Hi smart shoppers! All of your Mom’s have to shop, so why not give them the tool to save money all year round? There is no reason to waste time shopping for price when the job has already been done by me in my book, Smart Shopping Montreal, now in its 14th edition.

Shopping local is what the book is all about – so stay green and help a Montreal family business at the same time. Those with less time for shopping will enjoy sitting in a comfy chair with the book,  calling stores to ask questions in advance.

Save time by planning instead of  cruising expensive malls or wasting earths’ resources by having online orders shipped here. By saving a minimum of 20% on most purchases, you are in effect gaining a pay raise – as you will have more disposable income.

http://www.smartshoppingmontreal.com/index.php?p=buy

The 24th annual Tibetan Cultural Fair features a handicrafts bazaar, live music and dance performances, as well as traditional cuisine.

- The handicrafts bazaar showcases traditional arts and crafts such as clothing, jewelry, carpets, dharma-ware, ritual objects, CDs, books and more great gift ideas.
- Live music and dance will be performed by the Tibetan Cultural Association of Québec, offering a unique opportunity to witness Tibetan musical instruments, songs and dances. – Dhondup the Yak – always a favourite for young children – will make a special appearance
- The Tibetan kitchen features the always popular “momos” – traditional dumplings with hot sauce.

For the past 23 years, during the two-day fair, Tibetans and Canadians have come together to celebrate the vibrant Tibetan culture. The Canada Tibet Committee (CTC) is an independent non-governmental organization promoting human rights and freedom for the Tibetan people. The CTC is funded entirely by individual donations and special events such as this annual fair.

Location: Santa Cruz Church Hall, 60 Rachel West
corner: St-Urbain
Dates and Times: Sat Nov 24: 10-6, Sun Nov 25: 11-5
Admission: $5, Seniors and students: $3, Under 12: free
For more info follow Montreal’s Tibetan Bazaar Facebook page
www.tibet.ca

Hudson is having St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 10th, starting at 1pm. Clarence & Cripps will be serving, in return for donations to a charity, their famous Irish Stew made with lamb. They also sell traditional Irish Peg Dolls, Barrys Irish Tea and delicious Steak & Ale Pies, made with – Guinness!

Clarence & Cripps is a store specializing in British food so therefore they have yummies you need to create a St. Patrick’s Day party on March 17th. When you venture in to the store, you will discover a friendly shop filled with:  Robertson’s mincemeat, Tate Lyle golden syrup, and in the freezer: 4 kinds of sausage, Melton mowbray pork pies, and their own steak and kidney pie.

Favorite snacks are there too: Walker’s chips (steak & onion, prawn cocktail), Maynard’s wine gums, Galaxy minstrels, McVities digestives and some Marks & Spencer products.

At the moment the shop is having a prize draw. Just go into the store and spend over $10 for a chance to win a pure wool Irish National Tartan scarf. It will be drawn at 5pm on Saturday March 10th. The winning ticket will go back into the draw and everyone will have a chance to win another prize at Easter – a large Cadbury Roses Easter Egg, from England.

Delivery is available, even to downtown.

Location: 71 Cameron, Hudson
Phone: 450-458-4073
Store Hours: Tues-Sat 10-5, Sun 12-4
www.clarenceandcripps.com

Anjou Quebec had been open on Laurier St.  since 1953 as the go-to place for French charcouterie and butchering. They cooked delish prepared meals every week – things like duck, Roqufort beef, halibut with leek, veal liver Lyonnais, lamb Provencal, lobster bisque, quennelles, and my favorite: potatoes Dauphinois.

After a beautiful renovation and new ownership, the store mysteriously closed. It was supposed to move to Old Montreal and I  searched for it, to no avail.

Imagine my surprise when I found Nita Urech, the chef/owner on the Notre Dame St. antique strip. The concept is more catering now but there is take-out food too, a little bistro – and a party room. There’s a weekly menu with 3 entrees, 8 mains, 4 sides and 3 desserts. And yes, she still makes my potatoes Dauphinois. Yay!

