Newtownards, like many of the smaller towns and villages in northern Ireland plays host to a market…read moreevery Saturday and every Saturday I pass by, so used to seeing it that it could be full of naked shoppers and I wouldn't notice. I decided last week to make an exception and to enter the market square. My friend and I decided we would play a game. each had £1.00 and we had to buy the other a gift using only that pound. We set off in different directions. The stalls all sell typical market products. There is a butchers with great deals on meat such as five steaks for £10 and also selling a selection of nice looking sauces. There is a fishmonger selling any sea creature your heart desires - just follow the smell. There is also, bizarrely, a stall selling big massive lighters, as in lighters the same length as my arm, car fresheners: 4 for a £1.00 with rather interesting perfume scents such as cool water and poison - this stall also sells pellet guns. There is a florist stall with all colours of plants and a lady selling big Sloggi branded knickers - i decided to get my friend a pair but they were only slightly dearer than a pound so instead I bought her one giant prawn, thankfully she bought me some really nice buns from the bun stand. She told me she had gone straight for the big knickers too - ha ha great minds think alike. The market is good for machinery, garden things, rugs, meat, big lighters and fish. It's worth a look.

All Seasons is another one of those old timely Fruit and vegetable shops in Newtownards town…read morecentre. There seem to be loads of the same type of shop in a relatively short distance from each other. All seasons is very old fashioned and is like a market stall in a shop. It sells fruit and vegrtables and is in direct competition from the seemingly more popular Clive's fruit and Veg shop. Because these two shop are in such close proximity helps keep their prices down. But they most likely get their fruit and veg from the same suppliers. You can not miss All Seasons it has a bright green awning and is very old timely, I would recommend a visit you are sure to get the freshest produce at a good price.

Ards Saturday Market is a traditional Irish Market dating back to the 1760's. It has a variety of…read morethriving stalls and local produce including meat, vegetables and fish. These will be as fresh as you can get too. Don't be disappointed, although this is a traditional Irish market it still has stalls where you can purchase 5 lighters for a pound and get wicker washing baskets for your household chores. This is also traditional in the sense that you can get some knock off clothing, for instance instead of an "Adidas" tracksuit why not get an "Amidas", exactly the same only with two stripes. You will be the envy of all your friends, by envy I of course mean punch bag. This really is a must if you are in Ards town centre on a Saturday, you will meet some characters on and off the stalls. This market ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous so expect to be beckoned over to see some form of tat or tradition.

Having had the plum / nectarine epiphany in Saintfield (yep, there's a review for that), I felt…read moremuch more confident in my purchasing of such fruit, and so decided to test my skills of discernment in this little greengrocers in Comber. Unfortunately, small was indeed the operative word for this fruit shop, and it lacked in the nectarine department. Generally the levels of stock / variety of fruit was down quite a bit on what I had experienced in Saintfield. So much for my bright idea... As I mulled over the purchase of plums (as a replacement for the unavailable nectarines), my thoughts were distracted by a small boy of about seven whose mum was talking to a friend about her redundancy and subsequent job-searching. Bored out of his little mind, he had spotted a lengthy leek, pointed to it shouting, "Mum! Mum! Look at this! What is it?!" to no avail, and the picked up said leek, thrusting it towards me (not directly at me though) whilst crying "Ssssnake! Snake!". His mum, deep in conversation, took no notice. Oh dear. I decided, having witnessed the above scenario, I would grab a few plums and pay (perhaps for the sake of my safety). Unfortunately the lady shopkeeper had gotten caught up in the riveting conversation, and due to her listening intently, ignored me as I stood beside her at the till. The trusty clearing of throat attention-seeking method came in handy here, and once done, I was instantly seen to. The plums came to £1.47 for three (49p each...I could have sworn they were 39p, but I decided not to check and just get out). Who said fruit shops were boring?!

Inside ards shopping centre is Thornton's store with plenty of stock…read more There is a wide range of chocolate on sale here from white chocolate , milk chocolate and dark chocolate and flavoured chocolate. You can get chocolate eggs or chocolate plaques, chocolate bears etc personalised with a message or name of your choice perfect for a gift. Theres a massive chocolate fountain in store you can buy marshmallows and fruit to dip into the chocolate fountain in store. Also selling ice cream in a variety of flavours from vanilla, honeycomb, mint, chocolate and more. There is a good range of diabetic chocolate in here which doesn't taste too bad at all, its actually the nicest diabetic chocolate I've tasted. Also sell yummy fudge and in different flavours and yummy sweets. Great store for any chocolate and sweets lover. Prices are reasonable and they regularly put on deals in this store and sometimes have a reduced section. Quality chocolate, one of my favourite shops.

Veggies beware, Primacy Meats Food Village kind of give the game away with their name. It started…read morelife as a butcher and farm shop and is mostly a carnivore's paradise. That said there is plenty of fresh fruit and veg in the shop as well. Although Bangor has an abundance of butchers, this one has joined the growing trend of having a coffee shop/restaurant attached. The food in here is good quality using on site ingredients for good prices. You can get a hearty feed for £5. Unlike other reviewers I find Primacy to be one of the cheapest butchers in Bangor (maybe its more to do with what I buy) and they have good meat packs available which offer decent discount for bulk buying. Some of the other products on offer in the shop can be pricey though. I also think their meat is great quality and well tasty. The staff are all great. Friendly and happy to provide help and advice.

Primacy Meats used to be a small family run butchers with a small farm shop that probably stocked…read moreproduce 2 years past its sell by date. But within the last 3 years it has grown, matured and developed into a super butchers. It now boasts a coffee shop, gift shop and fruit and veg shop, its like when one of your friends comes into money and completely changes. They get a brand new house (shop) build big iron gates and lose all personality. Although I think I may just be bitter because I felt a certain affinity with the old Primacy meats. It is rather over priced compared to its competitors and it feels like it is trying to hard to be the best. With the awards it has won there is no wonder that it has developed an ego. Northern Irelands Butcher of the year 2009 is one of these accolades but trust me if you want reasonably priced meat I would stay away from the Primacy. The staff are friendly and polite and they will even throw in an extra dog bone with your purchases. But if they get any more expensive the dog will be missing out and I will be chewing on the bone. It is a great location, out of town and if you fancy something different for lunch then you should visit the coffee shop, it is a little more reasonable. Parking is fantastic but it does get busy in BBQ season and you may have to queue out the door.