This co-op is open 8am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4 pm on a Sunday. It has a huge…read moreselection of food and drink, but be warned it is the only store in the village that sells everything so it does seem to run out of bread by teatime the next closest store is Tesco which is seven miles away. They have a hot deli counter selling fresh cooked chickens and hot meat and pies and also a deli counter selling cooked meets and cheese. They have a big range of beer wines and spirits. The staff are chatty and will help if you ask them for help, but don't expect them to find anything that isn't on the shelf (I think they keep a very limited stock). Not the cheapest place to shop but for a few bits its ideal.

great local shop, very convenient!read more

This lovely sweet shop was near our hotel and had quite a variety of treats. I was especially fond…read moreof the starfish gummies that were sold in bulk. If you're visiting Colchester I recommend you visit this shop.

So you know that hackneyed saying, 'Like a kid in a candy store'?…read more Whoever said it first was probably talking about Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe. Yeah, it's a franchise. No, I haven't ever seen another one other than this one in Colchester. And, really, Colchester is the perfect place for a 'Ye Olde' candy shop, so I'm going to pretend that it's the one-and-only. Situated on a very quaint and medieval-looking lane, Mr Simms jumps out at kids and adults alike, with its dark brown wooden façade and recreated 'olde worlde' windows that allow passers-by to peer in and gawk at the floor-to-ceiling rows upon rows of delicious, sugary delights, with classic and newfangled sweets equally represented. Whether you pick out individually packaged fudge from the self-service shelves or ask for a staff member to measure you out half a kilo of gummy bears and three snakes from the candy hoard behind the counter, you'll leave this place with enough child-like, sugar-induced euphoria to get you through to next week. Or, at least through to the end of your sugar rush.

very competitive prices and pay at pump, made my journey that little bit cheaper and easier.read more

handy store helpful staffread more

We came across this quaint tea shop on a cold January morning. On the door was a sign, 'put wood in…read morehole', a message from the north about shutting the door. Understandable in this cold weather. Walking through a shop full of ice creams and sweeties was difficult not to buy something but we were here for a coffee. The tearoom was upstairs. A small room used to its full advantage. Jazz memorabilia adorned the walls as did an extensive menu. Coffee was brilliant in the form of a cafetiere for two at, I will admit, a silly cheap price. We will return in the future to try out some of those delicious items on the menu board.

A lovely little tea room/confectioners/ice cream shop, nestled just off the main drag in achingly…read morepretty Lavenham. Well worth a visit for ice cream, single scoop cones being a very reasonable £ 1.50, with a range of interesting flavours, e.g. Eton Mess ( with meringue pieces and raspberry) and banana split ( my new favourite). Don't all arrive at once though- this place is on the bijou side.

It's surprising that you can pretty much do a whole weekly shop in Iceland. Not only is it a great…read moreplace to pick up all your frozen food but they also do various vegetables, cereals, breads and other minor essentials. Of course the saving is all made on the frozen stuff. You can get two chicken Kiev's for a £1 beating all of the supermarkets. Chips are also a bargain along with roast potatoes, parsnips and other 'Sunday dinner' items. If you are shopping on a budget or you are just on foot then this is ideal as it is in the centre of town. Ideally you could get your frozen stuff from Iceland and then other items from Tesco as this would help your money go further. The store is quite small in comparison to normal ones but it has the essentials. If you want to save money or avoid cooking the more complicated dishes this is ideal just remember to take your 'bag for life' as they charge for plastic bags.

The butchers itself offers lots of different types of meat and there are so many deals to be…read morehad.This is a lovely butchers called the meat inn, which is found in the centre of Ipswich town on the main drag. For example you can buy 2 pounds of meat for £3. Then on the outside of the door there are lists of big offers. Where you get lots of chops, joints, mince, sausages and bacon for a set amount, there are different packages available to suit your needs, and if you ask nicely you can mix and match products of a similar value. The staff are always friendly and if the meat is just over they always let you off, they would rather give you that little bit extra, then that little bit less.