Skip to content

Shop Smart

Reviews, recipes, news and dinner ideas

  • Home
  • Shop online
  • Shopping guides
  • Grocery finds
  • Dinner ideas
  • ✉️

Stuart Melling

Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you!  I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC - Utah's biggest and oldest online food magazine; I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune.  I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV shows. I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have covered the Utah dining scene for the better part of fifteen years.   I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand.   I started Shop Smart to catalogue my adventures in the grocery store and kitchen.  Follow along on Instagram too!  

Review: House Foods Vermont Curry

April 24, 2021April 21, 2018 by Stuart Melling
House Foods Vermont Curry

I stumbled across the Vermont Curry (affiliate link) while rummaging around Amazon, looking for something to top up my order and ensure free shipping. The curious packaging of this product …

Read more

Categories Cooking Sauce, Grocery, Pantry, Sauce Tags House Foods Leave a comment

Review: MorningStar Farms Buffalo Wings

February 25, 2019April 21, 2018 by Stuart Melling
MorningStar Farms Buffalo Wings packaging front

In fairness there’s not much in the MorningStar Farms line up I am not a fan of. These guys have been making meat substitutes long before the current contemporary surge …

Read more

Categories Frozen, Grocery, Vegetarian Tags MorningStar Farms Leave a comment

Review: MorningStar Farms Grillers Crumblers

June 25, 2020April 16, 2018 by Stuart Melling
MorningStar Farms Grillers Crumblers 2020 package

With all the modern meat substitute products coming onto the market over the past few years, it’s often easy to overlook some of the stalwarts of meat free lifestyles – …

Read more

Categories Frozen, Grocery, Smart Buy, Vegetarian Tags MorningStar Farms Leave a comment

Review: Yellowbird Serrano Condiment

May 22, 2018April 12, 2018 by Stuart Melling
Yellowbird Serrano Condiment Sauce on plate

How can you not love that label? One glance at that angry little guy and this bottle was headed straight into my shopping cart. Turns out that was a good …

Read more

Categories Gluten Free, Grocery, Hot Sauce, Pantry, Smart Buy, Vegan, Vegetarian Tags Yellowbird Foods Leave a comment

Recipe: Quick Basic Guacamole

October 11, 2019April 12, 2018 by Stuart Melling
Guacamole recipe ingredients

It might sound simple, too simple even, a recipe for guacamole? Like anything though, if you spend long enough Googling around you’ll find ever more complex recipes for Guacamole. So …

Read more

Categories Gluten Free, Recipes, Side dish Leave a comment

Review: The Really Quite Good British Cookbook

October 20, 2019April 8, 2018 by Stuart Melling
The Really Quite Good British Cookbook - Atul Kochar tikka masala pie

Cor blimey guvnor, pour us another brew and get a crumpet toasted before I head up the apples and pears. If you’re an Anglophile like we are, that just made …

Read more

Categories Books, Gift Ideas Leave a comment

Barware From Uncommon Green

August 20, 2018April 8, 2018 by Stuart Melling
Uncommon Green Berkeley pint glasses

Want to be the MVP at your next tailgating get together? Look no further than this vivid range of barware from Boston based Uncommon Green that wears city pride on …

Read more

Categories Gift Ideas, Kitchen Tags Uncommon Green Leave a comment

Review: Is Fuego Box Worth It?

November 14, 2018April 8, 2018 by Stuart Melling
Fuego Box hot sauce gift box

Knock the socks of the chili lover in your life with this unique, curated hot sauce gift set. Fuego Box was created by a guy who began down a path …

Read more

Categories Gift Ideas, Hot Sauce, Subscription Tags Fuego Box Leave a comment

Review: KeySmart Pro

October 20, 2019April 8, 2018 by Stuart Melling
KeySmart Pro

Surely 10,681 supporters can’t be wrong. When KeySmart launched it’s Kickstarter campaign for their latest product, their goal was to reach just $5,000 to begin production. The result? $843,679 raised …

Read more

Categories Gadgets, Gift Ideas Leave a comment

Review: Chapparo’s Beef Tamales

June 1, 2019April 7, 2018 by Stuart Melling
Chapparo's Beef Tamales package frozen

Since 2000, Utah based Chapparo’s Tamales has been on a mission, in their own words, “to create the best, most distributed tamale in the western United States”. I spied these …

Read more

Categories Frozen, Grocery Tags Chaparro's Tamales 3 Comments
Older posts
Newer posts
← Previous Page1 … Page50 Page51 Page52 Page53 Next →

Latest grocery store reviews

  • Boar's Head Chorizo Chicken SausageBoar’s Head Chorizo Chicken Sausage review
  • Impossible Bratwurst SausageImpossible Foods Bratwurst Sausage – the best money can buy
  • Yves Veggie PepperoniYves Veggie Pepperoni
  • Bachan's Japanese Barbecue SauceBachan’s Original Japanese Barbecue Sauce
  • Murray’s Muffuletta Olive SaladMurray’s Muffuletta Olive Salad

Random dinner ideas

  • Indian fish chips and peasIndian styled fish, chips and peas
  • Egg fried rice, vegetable mushu, garlic bok choyEgg fried rice with mushu vegetables and garlic bok choy
  • Asian salad with soy sauce fried Gardein tendersAsian salad with soy sauce fried Gardein tenders
  • Beef Chile with Black Beans and Indian SpicesBeef Chile with Black Beans and Indian Spices
  • Thai yellow curry with Royal Asia spring roll and Gardein seven grain tenderThai yellow curry with veggie chicken
  1. Joe on Review: Kroger Pork CarnitasMarch 10, 2024

    I'll never buy again! The package contained fully 12 (out of 16) ounces of pure pork fat. Totally unacceptable. Major…

  2. K B on Review: Van de Kamp’s Crispy Fish FilletsFebruary 28, 2024

    I complained to them and they sent me a measly $4 coupon to buy them again.’they won’t be in my…

  3. Melissa on Kroger Private Selection Angus Beef Burgers reviewFebruary 27, 2024

    I like them if you add water to the hamburger. When it's cooking it won't be so much grace

  4. Pamela D. on Tai Pei Chicken Egg Rolls reviewJanuary 18, 2024

    I had some for dinner last night . The first bite was so spicy, I had trouble getting back into…

  5. Robert Whitney on Simple Truth Natural Beef Burgers reviewJanuary 6, 2024

    YES!!! I both them a little bit ago and made them but they taste like they have permanent freezer burn…

Other links

  • Work with us
  • Privacy and disclosure

Get social

  • Instagram
  • Facebook group
  • Email

Most Popular Topics

365 Alexia Alpha Alpha Foods Applegate Naturals Banquet Beyond Meat Birds Eye Deep Del Real Foods Field Roast Gardein Garden Inspirations Gorton's Great Value Hatch House Foods Impossible Burger Impossible Foods Incogmeato Indian Food Kroger Lamb Weston Lean Cuisine Lightlife Mae Ploy McCormick MorningStar Farms Ore-Ida Sam's Choice SeaPak Simple Truth Sitka Salmon Sitka Salmon Shares Sprouts Sukhi's SW Beans Sweet Earth Three Bridges Trader Joe's Tyson Upton's Naturals Walmart Whole Foods Wild Coyote

Recent Comments

  • Joe on Review: Kroger Pork Carnitas
  • K B on Review: Van de Kamp’s Crispy Fish Fillets
  • Melissa on Kroger Private Selection Angus Beef Burgers review
  • Pamela D. on Tai Pei Chicken Egg Rolls review
  • Robert Whitney on Simple Truth Natural Beef Burgers review
© 2025 Shop Smart • Built with GeneratePress