The choices and helpful staff The fresh meats cooked and…read morefresh The fruit as I eat a lot of fruit a vegetables and the increased options of gluten free products that are not available in UK

We stayed at Chaumont-sur-Loire and asked our kind hosts for the closest market. They told us it…read morewas about a mile away. Sort of helpful. Fortunately, the Casino market has some advertising along the way, although exact directions would have been nice. The market has your standard fare although you have to know a few things as a non-French person. Eggs are kept on a shelf, so very hard to find. Weigh the produce before going to the register. Keep a euro coin in your pocket so you can unlock a shopping cart (not unique to France). Buy lots of cheese, super reasonable. :-) Anyway, hope this was helpful. This is definitely where you should pick up your basics and necessities.

When the town you're using as a base to explore the Loire valley has only small Carrefour's. You…read morestart to worry about where you might find the essentials to ward off the morning hangover or where to get some cheese to go with that cheeky few bottles you want to drink in the evening sun. Worry not fellow Yelpers! This stature which is just on the city limits has everything you will find at a carrefour, but with less a dent in your wallet. I wouldn't rave about their home brand products, but they are a megastore that carries everything that you'd expect from a hypermarche. Even god forbid more wine! Only issue is that parking is a premium. Though it's a small town, everyone shops here. So people will be hovering to take your space. No doubt on Saturday you may be hovering and willing someone to get a move on and pull out for god sake.