Groceries in Canada vs the UK | Everything costs HOW MUCH?

My small grocery run at Fortino’s came to $200 Canadian. We only needed a few more dinners and lunches, and we didn’t even need much meat because a friend had given us beef for the freezer. That total hurt.

I still love looking around Fortino’s when I’m back in southern Ontario. It reminds me a little of M&S, with good-quality food and interesting things that I don’t necessarily find elsewhere, although I wouldn’t always want to do a full shop there. On this visit, the shelves held British cheese, snacks I’d missed and the milk bags I grew up around.

Watch my Fortino’s visit on YouTube.

British cheese, Canadian prices

Naturally, I started with cheese. The specialty counter had international and local varieties, goat’s cheese and sheep’s cheese, and plenty that I wouldn’t buy for everyday use. Then I spotted Snowdonia for $14 Canadian and a little 200g block of Cathedral City for $9. I couldn’t believe Cathedral City was there, but that was a tiny block for the price.

When I’m looking at Canadian prices, I roughly halve them and add a little back to get a sense of the cost in pounds. It’s my rough shopping calculation, rather than an exact conversion. These are the prices from this trip, too, rather than a current price list or a matching basket of groceries in both countries.

The everyday cheese aisle was less exciting for me. Marble cheese, the mixture of white and orange cheddar, was almost $9, and a President’s Choice cheese was $7. Canadian cheese often tastes more plasticky to me than the cheese I have in England. There were also cheese curds, which make that squeaky feeling on your teeth. I know they’re used for poutine, but they’re not my cup of tea.

A much bigger choice than my local Tesco

This particular Fortino’s had loads of apple varieties, including some I’d never heard of. I don’t get that choice at my local Tesco. The deli counter went on for ages, and there was a lengthy fish counter as well, another thing my Tesco doesn’t have. That comparison depends on the individual shop. Someone else’s supermarket might have counters mine doesn’t.

The milk aisle was familiar Ontario territory. The bags of milk might look unusual if you’re coming from England, but that’s how we largely buy it in Ontario. It isn’t how everyone across Canada buys milk. Here the labels use percentages, including 1%, 2% and 3.25%, instead of relying on names such as skimmed or whole.

The snacks I miss

Classic cheddar Goldfish were one of my favourite snacks as a kid. They’re baked cheese crackers, and I haven’t found an English replacement that tastes as good. Tostitos are another favourite I can’t match in England. For me, they’re the best tortilla chips I’ve had.

I also miss all-dressed chips, especially Miss Vickie’s hard kettle chips. The flavour is a whole bunch of flavours together. I’ve tried products in England labelled all-dressed, but they haven’t tasted the same to me. I usually bring a bag or two back in my suitcase, even though they’re mostly obliterated by the time I get home.

Among all those brands, No Name was easy to spot. Its bright yellow and black packaging is the budget option, without fancy presentation. I think it’s wonderful. The popcorn shelves were familiar too, with lots of buttery choices, whereas in England I tend to see the choice framed as salty, sweet or mixed.

Pizza ingredients and a proper summer lunch

A lot of our haul turned out to be pizza ingredients. We had pepperoni, mozzarella in a pack of three connected balls, and finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano for $8.40. We sprinkle that over our pizzas after the sauce, mozzarella and toppings. It’s delicious.

I was pleased with the $7 organic basil plant, which was big enough for several uses without buying one of the enormous plants Fortino’s also had. There were sausages for the barbecue too. I don’t have a barbecue at home in England, so I try to use the one here as much as possible.

The shop had fresh lunch counters, including sushi, and I bought an $11 combination of a crunchy California roll and a salmon and avocado roll. With peach lemonade waiting as well, I wanted to eat it immediately. The groceries needed putting away first, unfortunately.