When I moved to the other side of the High Street I knew that I was going to miss Ruprai. That legendary, 2nd generation Family-run Indian corner shop that is famous for waist-high cat-runs of crates of lager at cut-prices.
It didn't take long for me to find this replacement that is a more convenient distance from my house for the essentials like a weekend newspaper, a packet of cigarettes, milk, or a bottle of wine.
The shop has recently come under new management. The new owner has retained the friendly staff and he himself is a chatty one too. He's installed a halal hot dog machine, a £1 section and one of those darn handy bits 'n' bobs displays that sell tape measures, cotton, needles, etc, like a hardware store in miniature at the end of one of the aisles.
The wine and beer isn't sold at the cheapest prices here, but if you don't mind paying an extra £2 on top of what you'd usually pay at a supermarket, there is a good range of reds, whites, and roses as well as all the usual brands of continental strength lager. (And Special Brew if chugging litres of the fizzy stuff down your neck to get merry isn't your thing).
They sell local produce too, if snacks and sweets from Bobby's counts as that! read more