Spinneys is a grocery store found all over the Arabian Gulf. In Oman it is known as Al Fair. Al Fair is a great place to buy all those British treats that our family likes during the holidays. At Easter, you can find Cadbury Easter Eggs and at Christmas; Advent Calendars and Christmas Crackers. But my main reason for a weekly visit to Al Fair is the magazines they sell. For around a $1 you could buy the Living in the Gulf magazine which was filled with coupons, recipes and tips for living as an expatriate in the Arabian Gulf. I am thinking that this is no longer published but has been replaced with a range of magazines.
My favorite by far is now the Food Magazine. It's a great monthly magazine filled with recipe ideas from around the world, with the produce available locally to recreate all kinds of unique restaurant quality recipes.The cost of grocery shopping in Oman is similar to our home countries. This is mainly because we choose to buy local produce when possible. It would be very expensive to buy only products from home!
We have grown to love the local bread, vegetables, fruit, and perhaps when we return we will give the locally caught fish a try! But more about this in another blog...
