What more can you say about a fruit and veg shop other than it sells fruit and veg? And attracts a…read morefew wasps? (Darn creatures). Well, this particular greengrocers certainly sold a huge number of fruit, including the most ginormous watermelons I have ever seen, and a few strange looking characters that can be most likened to a cross between an apple and a plum. They also had a vast range of veg, as well as salads (my sister got rather excited at the prospect of shredded beetroot), coleslaw, a few health food snacks (sesame bars...mmm. Or not) and other typical purchases in a fruit 'n' veg shop. I picked up a few kiwi fruit at 29p each (pretty cheap I reckon, and they were really quite delicious to boot), as well as a couple of nectarines for 45p each. And this is where things changed. Up until this point I thought the smooth-skinned, hard-hearted fruit I had been eating for weeks was a plum. Apparently not. It was actually a nectarine, and if it hadn't have been for Ian Wilson (cheers sir), I never would've known the difference. Now, I know this epiphany could have happened in any fruit and veg shop, or even Tesco, but that is not the point. It happened in Ian Wilson's in Saintfield, and I am a better, more knowledgeable person for it. Plums / nectarines...I will forever be able to tell you apart now. Ha. And that's why this little place gets an impressive four stars.

This place is as basic as they come. It is the only fruit and veg shop in Saintfield and it has…read morebeen owned by the same people for years and years, but it has never treated itself to a fully functional sign of its own! Hopefully one day it will to give itself a more established and professional feel. The store used to be very shoddy and old on the inside but got renovated recently and the place is all the better for it. The place itself sells everything you would expect from a store like this, with a wide range of all fruits and vegetables, which are always good quality and are relatively cheap too. The store also sells a few other tinned items and milk so you can get a bit more shopping done here than you would have thought. The place is hardly special but I like to support my small local firms so it gets the thumbs up from me!

Local Greengrocers are hard to find these days, fortunately I have been lucky enough to live beside…read moreone for years. Just situated off the Prince Charles way, Helens has a great selection of fruit and vegetables that are local and fresh. They also have a great selection of flowers that are a lot more preferential than the ones you would otherwise get it a big supermarket or a garage. If I am ever looking quality ingredients when I am planning to cook a meal from scratch, which I will admit is rare, I would always look here first. Everything you need for good honest cooking can be found here, as well as a good selection of the more exotic ingredients that may be required.

Nice wee corner market, the man in Xthe shop is very sweet an friendly. They have sweets,…read morecrips/snacks, drinks and some flowers and vegetables.

Family run fruit and veg shop with very friendly and knowledgable staff, they sell the most common…read morefruit and veg but if you require something a little more exotic than a carrot then you will have to go to one of the supermarkets in Antrim. Prices are good and the goods are always fresh and in season

This is a fantastic local fruit and vegetable shop located just by the river Lagan. All the produce…read moreis delivered fresh each day from local, organic farmers which appeals to residents around the prestigious locality. This was a little bit of a bargain for a thrifty student version of myself who wanted to spend as little money as possible on food and keep as much as possible for the bar! All the local produce is relatively cheap because its delivered straight to the shop, cutting any middle man in the form of whole sellers. The quality of the vegetables is second to none. All grown organically and only in season, which also meant I could vary my stir frys without much effort! The lady owner is a unique character who is always willing to let a hand, is as enthusiastic about the quality of her stores products as are local chefs including celebrity Paul Rankin, who can often be see buying his dailies.

I have *always* wanted to have a peek in Green's. Until yesterday, I thought it was some form of…read morespeciality food shop but it is, in actual fact, just an old school grocery store. And I like old-school. Very reminiscent of Stewart's (they were the days), Green's has a little line of retro tills just as you walk through the door. Beyond this are aisles upon aisles of every kind of food you'd expect to find in a grocery store. Some of the stock is slightly different to what you'd find in Tesco etc. - they had rather a lot of Scottish biscuits and shortbread for example. Nice. The highlight of my visit was the pic n mix section, and this was really old-school. More old-school than I initially realised. Having selected my sweets and lumped them all in one of the plastic bags provided, I headed towards the till and set the bag down. "Oooh, they need weighed love", said the shop assistant, and marched off towards the pic n mix section, with my sister and I hot on her heels. "Sorry, I didn't realise!", I explained, but she wasn't fazed in the slightest. She placed the bag on a set of scales (yes...remember those?! They even gave you a little sticker to put on your items), and headed back to the till. I apologised once again, saying I hadn't realised that the shop was quite so nostalgic, but she just laughed and said, "Ah, this is Green's after all!". I appreciated that. Rummaging through my purse, I produced three pound coins, ready for her to inform me of the price. "£1.64 love" came the unexpected statement. 'Sweet!' (in more ways than one) thought I...it was a heavy bag, and I was prepared to pay quite a bit more. It really was the icing on the cake, so to speak. Happy days...until *someone* ate all my pic n mix, that is. Grrrr. Just means I'll have to pop back someday...

