How to...food shop

Moving to a new area where you don't know where to buy food can be tricky.

Luckily, Cardiff is a big city filled with loads of supermarkets that have all kinds of food items such that you are not missing the food from home.

Firstly, you may want to use Google to look for shops and supermarkets near your accommodation. Recommended shops that are near your specific accommodation can be found in the guide for your residence. 

The first time you go food shopping will probably be your longest shopping duration. This is because you would need time to get to know the supermarket better and look for what you need. After visiting the supermarket for the first few times, you get easily acquainted. At this stage, I personally found that planning out your food shop is the best way to get everything you need, be as fast as possible and not buy things you do not need. I know this sounds silly, but seriously, it will help!

Follow these points to have the best food shop:

• Write down a list of what you are missing (Example: Ingredients for a recipe)
• Add to the list what you are running low on (Example: Toilet paper)
• Write down what food you need (Example: Cereal, bread, rice, veggies)
• Finally, write down what you want (Example: Chocolate)



Once your list is done, it should not take you long to finish the food shop.

Choose a time of the day when it is not busy, if you are free on a certain day of the week, between 9 AM – 3 PM, do it then. You can be in and out in just a few minutes. Always take a backpack and some extra bags to avoid buying bags each time you go as they are not free!

Make sure you check the opening times of the shop you're planning to go to. It's particularly important to note that most supermarkets (except some smaller shops e.g. Tesco Express) close at 4pm on Sundays. If you go for the bigger shops such as Lidl, Aldi or even Tesco Extra, they tend to have almost everything you require as seen on the map below. They may be a little further out, but have much more choice and more deals available, so your overall shop will be cheaper!