Sherlock finally does the shopping.

[impulsereader]

“So you’ve got the list?”

Sherlock groaned, because this was the third time he’d asked since they’d left the track. “Yes, John. I’ve got the list,” he replied as patiently as he possibly could (which was not very). He even retrieved the piece of paper from his pocket and waved it in the air to prove the veracity of his statement.

“And you’re going to stick to the list.”

He refused to dignify this with a response, instead exchanging the infuriating list for his phone and tapping out a text to Lestrade.

“Sherlock?”

He ignored him, looking up the weather in Fez for no reason.

John sighed. He just couldn’t shake the feeling that this could all go so horribly, horribly wrong.

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OK, Brits, I need some Brand Name assistance. For Christmas, Sherlock gives John the gift of One Shopping Excursion. Circumstances force John to send him alone, with a list. Non-Brits, feel free to suggest generic items and I will try to match them up to something which might actually be in the shop near the flat. Suggestions already made on the ‘Come out and play’ thread (Thanks to all of you, by the way, I’m still getting replies and enjoying them immensely!!! There might just be a treasure map in that bottle…) will also be incorporated, you can repeat or not as you like here.

So what I need is:

The shopping list John gives Sherlock. (It is epic, because John knows he may never get this chance again and Baker Street’s cupboards are bare.) Yes, I know John is unlikely to specify a specific brand for each item here, and obviously milk is on the list. :-)

The things Sherlock actually buys.

Things Sherlock encounters in the shop but decides not to buy.

What sorts of specials might be on? Thanks to 221b_hound I’m now picturing Sherlock getting madly excited when he realizes he can get things on sale.

If any of you has a moment to just sit down and type out a list of brand name items the shop would have on its shelves, that would be epic. It can be completely random, I’m just looking for a listing of things to mention in passing as he shops.

Needless to say, the boys will be texting back and forth during this excursion. ;-)

Comments

[natsuko1978.livejournal.com]

Okay, are we imagining this a generic Tesco that they shop in? Or Sainsbury's, Waitrose, M&S Food etc?

Would Sherlock *go* to the supermarket or would he go to Harrods or Fortnum & Mason's because that's where Mummy shops?

Brands used in the kitchens of the Royal Palaces carry the Royal Crest and the words "By Appointment to HM The Queen purveyors/suppliers/etc of...[whatever the generic goods are]". Sherlock is *bound* to notice. ;)

There are two basic "Special Offers" in UK supermarkets - BOGOF (buy one get one free) and "3 for 2"... They often have them on fresh (by pre=packaged) fruit/veg, too, so I can see Sherlock bringing home 3 bags of potatoes (say) because they were 3 for 2. Do you *really* want a list of brands?

Brands in My Kitchen Cupboards and What's Own Brand

[natsuko1978.livejournal.com]

Really?

Cupboard under the sink: Domestos Bleach; Harpic Antilimescale Toilet Cleaner; Flash One-for-All (used for washing floors); Dettol Antibacterial Surface Cleaner; Mr Muscle Kitchen Cleaner; Mr Muscle Bathroom Cleaner; Fairy liquid (dishsoap); Bold 2-in-1 liquid detergent.

Fridge: Country Life Butter; Stork margerine (for baking); vegetables, fruit and fruitjuice (from concentrate) are all supermarket own brand.
Buxton Spring Water (English Spring Water tastes better to me; also Thames (ie London tap) Water is "hard" (high in limescale) so tastes crap. I have a filter built into my kettle to deal with it for hot drinks etc but never drink the stuff "neat".)

Mug Cupboard (above the worksurface): Twinings (By Royal Appointment, hereafter indicated by "RA") Tea: Lady Grey; Earl Grey; English Breakfast; and Classic Green. Twinings Infusions - Lemon & Ginger and Pure Camomile.
Silver Spoon Granulated Sugar - made in England (teh factory is actually in the town where I live, Bury St Edmunds) from sugar beet, it has a lower carbon cost than cane sugar.
Douwe Egberts Coffee: Instant (we drink a lot more instant than you guys because good coffee producers make instant versions) in Pure Gold; Pure Smooth; and Pure Indulgence (my Mum and I like different coffees so I buy her type as well as my own); and "Real" Medium Roast for filters and cafetieres.

