Papadeli is the sort of delicatessen which is designed for the serious foodie. They have shelves…read moreand shelves of everything to turn your basic dinner into a culinary delight including oils, sauces, vinegars, spices and herbs. The staff know their stuff, so if you need help they're happily at hand to ask. The prices are very high, reflecting the quality of their produce and their Clifton location. If, like me, you're on a budget, I'd recommend the Cotham Hill Bakery or Chandos Deli instead. But if you've got money to burn, then this is the place to shop away before a dinner party.

Papadeli is a high end delicatessen on a side street off Whiteladies road. Spanning over two shop…read morepremises, it's got a very Cliftonite vibe to it. They're very well stocked, with food items ranging from starter products, or 'antipasti' as they call it (there's a bit of an Italian theme here) to the full selection of cooked meats. Along with this, there's shelves and shelves of pastas, oils, drinks and beverages, jams, vinegars - the list goes on. The staff know their stuff and clearly love food - they'll give their honest opinion on any of the items. Indeed, the whole shop bases itself on food knowledge- they market their products on the strength of what they go well with - they'll let you know that a particular cheese matches a particular type of meat, for example. It's all quite impressive, but the price tags turned me away. A bit like Chandos Delis (though perhaps a little more unique), an excellent food shop if you've got the budget to match their prices.

Papa Costa is not a cafe or deli (well...it is in fact both) it's a portal...no a secret…read morepassage...into a different world to that of the other shops on the Clifton Triangle. It's such a surreal experience walking in past the shelves of international foods but actually it's a really great thing that this shop has survived. I imagine larger companies and chain stores must be kicking their door down daily trying to get them to sell. Even though it is a deli, mini-supermarket and a cafe the real draw for me is the cups of coffee for £1 and the hot dogs they have in the summer for £2; that's budget! I think this hidden away place is such a gem purely because it is on the triangle and because it isn't a clothes shop or jewellery shop and they certainly are independent. It is almost like a cultural excursion to a European destination. They always seem to take a relatively long time to make my sandwich, I don't mind so long as love and attention is going into the making of that sandwich, which takes them so long to construct and then grill.

Papa Costa is a Mediterranean cafe in a great location on Queens Road. I've had a friend telling me…read morego here for a lunch panini for absolutely ages, and this is one of the cafes that he swears by. Perhaps that raised my expectations, because I wasn't very impressed when I stepped in here. It was very dingy when I was there, and yes the paninis and sandwiches did look very good, and they had a deli counter that sold cheeses and cured meats, which is great. If you like pasties, you will like this cafe, as they are huge here. This cafe was too dark, lacking in atmosphere and needs to be sprinkled with sunshine and rainbows to make it brighter! Happier! Cheerier!

For the love of cakes and frangipane tarts, get yourself down to Chandos…read more Full of my favourite artisan and rustic fayre, barrels of olive oil and vats of wine sit next to a cold meats and cheeses counter, packed with naughty delights. There are plenty of delectable treats you can eat instantly - refridgerator cake and yummy sarnies, washed down with good ol' fashioned ginger beer. It's no different from the other Chandos delis in the city - but a Bristol culinary institution all the same I do believe.

This is a great place with great coffee, with staff that are always happy to help and make…read moresuggestions. All the food is wonderful, in particular the pork pies will change your life. My only qualm with this place is the price. I understand you pay for quality, but the number of deli's in Clifton should at least allow for some competitive pricing.

The Olive Shed Shop on Gloucester road is popular with many a local student/hippy/healthy eater…read more The olives here are of an outstanding quality, despite the fact that they have been imported. Currently the shop's deli is plugging their Christmas goodies; hampers, nibbles and such, and despite the price, are definitely worth the investment. If you want ready made food, you can eat in or takeaway a great selection of olive themed dishes, which are a real delight for the taste buds.

I absolutely love The Olive Shed Shop - and I'm not the only one! With acclaim from such names as…read moreClifton Life and Raymond Blanc, it seems that the whole of Bristol wants a taste of the Olive Shed. With so many varieties to choose from, it's a blessing that the friendly staff offer free samples to help you make up your mind. My favourite has to be the queen olives stuffed with garlic. They don't make you popular, but they taste devine!

With this Deli, and the other in Montpelier you can find some smashing food items. If you want an…read moreextra special pasta sauce, some green figs in syrup (hey, you never know when those green figs might come in handy!) or just a great pot of thick cut marmalade for your breakfast toast then it's ideal. Importanting alot of goods from Italy garantees that you will find things in here that no other english person has seen before, such as snail shells! Great to add a little variety to your cooking closet!

.A fantastic continental delicatessen. Items are imported and a quick browse in Licata & Son will…read moreleave you feeling in awe of all the foods you never knew existed, or flavour combinations you thought were only in the world of fantasy. The window display looks like something out of a museum - huge tins and magnificently large cans. Looking like a 1920s storage cupboard, the giant tins and cans may make you feel mouse-like in comparison. I bought an enormous in of jalapeno peppers for only 75p. Enter inside the deli and you will be spoilt for choice; international goods which you won't find anywhere else.