Green's is somewhere I have always walked past in Lisburn, but not gone into, until recently…read more It is a proper wee old fashioned convenience store, something that you literally never see anymore. A thought flashed through my head for a second, wondering how in the world they would get any business, what with the huge Teso superstore in Lisburn, until I took a good look around, the place was absolutely packed. Then I took a closer look. The prices were very, very competitive. I don't know how they do it, but it's a brilliant thing, to see a shop like this nowadays, and not just some generic supermarket. It doesn't look that big from the front, but it's like a tardis inside, with lots of aisles and even a coffee shop in there! There is a huge pick and mix section (I resisted temptation with all my willpower!) and lots of brands you wouldn't often see in the supermarket, including lots of household names, all stacked neatly, with labels facing the front, with great care. I will never bypass this wee shop again!

Hazeldene farm shop is a little bit off the beaten track located in Ballynahinch but is well worth…read morea detour. It represents all that is great about Northern Irish farming. The shop sells fresh eggs, fresh vegetables and meat that has been reared at Hazeldene farm itself. The unique thing about biting into a thick slab of steak from hazeldene is that you can trace your meal back to the ground it was reared on. Hazeldene farm shop also offers original carpentry from the owner of the farm. Such items as dog kennels and bird tables are on sale and each item is a one of a kind. This is a quaint local shop with a homely feel that offers farm fresh flavours in it's products.

Walking in to Fortwilliam Greengrocers is like being Marty McFly and going back in time, for a…read morestart, how often do you see greengrocers these days? Not very often for me. Everything about this store is authentic and old school in the best possible way. Even the sign is something you'd expect to see in black and white photographs. The shop is on a corner plot which means they have loads of items outside, yard brushes, flowers and fresh fruit and veg. You can have a good nosey at their produce without actually going in doors. They have loads of organic, looking fruit, as well as some 21st century items like sweets and snacks. When I went in yesterday it was being run by a single lady but she had everything under control, a proper shopkeeper for a proper shop. This wee part of The Antrim Road is like a throwback to a bygone era. Next to the greengrocers there's a butchers and a baker. All we are missing is a candle stick maker - but who knows that could be next.

From previous experance of shopping in this local fruit and veg shop i have found that the people…read moreare very friendly and always there to lend a helping hand. the fruit and veg are quality food and always fresh. flowers are beautiful and last for long. i believe this is a very good store and there should be more like this.

I am sorry that I wasn't able to find this place sooner. It was only when they got a new sign…read moreoutside that I actually noticed its existence and went inside and took a gamble on one of their sandwiches and I have never turned back! The store is surprisingly large and is full of a wide product range in everything it stocks. It has a large selection of fresh fruit and veg , which it sells a lot of specialty items. It has a wide range of olives, obscure tinned items and a very varied deli counter with a wide selection of cheeses and hams to cater to even the most obscure taste. For me the best part about here is the sandwich bar. There is everything here that you would ever want to put in a sandwich. The bread is cooked on site and is always fresh as a daisy, and sandwiches are generously crammed. My personal fave from here is a chicken, mayo and stuffing which is mois and really delicious, Hooray for Hanlons!

Wonderful fresh fruit and vegetables at great prices, you know the sandwiches are popular - just…read morehave to look at the queue out to the street at lunch time. Friendly and helpful staff, clean and well organised and well laid out store.

If I was a true country bumpkin, I would love this little greengrocers. It's so rustic and…read morecountrified that you almost feel like you've just dandered into something off Emmerdale. That's where there them culchies come from, ya know? Anyway, yes, The Barrow was a sweet little greengrocers with a good variety of stock including locally made jams, honey, marmalade and jellies, as well as nuts and seeds and all those sort of healthy food things that I haven't a notion about. I did pick up three nectarines and a little packet of cherry tomatoes for £2.36, which I felt was a bit expensive, especially given that the nectarines weren't even that nice in the end. Ah well. So, being a city girl through and through, I guess I didn't appreciate The Barrow quite as much as I should have done. It was just that little bit too expensive for me. However, given the fact that it's located in Moira I don't think I should expect much less...