Cupboard below the worksurface: Don Mario Olive Oil; Kikkoman Soy Sauce; Lea & Perrins' Worchestershire (pronounced "Wooster", honest!) Sauce "RA"; HP Sauce "RA" (brown sauce, which I prefer to tomato ketchup); Colmans' "RA" - English Mustard, Horseradish Sauce and Tartare Sauce; Baxters' tinned soups (various - please note "tinned" not canned); Dolmio Pasta Sauce for Bolognese; various Schwartz "RA" dried herbs, spices, curry powders etc; Saxa Table Salt; Maldon Sea Salt (produced in Essex, on the London borders); Sarson's Malt Vinegar; Hartleys' jam (various - both "no bits" and Extra fruit); McIlhenny Co Tabasco Sauce; Knorr Stock cubes (dried) and "Stock Pots"; Ovaltine (Malt drink made with hot milk, supposed to be relaxing at bedtime); Homepride flour (plain and self-raising); Kelloggs "RA" Crunchy Nut Cornflakes.

Supermarket brand rice; pasta; tinned low salt & sugar baked beans; tinned kidney, harricot, flageolet, and bortolli beans, tinned chick peas, tinned lentils (but I'm vegetarian!); tinned tomatoes.

Other things Sherlock may see/buy

[natsuko1978.livejournal.com]

HP (who make the *best* Brown Sauce - John would be justifiably P.O.ed if Sherlock bought another brand) also do some tinned foods. Like "All Day Breakfast". (It's vile but Sherlock may not know/guess this.) IIRC they do about three different "Breakfast" varieties. Beans plus various things like mushrooms, bacon, sausages, pieces of omlette, and hash-browns, etc - but all in the one tin. In my student days I thought this looked like a good idea. It wasn't. lol

However HP do a variety of sauces that are *all* brown in colour (Fruity, BBQ Traditional Woodsmoke etc etc). Room for confusion?

Some baked beans have sausages in the tin, too. All brand IIRC. (As I said, I don't eat meat any longer.)

We do have Campbell's soup, but as mentioned above, Heinz is the big brand for tinned food. They even have the slogan "Beanz Meanz Heinz" (which as kids we used to parlay as "Beanz Meanz Fartz").


Hmm what else? Eggs (and chicken) are available in normal, free-range (hens get to run about), organic; and free-range & organic. Free-range organic cost a LOT but are obviously better for bird and country. Deciding how ethically you can afford to source your food is a constant dilemma.

Oh! Biscuits, eggs and various other things may be branded "Duchy Originals" which means they (or their ingredients) are grown on the Prince of Wales's co-operative in Cornwall.

Knorr who make stock-cubes also make packet soups (dehydrated, add to cold water in a sauce-pan, stir and simmer) and Batchelor's Cup-a-Soups are a well known brand (add the powder to a mug, pour on boiling water from the kettle and stir like crazy).

BREAD! Big Brands are Hovis ("As good today as it's always been!"), Warburton ("We care because our name's on it!"), Kingsmill and Allinson ("Bread wi' nowt taken out!"). Dozens of varieties within each brand. Thick cut and Medium cut. Wholemeal, Danish, White, Milk Roll, Granary (a Hovis brandname for bread with bits in it), Best of Both, 50/50, Farmhouse, Toastie... John had better remind Sherlock to check the best before date (BBD) on the bread, or they'll end up with three different loaves all BBD that day.

I imagine Sherlock will find frozen ready-meals *wonderful*. Just bung it in the microwave for 5 minutes and a voila a full Chicken Tikka Masala etc etc I also imagine he will not be aware that a "Meal for One" means "one anorexic gerbil" to quote Ben Elton! :D

Aunt Bessie's is a popular brand for frozen accompaniments to a roast dinner, but I tend to cook from scratch so don't know how her Yorkshire Puddings and Roast Potatoes etc taste.

Oh! Del Monte is a HUGE brand for tinned fruit and fruit juice from concentrate (long life tetra-pak type cartons). The man from Del Monte, he say YES! - as the ads say.

Rubicon is a brand that make Mango, Lychee, Passion Fruit, Guava and other exotic fruit drinks in cartons. They do a lot of TV ads, so Sherlock might recognise the name.

Sherlock might have fond memories of "Five Alive" fruit drinks from childhood. They still make it. Ditto "Capri-Sun" pouches. And Robinson's Squashes, including Barley Water (Orange or Lemon flavoured). And Ribena. :D

Just as Bold and Ariel are the big names in detergents, so is Comfort the go-to brand for fabric-softener, which living with Thames Water, they probably need, even if they use Bold 2-in-1 which contains some. Trouble is there are dozens of varieties and frangrances etc for all of these.

Then there's "Vanish" stain remover. "Trust Pink, Forget Stains" (it comes in lurid pink bottles).

And what about toiletries? Let me know.

How about if Sherlock makes up for all the stuff he didn't get or replaced by going to a "little place he knows" and buying John a half-case of decent scotch whisky (note the lack of "e" when it's Scotch) or - going from "Scandal" - red wine???