I stopped by my local Winners and bought a Godiva advent calendar, some British champagne truffles and a box of Godiva chocolates.
They have some upscale panettones again, too.
3 Likes
As at least one of those boxes is British, I must pop in to our local Homesense and see if they have them in stock here. I lurve a champage truffle
2 Likes
In the past, pre-2020, our Winners and Homesense often had the Charbonnel et Walker champagne truffles, but I didn’t see any on this visit.
I have also learned, that, at least in Canada, Homesense and Winners have unbelievable reductions on the holiday treats on Dec 23rd and 24th. Even 75 percent off their already low prices on some holiday foods, drinks and ingredients.
4 Likes
My fave.
1 Like
Mary McLeod’s Shortbread at a Homesense in London, On.
Vergani Pandoro and a Vergani Panettone (not pictured). A different one than Eataly is selling.
Harry & David Moose Munch
Charbonneau et Walker chocolates
1 Like
I’m still lamenting the closure of the Bernard Callebaut chocolate shops. Their champagne truffles were really superb, and were shaped like truffles, with no hard shell; they just melted on the tongue. And this time of year they used to also make brandied cherries. Unfortunately Mr. Callebaut went broke.
I think Charbonnel et Walker was the Queen’s favorite brand too, so Harters was in good company. I should check Winners and Homesense.
Phoenikia, have you tried the truffles at Stubbe Chocolates?
2 Likes
There are still some Callebaut chocolates available in Calgary, London, and online. I lived in an apartment above a Callebaut shop in Calgary for 3 years 
https://www.callebaut.com/en-CA/homepage
I also went to university with the owner of the London shop . I guess there have been some changes- the chocolate is now called Master Chocolat, and is brought in from Calgary. Unfortunately, I don’t see champagne truffles offered.
Here is my classmate’s website, if you would like to order from her. Her shop is called Chocolate London, located on Springbank Drive, and she also operates Razzle Dazzle Cupcakes.
https://www.razzledazzlecupcakes.ca/collections/master-chocolat
I’ve tried other items at Stubbe, but not for several years. I don’t think I tried the champagne truffle. I’ve tried Teuscher champagne truffles, but it’s been a long time.
I would have bought a box of assorted truffles at Stubbe.
I buy champagne truffles if I see them at Winners or Homesense.
When I’m at a chocolate shop and ordering specific chocolates or truffles, I lean towards the chocolates with caramel, coffee or vanilla cream centres, or English toffee.
I didn’t like the Holdsworth Champagne Truffles very much. A little waxy and too sweet. Teuscher or Neuhaus champagne truffles are better. I don’t know if anyone sells Neuhaus in Toronto.
I’ll stop by Stubbe before Xmas, buy a truffle to try it.
Bernard Callebaut sold the name a while ago, and things were not the same after. It’s been years since I was last at a store.
I used to be a fixture (almost) at his store in Ottawa as I worked just down the street. After it closed I used to pick up chocolate across the country when traveling on business.
2 Likes
The boxes of truffles were my go-to hostess gift in LondonOn until 2020.
I didn’t realize the name had been sold. Thanks for mentioning that.
Not at Winners, Marshall’s or Homesense, but at my local Indigo: most Xmas Sugarfina candies are reduced to $5 and Charbonnel et Walker truffles are half price, reduced to $15. I bought a few boxes of the Charbonnel et Walker dark chocolate truffles.
I was very tempted by those truffles!
1 Like
I stopped by Homesense and Winners today. Their food selection has changed quite a bit since my last visit.
There was a lot of Scottish shortbread, Turkish delight, Greek cookies, Greek pasteli from Crete (like Sesame Snaps with other nuts added), some artisanal pastas, jams from Provence, Stonewall Kitchen blueberry jelly, St Michel sables and galette cookies from France ( which I often buy elsewhere), Cookie It Up Cookies from Toronto, Mary McLeod’s shortbread from Toronto. I was surprised to see Honolulu Cookie Co cookies, which I have seen in Hawaii, but I have not seen anywhere in Canada.
The nuts seemed expensive to me. Macadamias were $7.99/ pack. Various Keto nut mixes were $6-$8.
There seemed to be more Italian and Greek products, and less English and Irish products, compared to previous visits.
They also seem to have less British and American chocolates than they used to stock.
I ended up buying some Scottish shortbread, Greek oatmeal cookies, Cretan pasteli, a Greek dried herb blend, a chocolate bar made Montreal, gummi bears, some artisanal pasta.
All the Italian artisanal pastas cost $5.99 for 500 g. I don’t know if that’s much of a deal. I guess similar products might be $8 at Eataly.
So far, the pasteli is very good.
The casarecce pasta I purchased worked out well in my Pastitsio tonight.
2 Likes
Doesn’t inventory differ from store to store? My winners down the street is terrible, they don’t even have a kitchen section.
OMG, I just realized this post is 2 years old 
Sorry for necro-ing
I refreshed the post yesterday.
Same stores, same topic, so I’m not starting a new post.
I think it does probably vary a lot from location to location.
The food selection is usually pretty big at the location on Bloor near Avenue Road, and at the location on Yonge near Gerrard. The food aisle is usually next to housewares inside Winners and at Homesense.
I haven’t been to the location near your place.
My purchases were at locations in northwest London yesterday.
1 Like
Our Winners in downtown Ottawa doesn’t even have a food section 
There is another Winners in the in the Glebe (next neighbourhood down from downtown Ottawa) and their food section is so small you need a microscope to find it. The Winners in the west end that I go to has a sizeable food section so I have to wait for a trip to the west end to stock up on stuff.
South Keys has a food section.
2 Likes
It’s a small section at my local Winners in London.
2 aisles right now. It’s smaller than it once was. There are also always chocolates, nuts, cookies available near the cash registers.
A lot of the food seems to be at a slightly reduced price rather than a steal. The food that ends up on clearance is often a steal, but it’s also often quirky flavours or slightly damaged packages that are being cleared out.
I like poking around the food section, to look for luxury brands I don’t see elsewhere.
The London stores always have some coffee, tea, spaghetti sauce, biscotti, gummi bears, chips, nuts, pasta, jam, olive oil and spices.
At Christmas, Winners and Homesense stock a ton of foodie gifts, chocolate and panettone. There are usually some gift baskets. If you’re looking for deals, on the 23rd or 24th, often the Christmas food at Winners is reduced by 75 percent.
Here are 2 items I bought yesterday.
2 Likes
Don’t bother, very limited selection.
Lol, I don’t bother traveling north of St Clair unless I’m visiting a friend 
I haven’t been to South Keys in ages. Any other food worthy places to visit? There used to be a Middle Eastern grocer in the area - at Bank and Hunt Club I think? It was in a strip mall and the name escapes me…
