I am some sort of a foodie, at least I like to think abt myself as being a foodie. I am of Indian heritage, but do enjoy meat and good aged steak too! In the States we shop usually in Whole Foods, occasionally in farmers markets, and often use Niman Ranch and similar places to indulge on even better things. I have been many times in France and loved it, the main thing I miss now and here is charcuteries

We are going to spend at least 6 months in Lausanne. I've read many threads on this wonderful forum about food in Switzerland but the more I read the more scared and frightened I got. Is there any way to get the basic ingredients (apart from seasonal produce that I know is good in Switzerland) on the level of at least Whole Foods? I am ready to go for weekly trips across the border to France for shopping, but I am not considering weekly trips to Lyon or Annecy yet. Or are they necessary? I was planning to live without a car for a change, but if hunting for food makes a car necessary, I might reconsider...

I also read about the customs regulations. If I undersood it correctly I am allowed to get 3.5 kg of sausages in Switzerland and up to a 1 kg of cheese per day and person, which is completely OK with me. The restriction on meat (customs duty) make the meat ~6USD/lb more expensive. Yes, it does not make sense (perhaps) to buy offal for 1Euro/kg and then pay 12USD of customs duty, but on the other hand I can not get any good offal here in the States much cheaper than that (usually should be ordered by mail). So what is the problem? Or do people generally do not spend so much on food and thus all the expenditures seem to be just insane? A fillet in Whole Foods is 22USD/lb, it's a bit cheaper in France, and adding 12USD of custom duty makes it almost even.

Or do I miss something?

Edward

I don't know if you have a very big family or if you have a small income, but I wouldn't think too hard and just go to local shops. in Lausanne and Geneva, Manor have very fresh and good quality food. Less expensive but fresh as well: Migros and Coop. The price difference is not that big to be honest.

you'll find a lot of fresh veg and fruits as well as meat and fish at Manor. they have organic and wholegrain food as well. Also, at the weekend, you will find many farmer markets.

Hi Edward,

You might want to try Carrefour though the nearest one to Lausanne is the Carrefour near Fribourg. You can download their weekly flyer on carrefour.ch. You'll find their prices are often better than the other swiss stores such as Migros. Also, lots of people do shop across the border as the bill ends up just being much less. There are hypermarkets including germand and french ones just over the border of Basel in Weil-am-rhein or Mulhouse. You'll see lots of swiss number plates there on the weekend stocking up cause it is much cheaper across the border!

Try Globus Delicatessa. There's one in Lausanne.

You could also try exploring your neighborhood and check out the local butchers where you can get your fill of charcuterie. Also you could check if your local butcher can hang and age steaks for you. You'll pay a premium though.

Cheers,

Edwin.

Thank you for all your replies. My budget is certainly not bottomless but as a rule our food expenditures is twice average (at least out of our friends). I am talking about cooking at home, and not counting eating out.

My experience with Manor and Coop in Switzerland was that they did not offer a big variety of meats, sausages, proscuitto and cheeses, like goat or blue. Do I understand correctly that we have to go to the French side to get them? And do we need a car for that or there is some convenient public route? Also, is there a good fish shop in Lausanne?

Again, thank you for your advice. I always marvel at the collective wisdom and how much more information one can get from forums like this.
Edward

If you are serious about that foodie stuff chap, you may want giving supermarkets (in every country) a miss and start looking for delis, farmer markets, butchs, cheese shops and the like, of which I'm sure Lausanne and the area around is not short off.

Yes, that is the thing we are doing in all places we happened to live, and we lived in many. But usually the quality of supermarkets are very highly correlated with what one finds in butcheries and delis. I did not have much luck with Swiss supermarkets in Geneva and Zurich, so that is why I worry.

But on the other side, I am sure we will survive :-))Nothing can be worse than small Midwest town in US :-)))

Edward

The quality of the food here in Switzerland is far higher than in the US, be it at a supermarket like Coop or a more expensive chain like Globus. I would think that the food at these places would be at least as good as at Whole Foods (I've never been there, but I have friends who swore by it back in the States).

Local produce here tends to be very good. It could be because of the subsidies? Anyway, like ed.ch said, why don't you try to find a small, local store that specializes in the type of food that you prefer? The tiny market in the small town where I live is owned by my wife's uncle. They sell produce and food that are grown and/or produced in this town. They make the cheese a few houses down, the eggs come from up the hill, and the sausages are from a few towns away (from the Freiamt section of Aargau).

I would presume that there are similar stores in the Romandie? If they do not meet your expectations, what exactly are you looking for? I honestly never had food of this quality in the US or the UK.

To pick up on a few points more in details:

Charcuterie is an integral part of Swiss food, there is a huge variety of it, each canton has it's own specialites, be it "Lard seche" from Valais, "Graubunder" air dried-beef, etc, etc. Same for cheeses.

Lausanne is in Canton Vaud and it is probably the best area of Switzerland for food, USA Today even felt compelled to write an article about it, you'll find quality meats, charcuteries, saussages, cheeses, the wines are excellent. The cost is higher than in France but if you are paid a Swiss wage, you won't have any problems.

Find below the website of the producers of the "Terroir Vaudois":
http://www.terroir-vaudois.ch/index.php?cat=4

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http://www.usatoday.com/travel/desti...iss-food_x.htm

Thanks for all the replies. Yes, the small shops that sell eggs from nearby up the hill is exactly what I am interested in. It is possible to get something food like local eggs in US now (a few years before it was plain impossible), but it requires a lot of connections and research. Charcuterie is still out of reach completely. My original mail stemmed from reading about swiss beef and meat in one of the threads, so I just extrapolated it a bit too far :-))

Again, thanks, it was certainly encouraging. If anyone has some particular recommendations about some big and small shops that can be easily from Lausanne or Geneve by car (or even better by public transportation) I would greatly appreciate them.

Edward

We are just outside Zurich and have a fabulous local butcher. The best meat by far we've had anywhere, including the US, and far superior to what I've gotten at the local grocery stores. Definitely check out local butchers in your area.

I also agree that the food selection around Lausanne is great - better than anywhere else I have lived. Although there are a few specific items that I have trouble finding exactly as I want them, usually the moment I start looking I discover a street of ethnic shops carrying multiple varieties. I especially love that the origin of most food is labeled.

Where do you shop? Migros seems good, Manor seems good...has anyone found a store that is just dedicated to fish? A chinese grocer that sells the whole fish? Are there any fresh water fish from Switzerland?

Thanks!

The only trouble is these posts above are almost 3 years old so some info might have changed by now

Are there people in Lausanne and around who like to cook --- everything, meaning from good French to good Thai and beyond -- and then to eat it together -- on relatively high amateurish level? I like to cook, and I enjoy learning how to cook better. I peruse internet and tons of my cookbooks, but to cook together or just potluck and try each other favorites is fun.

Anyone around thinks along the same lines? Would love to hear from you!
Edward