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Collection Points Temporarily Closed in January 2024

Collection Points Temporarily Closed in January 2024

In January 2024 there will be a temporary pause in deliveries to all of The Trading Post's collection points across France. This means that the next delivery to each collection point in December 2023 will be the last one before February 2024.

Due to the high demands upon stock, vehicles and staff during the winter period, this year we have decided to temporarily pause all retail collection point deliveries in January 2024. This is traditionally the quietest month of the year, which lends itself best to a fermeture exceptionelle, so we hope it will have a minimal detrimental impact.
 
From a practical perspective, this means that there is one more upcoming delivery to each collection point in December 2023 before a four-week pause in January 2024 (one cycle of our France-wide long runs) with the next delivery coming in February.
 
Therefore, should you anticipate requiring Trading Post goods in January, please plan your December order accordingly. We sincerely hope that this temporary break in service does not cause too much disruption or inconvenience.
 
For all the details of our collection point deliveries throughout December, please visit our regularly-updated dedicated delivery web page.
Created On  28 Nov 2023 12:00  -  Permalink
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Save Money, Save Waste, Save the Planet

Save Money, Save Waste, Save the Planet

The Trading Post are committed to reducing food waste and ensuring our customers get the best possible offers. Through providing products which have just passed their 'best before' dates (but are still in great condition) at a significant discount, we have considerably cut down the quantity of goods being thrown way, whilst simultaneously receiving postivie feedback from customers who have got themselves "a right old bargain..." 

As we have mentioned before in our newsletters and on this blog, The Trading Post has been working hard to follow European guidance by ensuring that perfectly good food products are still available for a reasonable period after their DLUO has passed. In the last 12 months, this has yielded great results, with stock on our 'sale' shelves shifting quickly and bringing great pleasure to many of our customers who, by their own admission, "like a bargain." In addition, we have also managed to provide deals on some 'short-dated' products, which has ensured they get onto people's shelves before they even reach their 'best before' dates.

So, if you want to help reduce food waste or just like a "right old bargain," regularly check out our super sale page. It's updated often and products move fast... 

Created On  31 Oct 2023 12:00  -  Permalink
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Excitement Builds for New British Cheeses

Excitement Builds for New British Cheeses

Singletons British cheeses have arrived at The Trading Post. Featuring all of your favourites and a few special flavours, you can now get authentic cheddars, fruity Wensleydales, Red Leicester and Double Gloucester throughout France by simply ordering online.

Whether you prefer mild cheddar, mature cheddar or extra-mature vintage cheddar, the Singletons range has a strength for every palate. Also, if you like a bit of added flavour, you can try cheddars with jalapeno & garlic, ale & mustard, onion & chives, black truffle, whiskey or the distinctive aromas of oak smoke. The wensleydale cheeses are given added zing by either blueberry or cranberry and even the double gloucester has a hit of chilli (just to keep it interesting). Red Leicester, sliced cheddar and Derby cheeses complete the current Singletons offering. Why not try a new cheese every week? Why not indeed...

Throw your arms open wide and embrace these fantastic new cheeses. Find them all on our dairy pages.

Created On  31 Oct 2023 11:30  -  Permalink
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Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, please put a penny in the old man's hat. This may all appear to be quite irrelevant (I feel like goose is far from the automatic choice for Christmas dinner and old men almost certainly don't want to be weighed down by headwear filled with near-worthless and unnecessarily heavy coinage), but it does adequately convey the message that Christmas is on the way and we would all be well-advised to start preparations for its habitual celebration.

As normal, The Trading Post has a variety of Christmas-specific items on sale. Some are British festive favourites that it can be trickier to find in continental Europe ("where can I get packs of Christmas cards in France?," I hear you cry). Some are international favourites: Champagne and After Eights anyone? Furthermore, more Christmassy items are arriving every week throughout November so, now more than ever, it's a great idea to keep your eye on our website and, more specifically, the designated Christmas section.

Over the last couple of years we have given away literally thousands of mince pies as part of our commitment to good cheer, peace on earth and honouring the "feast" in "festive." This year there will be another mince pie giveaway, further details of which will be released after 6th November... Expect an email, or check our social media to stay up-to-date.

As normal, there is only limited stock of The Trading Post's British and International Christmas fayre, so please order accordingly. For all the information on our next delivery dates and permanent collection points throughout France, just see our delivery page.

Created On  31 Oct 2023 10:00  -  Permalink
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Changes to Haute-Vienne Collection Points

Changes to Haute-Vienne Collection Points

There have recently been a few changes to our free collection points in the Haute-Vienne departement (83). Our long-standing delivery options in Le Dorat and Rançon have been stopped for good. However, like a phoenix from the flames, a brand-new collection point has arisen in Oradour-Saint-Genest and you may find it a little familiar...

