Cheap eat Monday this week, which is a thing I've just made up, is courtesy of Gabbots, in the…read moreArndale centre. Although it says it has a new name, the plastic bag (no charge) it came in says Gabbots, so Gabbots it is. Situated near, but not in, the Arndale Food Markets (more on those another day) its a handy place to get away from the hipsters of the Northern Quarter and just chow down on some straight up food. Theres all the meats, and at least 2 types of chips available from their hot food counter, and you don't need to worry about if your food comes on a plate, as its all takeaway in plastic containers. Theres probably some bull in there as well, but refreshingly, no bullshit. The first thing your going to notice about Gabbots, it is almost impossible to tell what they serve, as the heaving mass of meat eaters obscures the front of house. Peak a look through the crowd, and you'll spot what you want. You've got all your basic meats, sausages, burgers, chilli con-carne. If your feeling in a healthy mood, you've got your chicken option as well. Its not one for the vegetarians. I make a compromise and go for the 'Zinger' burger, any resemblance to any other chicken live or dead is un-intentional. I pair it with curly fries, which may also be referred to as salt and pepper fries, a bit like the Chinese salt and pepper seasoning, but not quite as nice. You've got to know what you want by the time you enter the queue, it always looks long, but they don't mess around at Gabbots. I imagine its close to the atmosphere on the trading floor at Wall Street. Before you know it your asked if you are being served, and you don't want to still be deciding if you want some chicken wings on the side. You need to be decisive. Do you want butter? No. Salad? All of it (I'll pick the cucumber off later). Stick me some mayo on the burger, and ketchup on the chips. Grab a can of your chosen fizzy drink, diet for me, got to watch the calories. £3.80 all in. You grab the bag and a plastic fork and your off. Now your thinking, I don't want to go back to the office, I'll probably get asked questions, its really difficult to seem like you care when you've got a Zinger burger and fries to think about. This is where the second part of the trading floor is. Head to the Food Market, dodge pass the crowds and try and find somewhere to perch, or if your lucky sit. If you play your cards right, you'll negotiate your self the prime real estate of a window seat. Its not quite the Hollywood Hills, but it gives you something to keep your mind of what bullshit you will entail on the return to work. I end up with a chair, but only a view of Panchos, which makes me wonder if I should have pushed the boat out and stumped up £6 for their hefty burritos. But I'm content with my faux KFC and curly fries. It might not be Michelin star, but you know exactly where you stand with a Gabbots, and you've got change from a fiver. You might get a half with that later in the week. Overall: Three hundred and eighty pence out of five english pounds.

Gabbotts Farm is one of the top 5 independent butchers in the UK. I do my monthly shopping for…read morefresh chicken and meat at this store. I find them to be cheaper than the main supermarkets especially if I'm buying in bulk for the freezer.

Don't you find something safe and secure about family run businesses? It must be far less stressful…read moreto be born into this world, knowing your path has been marked out for you. No confusion over choosing your options at age 14. No agony deciding what A' Levels to select. No University degree following which you have to write 200 job applications. Entering into the family business must be akin to an arranged marriage: you hopefully have a say but it is there waiting for you. It is a reliable plan which has worked out well for previous generations and it will afford you the same stability and success. Howarth's butchers is one such institution; a family run business in Urmston with a great reputation. Going there is like a trip back through time because the shop is kitted out with the look of a bygone era: huge red and white striped canopy and little carts of fruit and veg outside the door. The staff wear traditional butcher attire and will do anything for you. Howarths sell really good cuts of meat and their award winning Cumberland sausages will turn your boring bangers and mash into a designer dish. It operates a free refrigerated delivery service within a 15 mile radius and this has come in very useful for me on many occasions. A little pricier than other butchers but well worth checking out for all the carnivores out there.

