Good variety of meat at reasonable prices. Was hoping to find some offal, alas not much on offer…read more Probably not much demand in this day and age. Bought some Welsh lamb chops and a couple of small black pudding rings. The sausages looked a bit tired, the British beef selection looked appealing.

The Arndale's saving grace is some of the food stalls tucked away in its market area. The High St…read moreMeat Market is decked out in red and is two or three times the size of a normal butchers shop. There's so much meat here! Also, weirdly, loads of eggs. Back to the meat. If you'd like something a bit better than those tired bits of packaged meat you buy in your local supermarket, then this butchers is a good place to start. Alongside your normal buys like chicken breast and sausages you can also get Welsh lamb chops and Scotch beef fillet. And the eggs. Six free range eggs for 99p. Good times.

This is a cool food place. It is like a butchers but also has cooked meats like chicken…read more This one in particular is famous for its Chicken and what it has to offer. It has whole chicken, garlic chicken, spicy chicken, legs and wings and whenever I walk past here, It is packed!!!! Inside the shop, they sell sandwiches and other meat like any other butchers. Sometimes they have pies etc. So it is good all round really. They also have special offers and giveaways so it is always worth a look-see for some great bargains on food.

The chicken I bought here was the best tasting chicken I have had outside a restaurant .....and I…read morehave had some Good chicken in my time. Staff are really friendly and the service was second to none. Nice sandwiches to take out and you can be rest assured they are fresh. If your looking to make a nice meal and want to avoid the supermarkets I would definitely recommend a li' trip here.

This is our regular butchers and by far the most outstanding for meat. The bacon here is perfect…read moremay I say. Today, most people get their meat from Tesco or Asda, may I say to you now: STOP. These butchers are better and always cheaper than leading supermarkets. Another added bonus to this wonderful butchers is the cheese. They have every cheese you need but does any of you now that Martin Platt out of Coronation Street has now turned to cheese making? NO well he has and this shop is one of the few that stock it. Try the smelly Abel, lovely!

Great produce and you will be bowled over when you get the bill for your bacon or cooked meats…read more Massively cheaper than Tesco! Honestly

Meat, meat, lovely meat. Meat to eat, meat meat meat…read more I adore meat. Love it. Can't get enough of it. And I respect it too. That means that I am loath to rely on the anaemic slabs of water-pumped, antibiotic-addicted chicken that line the fridges of Messrs Tesco and Saino. Yeah, I'll use them if they're going to be smothered and pulverised in a slow-cooked stew or curry. But if I'm braising a lamb shank or searing a fillet steak, I want quality. Axons, my friends, is quality. There's no denying it. Back when I lived in ye olde Didsy-B, I would scrape my pennies and every now and then I'd pop to Axons and treat myself to a particularly plump breast of corn-fed chicken, or a devastatingly juicy sirloin. The venison on offer here (seasonably, obvio) is truly incredible. Dense, dark and just that right amount of dank pungency. I honestly haven't had venison that good since I ate at a weird hunting lodge in teh Czech Republic. I am actually salivating right now, imagining that meat. The meat here is obviously more expensive than at the supermarket, but not prohibitively so. Expect to pay about a quid more for your workaday meats such as mince, but seeing as their mince has less fat and crap in it, you're getting about twice as much real meat. When it comes to meat, you get what you pay for, so please pay for the good stuff. Your tummy will thank you (even if Bambi doesn't...)

Though ladled with the unenviable title of 'award winning sausage maker' Axons Butchers have got no…read morebeef with anybody. Excuse the hammy jokes but this place really is making mince meat out of the competition at the minute. Whilst there is definitely something a little Sweeney Todd about the old style shop front, there really is no need to be chicken, the staff are extremely friendly and all too keen to help you plan out what you'll need or a dinner party or special meal.

Before Lidl came to Oxford Road, Worldwide was the place where I did most of my shopping. My…read moreflatmate and I set ourselves a challenge - each time we went to Worldwide we would buy an item of fruit or veg which we had never tried before, bring it home, attempt to prepare it and sample it. This led to some rather funny looks at the counter. One one occasion, on asking our Kenyan friend for cooking information, he explained to us that they probably laughed at us because *no-one* buys just one bhindi. We soon learnt from this school-boy error. As well as fruit and veg I always picked up pitta, naan and other foreign breads here, but it's probably not the place to go for a reasonably priced loaf of Warburton's. They also sell exciting fizzy drinks from all over the world, baklava, mango lassi and every herb, spice, bean or pulse you could think of, all of which I can recommend. Things that I have purchased from here and regretted include tinned palak paneer, a tray of 30 very unethical eggs, weird smelling incense, cheese and DIY henna. As a vegetarian I've never looked at the meat counter. But I know that my Muslim flatmate bought her meat there as it is all Halal and my Chinese flatmates bought their meat there because they sold all the disgusting-sounding parts of animals that they liked to boil up in stews, such as chicken feet. I challenge you to visit Worldwide and not to come away with more than you went in for. Even the fruit and veg is priced so that you end up with 3 cucumbers (£1) rather than the one (50p) you went in for!