Harvest is Godsend for vegetarian Bristolians like me who want more from their food than lentils…read moreand rice. The small but sweet shop offers a range of ethically sourced seeds, dried fruits and spices to pack a punch into your dishes. Harvest is also a great place to pick up those hard to find ingredients like spelt flour, Cacao beans or Goji Berries. But the best thing about the shop is the fresh bread that gets delivered daily. Personally I love their Sourdough bread which is tasty and different to boring ol' white sliced!

This little ethical food shop is a great alternative to the nearby Mc Colls and Somerfield, if you…read moreprefer to eat natural, organic, fair trade type food. If you're after meat, best going to the nearby Paeckurt Butchers or another on Gloucester road, but this place is ideal for veggies. They are committed to providing excellent quality health food and believe in the importance of remaining an independent business. Also, if you're looking for somewhere to recycle old ink cartridges and mobile phone handsets, they do this too!

Num-num-num. The Real Olive Company's unit in St Nicholas Market may be small, but it has a…read morefantastic range of take-away deli items which are great for parties or buffets, or for eating there and then as a lunchtime snack. Apart from the obvious selection of fine olives, you can pick up delicious tapas such as feta stuffed peppers and sweet balsamic onions, or tubs of salad such as cous cous, spicy butterbean or mixed antipasta. They also serve paninis, Spanish frittata, and tartlets with different fillings - but personally I'd recommend trying a wrap from their Lebanese Kofta bar, which cost £4.95 and are very filling - containing lamb or veggie koftas plus a dip (hummus, the smoky aubergine baba ghanoush, or feta with roasted cumin), some salad, and tahini sauce (or rose spicy harissa).

The Real Olive Company is a Bristol based company that's come on in leaps and bounds providing an…read moreamazing service of all that is Mediterranean. On the wholesale side of things they provide delis, cafes, restaurants and hotels across Bristol and the UK with their unique selection of olives, sundried tomatoes and other such delights. That should give some idea of how far this independent retailer has come. On the local side of things, this little store in St Nicholas' Market is one of the best places to find really good, delicious food. Olives are the main thing on offer, with many varieties and tastes sitting in pots and buckets at the front of the stall. This is only a taster and by no means all of it, as you can see when you allow your eyes to wonder a little. Stuffed vine leaves, sundried tomatoes, feta salads and so much more. With salad boxes and bread boxes to go this is a very scrummy, very healthy alternative for lunch or indeed for any time.

This Chinese deli has only been open a couple of months. They have some really interest food…read moreproducts though, from China, Thailand, and Japan. The deli counter is stocked with things like steamed fish and lamb curry, which are a really good price for lunch or a light dinner - £3.50 each (including rice), and the quality of the curry (which I just sampled) is very good. The menu changes every day, according to what the chefs feel like cooking, so there's definitely going to be variety if you become a regular. The man who owns the shop also runs the Thai kitchen at the Old Fishmarket on Baldwin Street, and he has plans to open a Steamed Dim Sum bar at the back of this Deli. There's already a few places set up here, so you can eat in as well as takeaway, or choose one of the intriguing items from one of the 3 shelving units at the front of the shop. Well worth a look if you're passing by.

A really lovely place to get good, simple Thai food and even buy some nits and pieces for cooking…read moreat home. They have a range of really yummy lunch boxes ranging from classics such as Pad Thai noodles to less common stuff like their excellent Malay spicy lamb meat balls, and it changes everyday. A week almost feels wasted if I don't have lunch there at least once :o)

If ever there was a shop that truly had its heart in the right place and really served its…read morecommunity, this is it. The lovely people that run this place not only sell delicious fresh food, they clearly live it. Many times have I walked past and been tempted to walk in just for a chat. The nutritional content of food, the local political and cultural climates - they know it all! They strive incredibly hard to keep their whole and ethical food local, organic certified and chemical free. They even have their own farm nearby which, especially in the summer months, keeps their shelves fully stocked. Off to one side they have an extensive collection of really very good for you teas and ointments, a wide vegan and gluten-free selection and a constant yet dynamic choice of quiche, pasties and cakes for sale at the till. The whole experience is sensitively thought out and as a customer, very enjoyable.

In my opinion Radford Mill Farm Shop is excessively expensive. Yes, it serves fantastic food, but…read morethe price tag always makes me wince before i hand over my hard earned cash. For this reason I always limit my spending to speciality foods that I can't get elsewhere. For more generic items I usually go to either Harvest or Scoopaway, with the latter being my preferred option. I've eaten in the small cafe once (essentially a few tables clustered together in a small area away from the serving area). Again expensive, and a little dark for my liking, the cafe never seems to see much custom. It does however contain a phenomenal amount of reading material and flyers... and is a really quiet place to take a break from the rat race and contemplate your navel for a while.