Until a couple of months ago, our friends at Chloébelles Cake Boutique & Salon de Thé have been running one of The Trading Post's most popular collection points, allowing customers from the surrounding area friendly and convenient access to all our great British and International goods. In an exciting move, they have 'upped sticks' and moved to a beautiful new restuarant in Oradour-Saint-Genest, about 20 minutes away. As a result, The Trading Post will now be taking orders for Chloébelles - Cakes & Bistro in Oradour, with delivery still every four weeks. Although this marks the end of collection point delivery to Rançon, we hope that our regular trips to the new collection point in Oradour-St-Genest or, alternatively, our time-honoured drop-point in Bellac (15 minutes away) will more than make up for its absence.

Due to the very close proximity of Oradour-St-Genest to Le Dorat (<6km), the latter has also been permanently knocked off our list. However, we hope that the increased flexibility of collection (and great service) at Chloébelles makes the short trip more than worthwhile.

There are currently no planned changes to our collection points in the other Haute-Vienne towns: Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, Bellac, Eymoutiers, Saint-Junien, Champsac or Bussière-Poitevine, so hopefully these changes will not cause too much inconvenience and maybe even give you a good reason to take the drive up to Chloebelles in Oradour Saint Genest...

Created On  30 Oct 2023 11:00  -  Permalink
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Salty Dog Crisps: No Bark, All Bite!

Salty Dog Crisps: No Bark, All Bite!

New Year, New Crisps. Salty Dog crisps are new to The Trading Post but why a salty dog, where do they come from and what are they like?

OK, so “salty” I understand. Many crisps are salted. In fact, when commercially-produced fried potato chips were first given flavour it was via a small (blue) pack of salt that you used to season your snack to your own taste. This later developed into ‘ready’ salted crisps that had been seasoned beforehand by the workers of the crisp manufacturer. “Salty” is therefore not the outlying word here. “Dog” however, seems slightly weirder. The crisps are not dog-flavoured are they? Or, perhaps worse, salty dog flavoured? Maybe the dog is just a theme: wine gums have “burgundy” and “merlot” embossed on the gummy fruity sweets, maybe Salty Dog call their varieties “Labrador” rather than salt & vinegar, "dachshund" for cheese & onion, or “cockapoo” for sweet chilli…

Salty Dog are actually a small, independent crisp-maker based in Buckinghamshire and whilst the phrase “salty dog” is internationally used for everything from old and experienced sailors, a café in Charleston - South Carolina, a highball cocktail (with a salted rim), an American rock band from Los Angeles and an apparently-unproven technique for keeping ticks away from valuable hunting dogs… the Salty Dog in this instance refers to Ruby, a terrier puppy who sat alongside her owner, Dave Willis, whilst he delivered crisps in his van. This is the reason Salty Dog are so named, a cute little terrier. One day, aforementioned Dave posited that he could make better crisps than the ones he had hitherto been delivering (a different brand). He then went on to prove that. Following a recent short trip to the UK, it came to our attention that Salty Dog crisps were: A. really quite tasty, and; B. really quite good. The Trading Post now has a fine selection of Salty Dog crisps that are both tasty AND good for your delectation. Furthermore, they are variously available in individual 40g packets, boxes of thirty 40g packets and big, family-style sharing bags of 150g. What are the Salty Dog flavours you ask? Well we have…

Sea Salt - which is like a posher version of old-skool ‘ready salted.’ This isn’t just any old ‘table’ salt, but salt from the actual sea! If, like me, you spend many a wasteful minute browsing the seasoning aisles of your local supermarket, you will know the (justifiable) premium (and impressive cork-topped) cardboard tubs that adorn salt derived from the sea. This is genuine flavour people, given to you by the actual sea.

Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar – this is at least as posh as the Sea Salt flavour but with the fish & chips-realness of added tangy malt vinegar. Imagine, if you will, the ephemeral joy of going to the local chippy (not carpenter) on a Friday evening and them lovingly/dismissively/arbitrarily applying dark malt vinegar to your hot, fluffy and haphazardly crispy chips before wrapping them up. That flavour and, to some degree, that experience can be yours with every bag of Salty Dog Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar.

Strong Cheddar Cheese & Onion – the King (former Queen) of cheeses and, in its association with onion, the first commercially-sold flavour of crisps (after ‘salted’ which is like the monochrome version of colour). Not just cheese, not just Cheddar cheese, but a strong Cheddar cheese that stands up to the flavour of Onion, looks it deep in the eye and says “I KNOW you.” There is a mutual respect here, but one that has been earned by a Cheddar cheese that refused to take a backward step and always responded to Onion’s challenges with the mantra “I will work harder!”

Ham & Wholegrain Mustard – Everyone loves ham (except for the many millions for people who don’t eat ham for religious, ethical or taste reasons) and here it is paired with the hot, layered flavour of wholegrain mustard. These are the crisps for people who like their flavour like they like their synonyms for intransigent: uncompromising.

Sweet Chilli – Crisps flavoured with sweet chilli.

Here’s another thing about Salty Dog crisps; they are gluten-free and vegan, except for the Cheddar ones and the Ham ones, which are gluten-free and vegetarian. Don’t believe me? Check out the packaging, and their website.

One final point: nuts to you! We can deliver both the Salted and Dry-Roasted Salty Dog nuts to you, throughout France and beyond

Created On  1 Jan 2023 10:00  -  Permalink
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