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.

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.

I rarely venture to the shopping mecca / hell that is the Trafford Centre. On the rare occasions I…read moredo however, I always try to stop by at this branch of Vom Fass. Located in Selfridges, it's almost twice as big as the city centre concession and the staff are more generous with the samples. As well as the all gorgeous flavoured vodkas, rums and grappas I've already raved about they stock about a dozen olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Produced by artisan growers in different European countries, they are stored in wooden barrels and taste sensational. The fact you can get them in a variety of different size and shape glass bottles makes them an ideal present for the chef or home-cook in your life.

I had a revelation today. Could it be that I am getting old? Am I turning into an old lady who…read morealways has a trusty paper bag of sweets in her handbag for emergencies? My wonderful 93 year old Aunty Alice has an endless supply of "Uncle Bens" or "Rushton Mints" in her tardis of a handbag and used to whip one out for me when I was a little girl and fell over. These sweets would break your milk teeth and drag out your fillings yet they stopped the tears immediately. The Traditional Sweetie Shop opened in October 2009 on Higher Lane in Urmston and it welcomed me in like an old friend. Jars and jars of adored favourites sit patiently behind huge glass cabinets, waiting to be weighed and they always seem to know when I walk through the door. It is not that I have a particularly sweet tooth, I prefer to claim that I have low blood sugar levels and one midget gem will single handedly prevent me from fainting. So I enter this confectionary haven, intent on buying a traffic light lolly each for the children and I go crazy. There are jazzles, cola cubes, bonbons and sherbet; ABC's, cola pips and fizzers. The owner never judges me when I stand sheepishly with 8 white paper bags in front of me full of my sugary friends. I always wonder how shops like these stay open. As lovely- and necessary- as they are, my mountain of candy only comes to £3. For 8 bags!!! I know it's weird to complain about how cheap this is but surely these shops must need a million customers a day to achieve any profit? Anyway, I shall stop worrying because The Traditional Sweetie shop has quickly become a local favourite. Mums call in for their naughty secret cravings, grannies go there for their colesfoot rock and cough candy and rush hour is between 3.30 and 4.30 when kids stream out of school and head there like flies to jam. This is not just a sweetie shop, it is a nostalgic walk down memory lane as well.

As though the promise of traditional sweets isn't temptation enough, you can't help but be drawn in…read moreby the window displays of this Urmston shop. On one side boiled sweets and Sherbet Dip Dabs hang from white branches. On the other side an old fashioned coal fire and armchair set the scene for a display of Mr Fitzpatrick's tonics and cordials, which date back to the 1890s. Though not this particular batch, of course. I realise that there are lots of online shops selling traditional sweets but there's something quite special about seeing them all set on in front of you in their jars. Sherbet Pips, Kola Bottles, Pear Drops, Chocolate Limes . . . Of course you no longer ask for a quarter, you ask for 100 grams and while we were there two kids came in with their pocket money asking for 25 gram mixed bags. The Traditional Sweetie Shop is a family run business and the staff were all very friendly and happy to help. Needless to say we didn't come away empty handed. We bought three bags of sweets and a bottle of Mr Fitzpatrick's Blood Tonic.

After a disappointing trip to the Sweet Emporium I was further let down by Cadburys! Like Michael…read moreB, I also left without buying anything even though I actually got as far as the till, but as in Sweet Emporium they don't take cards for transactions under £5. What is this? 1995? Unacceptable. Ok so the main problems are: unexciting range, totally unbargainous prices. You can DEFINITELY do better in Tesco Express on chocolate deals. I know, because I buy chocolate in Tesco Express almost every day owing to Some Problems I Have With Sugar. Tesco Express isn't even a supermarket! Bear in mind also this is not a price for gifts, as Michael B also found - it is factory style so things are in very boring plastic bags. Lowry Outlet Mall betrayed me twice in one day. Never again shall I darken its doors.

Cadbury's is one of the biggest chocolatiers in the UK, hence I had big expectations for this…read morestore. It is located in the Manchester Lowry, a "shopping centre", I find simply a waste, and something bad in a really nice, modern area, this store is no different. Cadbury's shop, actually sells products, from companies other than Cadbury and most of the items here, including their own are far too overpriced. They do sell chocolate machines, and sort of toys for kids, but they don't seem sturdy enough to last long, and they are just a token, rather than a long lasting gift, and as far as I remember, they are pretty pricey too. " Cadbury Factory Shop " makes me think it would be a chocolate heaven, with chocolate, fresh, directly shipped from the factory, (which is a fantastic gift and can be bought online), although a little pricier, but this store isn't that, it just sells items from other companies (sweets etc) and overpriced Cadbury's souvenirs, whether it be chocolate or stupid, poor quality machines. Even though I'm not a chocolate lover, I do like Cadbury's as a company (some of their products anyway), I think they need to just stick to that, what they are good at, rather than ruin their profits and reputation by opening a poor store like this. Cadbury's need to leave sweet / chocolate stores to Mr Simms and selling their products to the supermarket giants and local newsagents, so I do feel this store deserves one star.

Top wholesale butchers which is open for the general public…read more There's always great deals on quality low cost meats. I always buy the 5Kg packs of chicken breasts for £20. Approx 30 big breasts. Great for meat glazes, sauces and condiments too. Highly recommended.

TL;DR - Prestwich's very own co-operative food store…read more Chorlton has the Unicorn Grocery - Prestwich has Village Greens. It may not be as big as it's south Manchester contemporary, but it's got bags of character. It's more about being a local community store than being a hippy hang out. This is a place for people who care about their food, rather than people who are trying to lead an alternative lifestyle. As such, whilst there's a lot of locally sourced fruit and veg (and things from further afield) you'll also find lots of dairy and meat for sale as well. There's fresh, chilled and store cupboard foods on sale - all ethically sourced, and much of it organic. They even do household products too, with an emphasis on being environmentally friendly and biodegradable. Behind the counter there is freshly baked bread and an assortment of gorgeous looking cakes and desserts. Staff are always helpful and friendly and nothing is too much trouble. The store has a lot of competition in the area, with an enormous Tesco nearby, Aldi down the road and an M&S Food Hall practically next door - but it genuinely offers something different to the area and is well worth some of your hard earned pennies.

Village Greens is nothing short of sensational.....Stocking fresh organic locally produced Fruit &…read moreVeg, a large variety of healthy & nutritious products from Chocolate to grains to cereals, pulses, drinks, dairy & non-dairy vegan ranges, sauces, wraps & pies, toiletries, a deli section, fresh breads, spreads, teas, coffees, alcohol and sundries.....etc Plenty of ethically local sourced goods, and even has a daily soup freshly made..... The staff are exceptionally warm & welcoming and lots of fun, and are very happy to stock products if not available, and can be easily sourced. This is my (fairly local) main shop and stocks a huge variety for it's size. It's like a little family in there and you feel part of a "community". If you really want to get serious about looking after your health.....Village Greens is the place to come.

Unfortunately grocery stores seem to be becoming a thing of the past but if you are looking for a…read moretraditional grocer's from which to buy all your fruit and veg, then you can't go far wrong with the imaginatively titled Wayne's Fruit and Veg, surprisingly run by a guy called Wayne. The fruit and veg on offer is fresh and reasonably priced and you'll always get a bit of friendly banter to accompany your apples and pears. Admittedly, you won't be able to get hold of rocket or starfruits or anything else particularly exotic but it's definitely a perfect source of your standard fruit and veg in Sale Moor village. It's on the main road in Sale Moor but there is limited parking available on the road outside for popping in.