At the moment I buy two 10 kilo sacks of good quality Basmati from Makro every
6 months or so (I live alone in the UK while my partner is in the Phils)
Makro have a special deal on these that comes in at £10 a sack, still about twice the price it would be in the Phils but not so bad, it's actually cheaper than the 20 kilo sack, good quality Jasmine is available in Makro as well but it's a little more expensive. My partner does not like the Basmati over here but I think that is because I used to cook it too dryshe much prefers Jasmine rice both here and at home
You can get other varieties but best to go to an Asian store to get a proper range, you can get just about anything here if you look hard enough
In ordinary supermarkets yes Rice is expensive and you wont get so good a range, as you discovered.
Potato's are ok, I am a Scot and I was brought up on thembut I much prefer rice these days although Mashed Potato with butter on top is still a favourite
Enjoy your local supermarket by the way which one was it?
Jim