April 25 – June 4, 2016
It’s always nice when a town has great markets. Here in Nelson, we had two big Countdown Supermarkets. (In New Zealand, many independent supermarkets are becoming Countdowns so they often end up just down the road from each other.)
Aside from Countdown was a fantastic Mediterranean market called Prego where we stocked up on our favorite brand of fresh pasta, cheeses, breads, olives, and other assorted goodies. There was also a small Greek market in town (Greek Foods Ltd), and a place called the Bin Inn, which specializes in Wholefoods (grains, nuts, healthy stuff). There was also a bakery or three. (Below, photos of Prego and Greek Foods Ltd.)
Then there were the weekly markets. Most people recommended the big market on Saturday, but we went once and it was so big and crowded that we didn’t feel like going back (we’re easily overwhelmed). Wednesday’s market, on the other hand, was quite small and not crowded, had some nice booths, including one that sold great Cuban sandwiches, and another that sold delicious South African sausage sandwiches called boerewors. We became big fans of that low-key Nelson Farmers Market and much enjoyed our lunches there! (Below photos from the Wednesday and Saturday markets in Nelson).
Since we didn’t have a car, we got provisioned up by shopping frequently. Countdown supermarket was the final place we’d pass on our daily trip home from town, and we’d just duck in and buy a few things, including ingredients for that night’s dinner (which I found a really enjoyable way to shop!). –Cyndi
