A Trip to the new Fresh & Easy

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog and today it is Cathy's turn.  Kirk is busy.

Hi again. Hope you day has been going well. Fresh & Easy has come to Southern California, and the one closest to our home has (finally) opened, so I thought I'd show and tell what our sort of "average" purchase is in a quick post..

For those who don't know, Fresh & Easy is a mini grocery store concept, brought here by Tesco, the third largest retailer in the world, British based  (Wal-Mart and Carrefour in France are #1 and #2) international grocery and general merchandising retail chain. 

The products in the store are not from Britain, per se, but this one item I look for that seems to be sold out rather rapidly.

The "british-brand" uncured back bacon. ( no nitrates added except for naturally occurring nitrates in sea salt and celery juice) It is hand trimmed and hickory smoked.$5.59 a pound and *wonderful* stuff. The slices are not at all uniform- some thin and some thick, but I don't cook a lot at once, so can keep an eye on the bacon in the pan.

Other items we buy on a sort of "regular shopping trip include:

Jewish Rye bread ($1.77)-this is thick cut, light(not dense) and has a hearty rye flavor.  A pack of four cheese Danish ($3.59), light and crispy, buttery crust with a not too sweet, creamy filling. Smoked Polish kielbasa ($2.49) a one pound ring of not bad-but not like I grew up with- garlic-y kielbasa is a staple in our fridge ...OH and that pint of Roasted banana gelato for $2.98 is my personal new addiction- it is pretty much Bananas Foster in cream form.  Every flavor- butter and burned brown sugar- is there along with a wonderful, non-artificial banana flavor. I can't wait for summer so I can maybe try other flavors, or just keep getting this stuff.

I also like the freeze dried banana/blueberry/raspberry mix ($2.50 for a 44g bag).  This is a wonderful snack or add in to plain yogurt, or on top of salads and costs almost double when sold under other brand names in regular grocery stores.  Freeze dried-light and airy crisp-not a hard and crunchy crispness-wonderful!  The 24 ounce bag of carrots is only $1.03 and the 16 ounce low fat cottage cheese is $2.28, a good price in Southern California nowadays, where dairy prices have gone insane.

I don't usually like orange juice from concentrate, but for $2.19, I tried it this time.  It is not bad at all. The Greek yogurt (honey flavor and fig flavor) at $1.18 each, are a great deal.  This time we bought the regular hot dog buns ($1.19) and a jar of sauerkraut (99¢) because we have some good skinned wieners at home that I think will be tomorrow's lunch.  The hot dog buns feel not soft, but the expiration date is about 5 days away- they were the freshest marked bread product there, so I am going to toast and butter the buns before eating and see how that works out.  I think it will be dense but fresh bread...unlike the 99¢ generic hot dog buns sold in regular grocery stores. 

Oh, the Huntsman Cheese is only $10.48/lb and one of my favorite treats, along with cured, dried meats, which we did not buy this time. 

The store is known for its concept of having foods that are easy to prepare or eat (hence the name) and the refrigerated section is quite large.  Sandwiches, salads, side dishes are not expensive and rather interesting.  I just like to cook, so I only have purchased occasional of those items, when I am in a hurry.  The lasagna is particularly good and, as I recall, $3.99 for a one pound serving. 

As well as easy to eat and prepare items (make your own shrimp and salmon skewers- with sauce and a tomato on each of the 4 skewers -$5.99 for 13 ounces) (boneless skinless chicken breasts ready to bake with bell peppers, cream cheese and butter sauce for $7.99/lb), there are also other grocery items, like whole chicken legs for 79¢ a pound (they are 99¢ a pound at Costco) and 5 or 6 types of ground beef , including Angus (th 80/20 ground beef is $2.59).   There are breakfast cereals, pancake mixes, syrups and baking goods, canned tuna, soups, oils and vinegars, both in popular brands and (about half the store is) Fresh and Easy brand.  They sell plenty of Indian curry items, both fresh and frozen items (a 24 ounce frozen Mac and Cheese is $2.99) and some regular grocery store items, such as pet food, baby needs, cleaning items and drug store sundries, although not a full selection.  Kind of a few notches above 7-11 in convenience and fanciness for those quick stops on the way home after a busy day.

It is an easy one stop shop, where you scan and bag it yourself.  There are no sales: just everyday low prices.  {They did have Whitman Chcolate 2 pound heart shaped boxes for $1.67 sold at the cash registers after Valentine's Day, so I assume the prices were higher within the store prior to the holiday, but there are no sale flyers or things like that. } I do like it here and can do some regular, as well as some fancy shopping here. Addendum:  The "fresh" items are marked down to half price after about 3 p.m daily (Including the flowers).  The end unit you first hit when walking in the door has mark downs anyhow, but the half price stickers are fairly obvious on the items in the regular bins.    There are no 'weekly specials' per se.

www.freshandeasy.com

Comments

[Stephen]

Hi. Is this the national city/chula vista location, you visited?

[foodhoe]

ooh, I'm glad you posted this, we are supposed to get a couple of these stores nearby so I've been wondering what kinds of stuff they have..

[janfrederick]

They're finally open. Cool. I'll have to try to find out where the other locations will be.

[Liz]

I've heard great things about this store. Looks like you got lots of yummy food!

