Shopping, Starbucks and Cider

Everyone loved my blog about shopping, so I thought I’d take you to the supermarket with me again this week.
Here’s what a typical shopping visit ends up like here.

Please note the cup holder in the trolley – no need to wrestle coffee and wonky trolleys at the same time in NZ!

No, it's all very civilised, because they thoughtfully provide a place to rest your coffee while you shop.

I actually bought my first Starbucks coffee in Auckland, just so you could see the cup-holder in action.

Yep, there is a Starbucks at our local supermarket, and unlike in Australia, they do a roaring trade. Kiwis love their take-away coffee, and every day we see an army of office workers, parents and even school-kids, clutching their cappucinos and hot chocolates, as they make their way to school and work.
Normally, I prefer to make my own cappucino at home, but this time I splashed out on a dark cherry mocha (a nod to the pending arrival of the Fat Man In Red). There may have even been some coffee in there! It was cherry delicious actually, though at $NZ5.20 for the small one (though they call it Tall!), I won’t be rushing back for more.
Of course, I only went in to pick up a few bottles of soda water and some bread, but I ended up spending $NZ60. So what did that buy me?
Supposedly healthy mixed grain snacks for the kids (though they look suspiciously like chips to me), frozen vegies (a stir-fry mix of broccoli, carrots, baby corn, capsicum and, er, pinapple), bread, wine (oh well, it’s almost the weekend), mini scotch eggs for the kids to try, Manuka-smoked leg ham, cheese, fruit, real eggs, and some fresh green-tipped mussels.
I’ve never cooked them before, but I’m serving them tonight in a creamy wine and garlic sauce (see, I needed the wine to cook with!) A splash for the mussels and a splash for me …
The kids have grown quite adventurous with food since we arrived here, but I might do some pasta too, just in case.
Oh, I grabbed the paper as well, the New Zealand Herald. It’s not quite the Courier Mail, but I like to get it on Friday and the weekends so I know if anything interesting is going to be on.

Finally, the Wine Of The Week moves aside in a one-off tribute to Cider Of The Week. Cider is really popular here, and Husband, in particular, has taken a shine to it.
Out shopping, it’s fairly common to be offered tastes of wine, cider and beer as you browse the aisles, which is how we discovered this one. Apparently it comes from the Hawkes Bay region, and it’s dangerously lovely. K. actually prefers it to beer at the moment. And hey, it contains apples, so it’s got to be good for him.
The label says: “We took your Grandmother, stole her apples, and pinched her recipe. Now we give them back to you without shame!”
Love it!