The Smart Shopper: Groceries and Local Deals in Edinburgh

Luke M. Williams

Step outside 200 Cowgate and the Grassmarket is right there, cobbles and all, with the Royal Mile a few minutes beyond it. It is a brilliant place to live. It is a slightly trickier place to find a cheap pint of milk at nine at night. Edinburgh has three universities tucked into different corners of the city: the University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt and Edinburgh Napier, so the cheapest shop for you depends partly on which part of town you are based in. Here is where to go, whichever corner that is.

The Smart Shopper: Groceries and Local Deals in Edinburgh

Where Can You Do a Weekly Shop?

Your nearest supermarket is a Tesco Express at 94 Nicolson Street, open from 6 am to midnight, every day of the week. It will not replace a full weekly shop on its own; think of it as the place that saves you when the pasta is gone on a Tuesday night. For the bigger trip, students near Heriot-Watt’s Riccarton campus are well placed: an Asda and a Sainsbury’s sit on the number 34 bus route, and an Aldi and a Lidl, usually the cheapest of the lot, sit on the number 25.

Where Do the Markets Fit In?

Head to the Castle Terrace car park on a Saturday morning and you will find Edinburgh’s oldest farmers’ market, open 9 am to 2 pm, selling Scottish meat and produce alongside a few international stalls. A later riser, or someone who prefers Sundays, should try Stockbridge Market instead, 10 am to 5 pm, with its own local producers and street food. Neither will replace your weekly shop, but both are worth a wander for anything that needs a bit more care than a supermarket shelf gives it.

Where Do You Find Cheaper Ingredients From Further Afield?

Leith Walk is where the real savings live. Pat’s Chung Ying, at 199 Leith Walk, gives a 5 per cent student discount every day of the year and 10 per cent on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. One stop along, Hing Sing stocks a smaller range at even lower prices. Closer to the University of Edinburgh’s central campus, Aihua Supermarket on West Cross causeway rewards a bigger shop with a bigger discount through its loyalty card, the kind of saving that adds up over a term rather than a single trip.

What Should You Know Before You Head Out?

Students near Heriot-Watt or Edinburgh Napier’s Merchiston and Craiglockhart campuses should know Matthew’s Foods on Inglis Green Road, a local favourite for fresh produce that undercuts the big chains nearby. And when the shopping list turns from food to clothes, Livingston Designer Outlet, about 15 miles west, cuts 50 to 70 per cent off roughly 150 brands, with a direct bus from Princes Street if you fancy the trip.

Bonus Tips

  • Bring your own bag to Lidl and Aldi. Both charge for one, and the fee adds up faster than you would think.
  • Ask at the till about student discounts at the Chinese supermarkets. Several are not advertised anywhere obvious.
  • Treat the markets as a top-up, not a replacement. Pair a Saturday at Castle Terrace with a quick stop at Tesco Express for the things a market stall will not sell you.

Edinburgh’s Old Town rewards you for wandering its closes and cobbles, but your fridge will thank you for knowing when to head further out. Keep a Tesco Express habit and a market trip in rotation, and the rest tends to sort itself. If you are still weighing up where to live while you figure all this out, take a look at our student accommodation in Edinburgh today.

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