Ever wondered what the most popular items are in the Dutch weekly shop? Online supermarket company Picnic has put together an overview of the national best-sellers.

Milk reigns supreme

The top three items across the Netherlands are semi-skimmed milk, cucumbers, and bananas. What a healthy trio. 

It seems that the coronavirus has also impacted purchasing habits across the country, as toilet paper sales increased dramatically. In fact, toiler paper was the best-selling product in Rotterdam. 

A land of healthy eaters

A number of different types of fruit and vegetables have proved popular all across the Netherlands. Buying habits have shown that, in 2020, many people opted for fruit or vegetables instead of meat or vegetarian substitutes.

The cities that appear to devour the most fruit and veg are Delft, Leiden, Ede, and Arnhem. Leiden residents have a soft spot for white mushrooms, Delft loves aubergines, Ede enjoys a Jonagold apple, and Arnhem favours a sweet pepper. Utrecht’s best-sellers were Elstar apples, oatmeal, and bananas. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Amsterdammers still love avocados - but perhaps a little less than last year. The award for eating the most avocados, which last year went to Amsterdam, this year goes to The Hague. The Dutch capital, it seems, has traded in the avocado for the aubergine - aubergine toast anyone? 

Beef, beer, and bread

Locals in Almere must love meat, as here ground beef is the most bought item. Residents of the Flevoland province also seem to like energy drinks and chicory - the second and third best selling items in Almere. 

The Dutch love their beer, and it proved a popular purchase in cities up and down the country. But the biggest beer drinkers? They live in Gouda and Helmond. Beer was the top-selling product in Gouda, followed by buttermilk and unsalted butter. 

As for bread, Zoetermeer appears to eat a lot of it. Here, it is the number one choice, with residents regularly opting for white rolls, or multigrain (waldkornbrood). Bread is also the number one choice in Apeldoorn, where residents enjoy a good tiger bread (tijgerbrood). As for the biggest fans of raisin bread - they live in Nijmegen.