If you're an epicurian who's always looking for the best ingredients, you might want to take the…read moretime to read about this historic butchers. This butchers has won multiple awards for their excellence. Their sausages in particular have been named the best in England: hazelnuts & apples and Moroccan lamb are amongst my favourites, but they are ALL good! They've got every type of beef, pork and lamb cuts you can imagine, the best chorizo I've eaten outside of Spain. Don't be put off by the location either - this place delivers free of charge so take a look at their website...I'm so excited about this find.

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.

Value for money. Small family-owned farm with their own farm shop, coffee shop and very…read morechildren-friendly! I didn't go into the shop but did get time to enjoy cream tea in the cafe. For only £2.50, I enjoyed a pot of tea, with extra hot water should I have fancied more, a warm home made fruit scone served with clotted cream and jam! It was delicious! The staff were lovely and checked to see if I enjoyed the scone and if I wanted a bacon sarnie to take with me! The coffee shop also had some farm-themed gifts, greeting cards and nik-naks for giving your home a touch of country feel. The place had been newly finished with extra seating inside next to a cosy log burner. There is also extensive seating outside where there is also a mini bouncy castle! I will be popping by again to pick up some meat soon but wanted to share it with you Yelpers now as its a bit of a hidden gem. Bring your family here this weekend (if the weather is not too grim)!

This is exactly the type of place I've been searching for since moving to the area. All other…read more'butchers' I've been to around here don't stock the cuts of meat I'm usually after...bone in pork shoulders and beef ribs or they are overly expensive. Here they will butchers cut you wish as they deal in whole carcass and the prices are very reasonable...£3.50 for brisket and beef ribs is very cheap compared to most places. It is a very clean place considering it's on a farm. There is also a tea room and small pet shop to visit.

My wife ran the Ring O' Bells pub for three and a half years with many compliments o the food…read morequality. This was, to a large extent, helped by the meat we got from Houghton's. This is truly a family butchers, as most of the family are involved in the day-to-day business. They would deliver to us in time for the afternoon cooking session even when my wife forgot to order until after midnight! (They have an answerphone and act on the night's messages first thing in the morning. The few times we were even slightly disappointed in something, it was changed immediately. I would recommend Houghton's to any business interested in local, good quality cuts of meat.

For far too long I've been buying meat from supermarkets, due to convenience and cheaper pricing…read more Had it not been for my folks back in the Dale converting to shopping at their local butchers and me tasting the difference in quality, I'd have carried on regardless. Now living in Sale I'd been informed of Taylors by a couple of friends so left the chicken and red meat off my 'big shop list' and headed into Sale Moor one Saturday afternoon. Parking in the free car park down Warrener Street, it's just a short walk round the corner. It was full of customers inside but they have plenty of staff so it wasn't long before it was my turn. If you didn't know exactly what you wanted you might feel a slight pressure to make your mind up quickly, especially on busy days like this one. The selection on offer is mind-boggling, from choice cuts of beef and poultry to oven-ready products. They have one of the longest well-stocked display counters I've ever seen in an independent shop. I opted for four chicken breasts (which the butcher kindly diced up for me), gammon steaks and beef for a stir fry. All of this was ~£15 which is more expensive than the supermarkets, but as they only stock products from local farmers you know it's worth it. Tip: they accept payment by debit/credit card.

This is a top notch village butchery with top notch customer service so it won't surprise you to…read morehear its top notch prices. So ya pays yer money and makes yer choice. Give me this place over any supermarket butchery counter any day of the week. Just because it's a supermarket doesn't mean it's cheaper, not where quality meat is concerned and we need to think on about supporting these community places as they are part of the fabric of villages like this. The quality and the selection of local meat is superb, whether it's their great shop made proper pork & beef sausage selection around £9 a kilo, their great lamb through to fillet steaks at the upper end of £35 a kilo. It's a small butchery, 4 or 5 customers would fill it. Its popularity is best seen in the lead up to Christmas as people, including me, queue up outside for our festive meats and the free refreshments as we stand in the chill. There is some car parking at the rear too.