Shopping Tips for the Netherlands
For those who aren't used to making vegetarian food, and used to doing all their shopping in one supermarket, the list of ingredients needed to make some of the dishes on this site may present a challenge. Yes, it will be necessary for some of the ingredients to venture into a couple of other locales than your local supermarket, but take heart, most of the ingredients you need to get elsewhere you can buy in quantities that will mean you only need to go once every 3-6 months. And you may just find you enjoy shopping at some of the places mentioned, as I have found the personalised service and interesting range, as well as tasty treats they often have, make shopping a treat :-)
Big Supermarkets in the Netherlands:
The majority of the ingredients you need, you will find at the major shopping chains. For some of the herbs and spices, you'll get much better value for money at turkish shops, and there you will often also find the indian spices like garam masala, ground coriander and ground cumin.
For vegetarian meat replacements, I personally find the range at Albert Heijn remains superior than other big chains, as I like their home make - Tivall, the range of quorn products, and they now also stock organic tofu. This is definitely preferable given what the mass production of soya for the meat industry has done to the quality of non-organic soya on the market.
The 'Vegetarian Butcher' products (Vegetarische Slager) are also excellent, and can be found in the Jumbo, Ekoplaza and some Co-ops. Holland is the first country to have a Vegetarian Butcher, and they swear you will not notice the difference with meat products. See the link on the Tips and Links page for more info. Well worth trying them out!
Much of the asian ingredients you can also get at the supermarket, though the prices are often significantly better at an asian supermarket.
Natuurwinkels, Ekkoplaza, Biomarkt, Marqt
These shops have a bigger range of vegetarian and vegan friendly products than many supermarkets stock. For products like smoked tofu, seitan (a great beef replacement - recipes to come), seaweed products, and the best vegetable stock (in powder or liquid form), it is well worth a visit.
They also have some great bbq alternatives for vegetarians and vegans, as well as really nice deli and bakery products. And many of them are simply a pleasure to visit, with organic coffee for free and sometimes some taste testers. Although sometimes they will be a bit pricey, for many of the seasonal vegetables you will find them cheaper than the supermarket, and you can buy the amount you need and save on packaging!
Big Supermarkets in the Netherlands:
The majority of the ingredients you need, you will find at the major shopping chains. For some of the herbs and spices, you'll get much better value for money at turkish shops, and there you will often also find the indian spices like garam masala, ground coriander and ground cumin.
For vegetarian meat replacements, I personally find the range at Albert Heijn remains superior than other big chains, as I like their home make - Tivall, the range of quorn products, and they now also stock organic tofu. This is definitely preferable given what the mass production of soya for the meat industry has done to the quality of non-organic soya on the market.
The 'Vegetarian Butcher' products (Vegetarische Slager) are also excellent, and can be found in the Jumbo, Ekoplaza and some Co-ops. Holland is the first country to have a Vegetarian Butcher, and they swear you will not notice the difference with meat products. See the link on the Tips and Links page for more info. Well worth trying them out!
Much of the asian ingredients you can also get at the supermarket, though the prices are often significantly better at an asian supermarket.
Natuurwinkels, Ekkoplaza, Biomarkt, Marqt
These shops have a bigger range of vegetarian and vegan friendly products than many supermarkets stock. For products like smoked tofu, seitan (a great beef replacement - recipes to come), seaweed products, and the best vegetable stock (in powder or liquid form), it is well worth a visit.
They also have some great bbq alternatives for vegetarians and vegans, as well as really nice deli and bakery products. And many of them are simply a pleasure to visit, with organic coffee for free and sometimes some taste testers. Although sometimes they will be a bit pricey, for many of the seasonal vegetables you will find them cheaper than the supermarket, and you can buy the amount you need and save on packaging!