Worldwide Foods. Not just a clever name my dears, certainly not. While its location on the Curry…read moreMile might make you think it's an Indian supermarket, well! Remember that it's not only Indian restaurants in Rusholme. Okay, so most of them are curry houses, and that's reflected in the fact that Worldwide Foods is mostly Indian, but you're just as likely to find your Turkish flatbreads or your Jerk seasoning here as you are your Patak's pastes and poppadoms. But you'll find so much more. As I found out far too late on the way out, there's a massive fresh produce fruit and veg stall at the back. There's also a Halal butchers, and tons of stuff you've probably never heard of. We picked up some unusual little treasures like miniature crisp puri breads with cumin seeds, like tiny poppadoms, sweet buns made with sesame seeds and egg, and crumbly shortbread-like biscuits with coconut and topped with chopped pistachio and almonds. In fact, if you're as unfamiliar with ethnic sweets as I am, you may well spend most of your time in the cookie aisle to pick up new treats. As well as this there are additional niche items like rose syrup (for faluda methinks), tropical drinks, every kind of Bombay mix you can think of, canned goods and tons of pulses and rice... just do what I did and explore. It's so much fun. Worldwide Foods is nothing short of a culinary adventure!

Great meat selections and burgers! Go there on Sundays so that they have a charcoal grill outside…read moreto prepare your food! Highly recommend this place for beef lovers!

YES! This is what Manchester has been waiting for! A proper butchers shop within the city centre…read moreselling high quality cuts of meat and other premium produce all sourced locally. I love The Butchers Quarter - every time I come here I'm greeted with so much enthusiasm and joy it's just so refreshing! The guys who work here are clearly passionate about meat and they can answer pretty much any question that you have. They offer advice on how best to cook the meats that you're buying, how to prepare them and how to get the most for your money. They'll let you know where the meats have been sourced - all from local farms - and give you anything else you want to know. The gym pack is £35 which is what I buy on a weekly, sometimes every two weeks, basis. It consists of 10 chicken breasts, 2 pork chops, 2 rump steaks, beef steak mince and beef stir fry. I always but sausages from here too! You can also get wines, cheeses and cold cuts from here - so you can tick off half your shopping list before you leave. The meat is premium quality and I know this because it doesn't shrink when you cook it. It's excellent. It's a must go for your meat!

This Farmers Market was recommended to me by fellow Yelper Gareth H who lives around these parts…read more Ashton Farmers Market takes place on the last Sunday of every month, 9.00am to 3.00pm, although in hardcore market tradition the action is better earlier in the day, with packing up starting as early as 1.30pm or whenever the stall in question has more or less sold out of stock. The stalls are housed outside in the shelters that are otherwise home to the outdoor section of Ashton Market, and indeed the indoor market opens for the earlier part of the Farmers Sunday, plus there are a few of the three dishtowels for £1 outdoor stalls open and looking to cash in on some of the trade passing to the farmers stalls! While there are some good artisan foodie markets in Manchester, I still think Ashton Farmers Market is worth a visit from further afield. While there are good cheese and chutney companies and cupcake makers here, you can tell from the ruddy faces, manner and vehicles of the majority of the stallholders that these are authentic diversified farm businesses or at least rural cottage industries. There is an impressive amount of cooking done from scratch on grill plates and the odd chargriller fashioned from an oil drum cut in half! Vegetarian choice is at least adequate, I would say - even farmers seem to be moving with the times, or at least this forward-looking bunch have. Other stalls include a tea stall with urn (£1 a cuppa), seasonal fruit and veg straight from the farm, garden plants, hand knitted goods and some other random stuff, all of which are done with a lot more TLC than your average high street store. Business is brisk, I was pleased to note. Stating the obvious, but if it is a proper rugged Farmers Market you are after, you need to get out a bit from the centre of the city. For example, Ashton seems to be on a circuit of Farmers Markets which include Todmorden and Hebden Bridge. And there seems to be a similar circuit down Cheshire way, taking place once a month in places like Lymm. Do let me know if you have experiences of good farmers anywhere near Manchester or in Lancashire. If you live anywhere near, or are passing near Ashton and looking for a bit of local flavour, Ashton Farmers Market is definitely worth a visit.