Location: 1638 Notre-Dame
corner: Guy
Tel: 514-272-4065
anjou@bellnet.ca

Here’s a way to de-stress for the holidays, just get someone else to bake for you.  Swiss Vienna Pastry and Delicatessen  is a 50-year-old 3rd generation bakery which can not only bake your holiday logs (even rum red velvet) $19.95 (for 6), $26.95 (for 10), $40.95 (for 16),  wreath cakes or candle cakes but they can provide you with your whole party cocktail menu. Choose from: mini quiches (cheese, spinach, ham), patty shells (mushroom or chicken), chicken bouche, shrimp boats, spinach rolls, egg rolls, sausage rolls and meat pies in 3 sizes (mini, small and large). There’s meat and vegetable platters too.

If your family has a favorite flavor cake, they probably make it: strawberry shortcake, fruit shortcake, chocolate praline crunch, millefeuille cake, cortina, Black Forest, strawberry or chocolate mousse, red velvet, cheese cake, Charlotte Russe and the St-Honore of course. Mini French pastries are only $12 a dozen (boxed) with a minimum of 2 dozen.

Perhaps you would prefer French pastries – they’re here too: eclairs, mille feuilles (the best in the city – save one for me!), fruit tarts, mousses, chocolate pretzels, rumballs, baba au rum, cream turnovers, gaufrettes, meringues, moka boats and more. And you can add some of their homemade chocolates too.

If you didn’t see what you wanted on that list there’s triple chocolate mousse cake, hazelnut cake, butter danish, apple strudel and 24 daily breads.

For special occasions, their new cake boss can create theme design cakes (Chanel purse, soccer shirt, makeup kit) and you can choose whatever flavor cake you like for the inside: red velvet, black forest, chocolate ganache, praline crunch, etc.

The store also has a selection of international groceries (Hungarian paprika, Marmite, Werner’s potato dumplings), imported chocolate bars, sausages (debreciner, kielbasa) and a hot and cold salad bar with ethnic snacks (Caribbean patties, samosa, calzones, chicken pot pie, potato knishes, cabbage rolls, panini). Wash it all down with an espresso or latte.

Location: Pointe Claire Shopping Centre, 297 boul. St-Jean
corner: Highway 2-20
Tel: 514-697-2280
Hours: Mon-Wed 8:30-6, Thurs & Fri 8:30-8, Sat & sun 8:30-5

The first ever ‘Hudson Main Street Christmas Market‘ will be held on November 25th. It will be held in conjunction with the annual Hudson Festival of lights which is when the Christmas tree lights outside of our town hall are officially lit which is followed by  the ‘official’ switching on of all the Christmas lights in Hudson.

Clarence and Cripps, a store for all things British will have a table at the market from 3-9. Their our store will also be open that day from 10 – 7 and we will have lots of tasters such as Filo mince pies, chocolates and sweets at both locations.

At Clarence and Cripps you will find: Robertson’s mincemeat, Tate Lyle golden syrup, and in the freezer: 4 kinds of sausage, Melton mowbray pork pies, and their own steak and kidney pie. Favorite snacks are there too: Walker’s chips (steak & onion, prawn cocktail), Maynard’s wine gums, Galaxy minstrels, McVities digestives and some Marks & Spencer products. If you’re lucky you’ll be able to scoop up some real Devonshire double cream for your scones. Delivery is available, even to downtown.  www.clarenceandcripps.com

Location: Stephen F. Shaar Community Center, 394 Main St, Hudson, J0P 1H0
Tel: 450-458-6699
Date: Nov 25
Time: 3 – 9

Pastamore, a fixture in the Marche de l’Ouest since the opening of the mall is celebrating 30 yummy years of serving the West Island.  The brothers Curro make the traditional  handmade fresh pasta, sauces and take-out meals. To help you join in the party, they are offering 500g of pasta if you buy a litre of any sauce.