[cathy]

Hi Stephen- This was the most recent location that opened in San Diego County, closest to my home in Santee...it's in San Carlos on Navajo at Lake Murray. The Chula Vista store opened first, around Thanksgiving, and was the one I had been going to most often.
Hi foodhoe-I tried to post about the "regular" stuff I order here and not the "fancy" stuff...kind of like when we shop at Trader Joe's. There are some neat 'fancies' which I like, and I will do a separate post about those.
Hi janfrederick. Check the website. F&E has been in the county since Thanksgiving 2007. There must be one near you or your drivings by now...
Yes, Liz...all of this stuff,, as well as a 1/2 gallon of organic milk are kind of regular purchases...just like Trader Joe's...I go in "only for milk" and end up with over $20 in stuff...

[La]

Kathy,

If you like smoked fish, you should also check out the selection that F&E has. We tried 2 different kinds of smoke salmon this weekend as well as a smoked trout filet that were AWESOME and not that expensive. The smoked fish was a lot better tasting than what I have purchased at either Costco or TJ's.

[James]

Love your blog...I read it almost every day. I too went to the F&E in San Carlos and loved it. It's a really interesting mix of 7-11 (convenience), Bristol Farms (prepared dishes) and Trader Joes (prepackaged produce). I was really impressed with the salad items. I too like to cook so I don't think I would buy the premade meals, but I think they've definitely carved out a niche for themselves.

[cathy]

Hello, and Welcome, La! You know I *love* smoked fish..and yes I have bought both the salmon and trout here, but didn't on this trip. It is excellent and far less expensive than elsewhere. I can see myself getting it in the summer,for picnics and outings. I do get a variety of smoked fish at Point Loma Seafoods every time I am near there. But this is so convenient...Thanks for reading the blog and taking the time to comment.
Hi, James-Your description of F&E is perfect. I will shop here regularly, since it is so close to home and the basics are inexpensive. The variety is good enough and not overwhelming. I may pick up some premade stuff when I am in a hurry or to try with a friend, but can't see doing that on a regular basis. Thanks for the kind words about out little blog.

[Xaintrix]

First time comment, long time reader.

One of the nice people that worked there (recoding prices) told us on his own that they do offer red tag specials on things - notably the bread that he was working on. Basically they want to keep their stocks fresh and will offer mark downs on stock periodically to make sure items don't stay on the shelf for too long.

[cathy]

Welcome to the other side of the blog, Xaintrix! I am glad to hear some stores are not wanting food to go to waste and want to keep supplies fresh. I have seen some Trader Joe's stores also mark down items and have a cart with "Manager's Specials" also. I meant there aren't any Chain wide or weekly specials advertised, like Vons and Albertsons have. I will have to check out the labels a bit more carefully: didn't ever notice mark downs at the Chula Vista store when I have shopped there. Maybe the F&E closest to my home will have more. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.

[Creen]

Hey Cathy,
Late to catch your post, but I, too, blogged about the Roasted Banana Gelato! http://www.onmyplate.org/2008/04/livin-fresh-eas.html

OMG, to die for!! Can't wait to be near a Fresh & Easy again... Glad to hear there are other fans out there!

-Creen

[cathy]

Hi Creen-I love your site. So glad I found/made another banana gelato fan. It is *the* best (you do know I am not a chocolate person, right?). Glad you just can enjoy some of what the Mainland has to offer.

[choyak]

I tried the F&E organic orange juice --- YUMMY is the closest I can come to defining this orange juice. It was the yummiest orange juice EVAR!!! The only problem is it's getting priceyer and priceyer It started at like $399, then went to $4.44 and now FIVE BUCKS!!! I had to capitulate and return to Simply Orange - Food for Less has it for $2.98!!!!!

[Cathy]

Hi, and welcome, Choyak. I have a bottle of the not from concentrate OJ in my fridge right now. It is wonderful. The Mister craves good, fres, not from concentrate juice and he also likes Simply Orange the most. THe bottle I have in my fridge was marked down at F&E- if it is close to or the expiration date, items are marked half off starting at about 3 p.m. that day...I end up trying a bunch of new items that way.

[jeff c]

Cathy, i tried this place a couple of months ago when they opened near me. Interesting idea. Lots of east indian ingredients and snacks. I thought the frozen entrees to be interesting and a good value. I definitely would buy my lunch here. The roasted banana gelato I havent noticed but will definitely try. I usually get the Berto's brand at AJ's (a Basha subsidiary that is tryig to get the upscale price point). I've been addicted to their version and if you ever have a chance you should check it out. Though Fresh and Simple's may be made by the same company (Arizona Italian Ice, Inc.)
Thanks for the post. It will give me an incentive to give this place another look through.

[Cathy]

Hi Jeff C- I just went to F&E this weekend (needed milk) and got some more (different)of the packaged Indian entrees. The frozen ones have all been excellent-I haven't been disappointed yet. The pint ice cream area has sorbets on the top shelf then gelatos on the second shelf (most likely your eye level, a bit tall for me) and then the lower shelves are all F&E ice creams. The gelatos only list at what plant they were made-a number-not an address-and there are only the three flavors (banana, pistachio and chocolate). I love Basha's, but haven't seen an AJ's- I will be on the lookout though. I am glad you like the concept as well as the items the store stocks. It is very convenient and always interesting to shop here. Glad I gave you a reason to look.