Well that was an enjoyable couple of hours spent at the farners market today…read more There is lots of stalls at this one which is always a plus,and it was the usual fare,lots of nice looking cakes,some seriously good pies and breads,lots of meats,from the usual beef to wild boar and venison. We tried some seriously good cheeses making it hard to decide which ones to buy! The star of this market and any other market they appear at was Robinsons Bakery,seriously it should be made a crime to not buy something from them,their goods are so nice and they are such lovely people. Mrs Z bought some bread and a Manchester tart from them and I had a Vienese finger (ooer!) because they are seriously addictive! Also from the market we bought what can only be described as a slab of meat and potato pie and a walnut batard. It would've been easy to buy more stuff,but we would run out of room! Held on the last sunday of every month this is one Farmers Market that is well worth a visit....

well I used to go the Gabbots Farm for my breakfast and damm good valve it was as well - so now…read morethey change their price - charge higher for a lot less food - well they lost me as a customer - very greedy attittude and I hear that the staff got a telling off for giving the customer value for money! Not the way to do business eh? Well after that rant the food there is very good - cooked chicken the best and cold meats and bargains. Shame about the high rate charged for breakfast but it is blatant greediness

Run by Manchester City Council's Markets New Smithfield…read moreMarket is the largest wholesale market in the North West of England occupying a 35 acre site just 2.5 miles from Manchester City Centre (in Openshaw). Want cheap Fruit, Veg & Meats. Well here at New Smithfield Market is where you want to go. If you buy your fruit or veg from a greengrocer or meat/fish from a Butcher/Fish Monger then beat them to the punch and buy it from here before they do. Yes most local companies will normally buy from here. Most of the action is based in C/D Hallway and the Fish Market. It does look like it is still stuck in 70's and could do with a rejuvenation (unfortunately the market lost a £30m grant to redevelop it due to the cuts)

Its difficult to comment on Manchester Markets as a whole as they cover such a large area of the…read morecity and sell so many different things. From handmade jewellery to homemade soup, the Manchester Markets have so much to offer if you know where (and when) to look. My top three are the Food Market, The Plant and Flower Market and the Fashion Market (for full details and all of the other markets check out the Manchester Markets website). The farmer's Market is easy to stumble across as it is held bi-weekly in Piccadilly Gardens. There is a mix of locally sourced and continental produce for you to try (I tend to make my way along the cheese stand and take advantage of their free testers). I'd highly recommend the Savin Hill Farm butchers stall which sells fresh meats from their traditional, ethical farm. There is a lovely little soup stand which always has something warm and tasty, and definitely pop over to Trevor Duerden's fine fudges for a treat (their gift boxes also make great presents). The Food Market is held twice monthly, on the second and fourth weekend (Friday and Saturday) of each month between 10am and 6pm. The Flower and Plant Market often accompanies the Food Market and has some really interesting things on offer for anyone green fingered. From a fresh cut bouquet of roses to an ancient Bonsai Tree, there is something here for nearly everyone. The market is held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, opening between 10am and 6pm. The Fashion Market is held on Tib Street (just off Piccadilly) every Saturday. The stalls comprise of local shops and boutiques (like Rags to Bitches) as well as independent designers and jewellers. There is always something new to look at here, and plenty of bargains on offer if you're willing to haggle. I'd recommend deciding how much money you want to spend in a day and not taking any more with you or it will disappear before your eyes. Not as cheap as more traditional markets (such as the Longsight Market), Tib Street's Fashion Market is focused on quality over quantity and is worth every penny.

If there's one thing I like, it's meat. I love meat. Seriously, it is one of my favourite things…read more Since I jumped off the vege bandwagon in 2004, I can't remember more than a handful of meat-free days. So, you get it then, I'm a bit of a carnivore... One thing that really gets my goat is crappy meat. I am as guilty as the next person of buying shrinkwrapped anaemic lumps of flesh from Tesco and then complaining because it's a bit shit. And that's fine if you're whipping up a curry or a stew. But when I want something special, like a leg of lamb or a particularly juicy chicken breast, I always go to a butchers'. Midway used to be sort-of on my way home, so on Fridays I'd often pop in and buy something for the weekend. The staff are friendly and bloody hell, do they know their stuff! Once, I had to admit that I had no idea how to roast a leg of lamb in my ridiculous counter-top oven. The bloke behind the counter gave me all manner of good advice, and man, was that lamb tasty The meat here is all very good quality and because you're being served by a real human being, you get exactly what you want, how you want. Say you want big chunks, you get big chunks. You want your chicken basically minced, done. And for a lot cheaper than Tesco. Though I mainly go to the Arndale Meat Market nowadays, out of convenience, I strongly recommend Midway to anyone looking for decent meat at great prices.

I've actually had some experience of two Halal butchers, the other being just outside of…read moreWithington, which I've also reviewed. There's not much in it, but a friend of mine prefers the Withington one. This one has got a lot more large hanging sheep and other ambiguous animals, and more strewn blood, but a much larger selection. The chicken from both this butcher and the Withington one is absolutely gorgeous, so much more succulent and flavoursome than supermarket chicken breast, and also much cheaper. Thomas is absolutely right, it is a bit industrial scale, but they'll also sell you however much meat you require and the staff are very helpful and will even share cooking tips. Basically I recommend going to either. They're usually used by kebab shop owners and restaurants in the area which is likely to put people off, but it really shouldn't do, so next time you do a shop, leave the meat out and visit the Halal butchers, or the Withington one. I bet once you do this once you'll do it every week.