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!

I think the small, local and independent butcher is something to be cherished. With more and more…read moreof us doing all of our shopping at a massive supermarket once a week, finding an independent butcher, baker or candlestick maker is becoming more and more of a surprise. Longsight Meat Market isn't a market, it is just a small butchers. They've got one of those hot meat stands out at the front of the shop. Unfortunately, rather than successfully ripping off Gabbotts Farm butchers popular hot meat stand (think chicken wings, nuggets, popcorn chicken), it's more a case of tired looking meatballs in this case. But this betrays what the Longsight Meat Market is actually about, which is providing quality meat at great prices. There's plenty of staff behind the counter to help you get exactly what you want. Two lbs of bacon here costs just £1.50. Try getting those types of prices at the supermarket.

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.

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.

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!

Based in the Fish Market at New Smithfield Market is J&B Wildes…read more One of many Fish, Poultry & Meat sellers based here. Open from 2am till 10am you will normally fins this place bustling with traders normally from Shops or Restaurants (its not unusual to see people with orders of £1000 and over being done here). I no longer buy my heavily injected chicken breasts from Tescos or Asda any more. Here i buy 5KG boxes (normally 20+ breast's pending on size) for no more then £24 (prices depend on daily trading price). Theres loads more to choose from as well. But beware its mostly wholesale which means buying bulk. But with free parking at Smithfield if you have a van or a car & freezer space then this is a great place to get fresh butcher, fish monger quality meat before it reaches your butcher or fish monger.

Gabbots Farm is a Butchers / Deli in the Manchester Arndale, which has been in the centre for a…read morelong time, more recently being taken over by Crawshaw's but still trading under the other name, due to its presence in the city for so long. Inside, it is quite a big place with a variety of meats either in the fridge or at the counter, there is a service point mainly for sandwiches etc on the Arndale floor, meaning when busy as you go further inside the store it can be near enough impossible to get service, which was why I eventually walked out. The overall selection is poor, even compared to smaller and more local butchers especially for gluten free and even other stuff too, some things isn't clearly labelled to stand out and make you want to buy the product and know fully and exactly Inside, it isn't the nicest of places either and it could do with a refurb in a way to stand out and be a nicer place to look around, but the main issue is the service which is basically non-existent hence warranting a single one star.

The last time I went to Venus was just after COVID. I used to do all my food and other necessary…read moreshopping and often used to take my family the takeaway for food. I also used to invite friends for some quick food. However my last experience completely changed my opinion about the store. I went with friends and I ordered lamb donor. As soon as it was placed on the table. The smell of off meat was horrendous. I asked the customer service provider who was wearing big thick glasses to replace with something else, he served me with lamb donor again saying that this is different donor. I asked him to give different food such as chicken, veg or salad except lamb donor. However not only he did not serve different food, did not refund me. I raised the issue with management and management and he could refund me and said, don't worry when I come next time, he would sort me out. What a service!!! I have informed many of my friends about this disgraceful service and will continue to do so. Only to make sure that they don't get treated this way. I have always been in support of local community and local shops although sometimes the prices are a bit expensive then chains, but definitely not support of Venus Turkish supermarket anymore.

Yes! Venus Supermarket is really quite great. What Rob has said basically…read more It's a big Turkish cash and carry place, that sells a wonderment of weird and wonderful food in my drab English eyes. There are more olives here than I have ever seen in my life - literally an entire aisle. There's not much fruit and veg here but there is a meat counter at the back and a myriad of lentils, beans, pickles and that kind of thing. It will definitely make your cupboard in the kitchen twice as interesting if you fill it with some of the goodies from Venus Supermarket.

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.