 10:56 AM
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Hi dbaker,
We just returned from Scotland -- for budgeting purposes I do think it is safe to think of cafe/restaurant meals as often double what we would expect to pay -- that may be inaccurate in some cases but was accurate in general (especially if you think it's better to overestimate than underestimate).
We were told the biggest supermarkets in Scotland are Tesco and Asda, the latter being owned by Wal-Mart...but I never had to engage my conscience about shopping Wal-Mart in another country, because we never saw either one of them. We shopped at a chain of stores called Co-op. The price of many items was higher than we were used to, but the stores also had lots of specials, and if we paid attention to those we were able to avoid spending too much more than we expected.
Take-away food from a bakery or butcher proved to be the best for us -- we would carry fruit from the grocery and then just look for something delicious in a window. "Filled rolls" (sandwiches) were available in both types of stores; we also often opted for little cheese or meat pies. My kids ate quite a few "sausage rolls" (sausage of various types baked in a flaky pastry). We could put lunch together for about 6 pounds, give or take.
As for dinners out, we spent almost $100 for one meal that included a shared appetizer for my husband and me, an entree for each of us (seafood), and a glass of wine, plus bread and sausages for the kids. (Yes, they ate a LOT of sausage on this trip.) We spent $60 for a lighter meal that was quite good -- soup and the equivalent of an appetizer for my husband (no main dish), an entree for me (no appetizer), and something small for both children -- I don't remember but I think I also had a glass of wine with that meal too.
I hope you have a wonderful trip!
Barbara
We just returned from Scotland -- for budgeting purposes I do think it is safe to think of cafe/restaurant meals as often double what we would expect to pay -- that may be inaccurate in some cases but was accurate in general (especially if you think it's better to overestimate than underestimate).
We were told the biggest supermarkets in Scotland are Tesco and Asda, the latter being owned by Wal-Mart...but I never had to engage my conscience about shopping Wal-Mart in another country, because we never saw either one of them. We shopped at a chain of stores called Co-op. The price of many items was higher than we were used to, but the stores also had lots of specials, and if we paid attention to those we were able to avoid spending too much more than we expected.
Take-away food from a bakery or butcher proved to be the best for us -- we would carry fruit from the grocery and then just look for something delicious in a window. "Filled rolls" (sandwiches) were available in both types of stores; we also often opted for little cheese or meat pies. My kids ate quite a few "sausage rolls" (sausage of various types baked in a flaky pastry). We could put lunch together for about 6 pounds, give or take.
As for dinners out, we spent almost $100 for one meal that included a shared appetizer for my husband and me, an entree for each of us (seafood), and a glass of wine, plus bread and sausages for the kids. (Yes, they ate a LOT of sausage on this trip.) We spent $60 for a lighter meal that was quite good -- soup and the equivalent of an appetizer for my husband (no main dish), an entree for me (no appetizer), and something small for both children -- I don't remember but I think I also had a glass of wine with that meal too.
I hope you have a wonderful trip!
Barbara
Jun 18th, 2006, 11:06 AM
#17
just a comment - Co-ops are generally pretty smalll and are what serve as "super markets" in small towns/villages. They will generally be more expensive than most full sized supermarkets . . . . .
Jun 19th, 2006, 04:24 AM
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How many people ? I'll assume 2.
"A meal of bread, cheese, and fruit purchased from a shop or store and eaten on our own "picnic" style" - depends on the quality of ingredients & where purchased. You could do it for about £3 from a bog-standard supermarket or corner shop, probably £5-£10 from Marks & Spencer or Waitrose, or spend £10-£20 for great stuff from a first class specialist shop like Iain Mellis.
Burgers, fish & chips, etc - £6-£10.
Lower priced cafe or sandwich shop - £4-£8.
Pizza place - again, depends on location & quality. Bog standard chain place like Pizza Hut, probably from £8-£10. Superior chain Pizza Express - £15-£20. The best pizza in town in wonderful surroundings - Centrotre on George Street - c.£18-20.
Not sure what you mean by a low-priced restaurant. Many pubs do bar meals for c.£10-15 - fish & chips, steak pie, haggis etc.
"An evening meal at a nicer place ordering either fish, chicken, or steak" - not sure what to suggest here as this is a very open description. You could pay anything between £15 and £200.
Somerfield no longer has a presence in Edinburgh.
Where are you staying in Edinburgh ? Perhaps I could make some suggestions of places nearby.
"A meal of bread, cheese, and fruit purchased from a shop or store and eaten on our own "picnic" style" - depends on the quality of ingredients & where purchased. You could do it for about £3 from a bog-standard supermarket or corner shop, probably £5-£10 from Marks & Spencer or Waitrose, or spend £10-£20 for great stuff from a first class specialist shop like Iain Mellis.
Burgers, fish & chips, etc - £6-£10.
Lower priced cafe or sandwich shop - £4-£8.
Pizza place - again, depends on location & quality. Bog standard chain place like Pizza Hut, probably from £8-£10. Superior chain Pizza Express - £15-£20. The best pizza in town in wonderful surroundings - Centrotre on George Street - c.£18-20.
Not sure what you mean by a low-priced restaurant. Many pubs do bar meals for c.£10-15 - fish & chips, steak pie, haggis etc.
"An evening meal at a nicer place ordering either fish, chicken, or steak" - not sure what to suggest here as this is a very open description. You could pay anything between £15 and £200.
Somerfield no longer has a presence in Edinburgh.
Where are you staying in Edinburgh ? Perhaps I could make some suggestions of places nearby.