Their pasta is made fresh daily (white, green, tomato or whole wheat) with 100% durem semolina and eggs. To top them off, you can choose from rotating home-made sauces, such as alfredo, arrabiata, cardinale, Erica, Marisa, Romanoff, spinacella and 4 cheeses.

Take-out specialties include lasagna, canelloni, manicotti or eggplant, chicken and veal parmagiana. Party portions and catering are also available.

Gift cards are available in any denomination.  On their website you can sign up to find out their Monday to Friday specials.

Location:11644 boul. de Salaberry, Marche de l’Ouest
corner:boul. des Sources
Phone:514-683-0006
HoursRegular plus Sun 9-6
www.pastamore.ca

In 1956 Peter Mourelatos opened up his first little food shop at 262 Mont-Royal est near Henri Julien. Today he is the proud papa of not only 4 big Mourelatos supermarkets, but kids and grandkids who work in the business alongside him.

Its flavour might be Greek (it’s the only place I know where you can buy gyro meat by the pound at the deli counter), but the good prices on fresh meat and vegetables here have been attracting everyone in the neighborhood for the past 55 years. It’s my favorite market for price and helpful service.

The homemade tsatsiki, yogurt and Greek feta will tempt you along with the 15 kinds of olive oil, rose petals in syrup, frozen octopus and stuffed vine leaves, but it’s the friendly service that has made it possible for this family business to keep their customers coming back all these years.

The West Island store has recently been renovated, and it is a pleasure to shop in.

Other locations: 4919 Notre-Dame ouest, Laval  (450-681-4300); 4957 boul. St-Jean (514-620-4200); Ville St-Laurent, 1855 O’Brien (514-956-0100); 1621 Ste-Catherine ouest (514-904-0300).   www.mourelatos.com

Les Delices La Frenaie used to be located only on the East end of the city, then in Laval but now you can find them on the West Island too. Try one of their cakes or pizza for Father’s Day. They are in the same outdoor mall as Ares and the Lindt chocolate outlet store. All good ideas for Father’s Day gifts (yes lots of Dads like to cook).

If some of the cakes at Les Delices La Frenaie look suspiciously similar to those in Loblaw’s (and Le Biftheque, Boccacinos and Chenoys), you would be a good detective.

Come here for: bacio, key lime cheesecake (15 others), frutti di bosco, dulce de leche, orange or walnut pound cake (16 others), limoncello, heavenly berry and Milky Way in 8″ or 10″ sizes. Some can be ordered 36 hours in advance for more than 20 people. The best deal is the apple, lemon, chocolate chip, or cinnamon marble cakes for only $8.50, and taste the amaretti biscotti. Trays of pizza (tomato, white, all dressed and vegetarian) can be ordered.

New Location:  58A boul. Brunswick (514-542-4242)
Locations: 8405  Lafrenaie at Jarry (514-324-8039; Rosemere, 199F Cure-Labelle (450-430-4222).
Regular Hours: Mon-Fri 6-5, Sat 6-2
www.lesdeliceslafrenaie.com

Clarence & Cripps is a store specializing in British food so therefore they have everything you need to create a Traditional English Cream Tea for your Mum on Mothers Day.

What a lovely idea to have a tea party.  This is what you would need to set it up:  Devonshire Double Cream, Tea, Ready-to-bake Scones, Jams and English Fine bone china to drink the tea from.

When you venture in to the store, you will discover a friendly shop filled with  British foods. You will find: Robertson’s mincemeat, Tate Lyle golden syrup, and in the freezer: 4 kinds of sausage, Melton mowbray pork pies, and their own steak and kidney pie.

Favorite snacks are there too: Walker’s chips (steak & onion, prawn cocktail), Maynard’s wine gums, Galaxy minstrels, McVities digestives and some Marks & Spencer products. If you’re lucky you’ll be able to scoop up some real Devonshire double cream for your scones.

Delivery is available, even to downtown.

Location: 71 Cameron, Hudson
Phone: 450-458-4073
Store Hours: Tues-Sat 10-5, Sun 12-4
www.clarenceandcripps.com