Okay, a little backup here, friends who know me well. My name's Emma-Lou H, and I'm a baker. Cakes…read moreand crumbles, pies and quiches, brownies and flapjacks, cookies and shortbreads... if it can be eaten alongside a nice cup of tea or mug of coffee, I can throw it together. But every now and then a recipe will crop up that challenges me somewhat. I can find those ingredients, sure, but where's my springform tin? My electric hand whisker? My multi-tiered cupcake stand? Here! From knives Patrick Bateman would be proud of to decorative doilies for show-standard prettiness, everything for the amateur baker or serious chef is right where you'd need it. It's a tiny little spot in the Arndale Market crammed with delights from some hugely recognisable brands, and it represents a genuine treasure trove of cooking brilliance. Look out for little gadgets and measurers that make your job far easier and storage solutions for your kitchen. A classic example of how some great local shopping can be done in the eclectic Arndale Market - make sure you stop here before whipping up some Christmas yummies!

This is a great cookshop! I don't know if you'll find better in the city centre. He even has the…read moremore obscure items! For general cooking, catering, and especially baking, this guy has a great selection. If you're looking for something but can't find it, ask him and he probably will locate it within the shop. If not, he can probably order it in for you. The owner of this stall is very friendly and helpful, and has been able to get things for me I doubt I could get anywhere except the internet.

HomeSense is a chain of discount home furnishing stores, it is owned by TK Maxx, who also has a…read morestore next to this one in the Manchester Arndale. like TK Maxx the branding/styling of the name is different on this side of the Atlantic. The store is large and has a good selection of bits and bobs, from pillows to appliances, from ice cube trays and cheese-graters. Considering, they're supposed to be a "discount" chain, I did find some prices to be a little high, if you're lucky you'll find a high-quality item with a good discount/offer though, so it's kind of like a TKMaxx jumble sale but replacing the clothes with home items. The staff seemed friendly and happy to help me find what I was looking for, and the experience at the checkout was smooth. This is a fairly good store, obviously, some deals are better than others, but probably the best selection of home furnishing in the Manchester Arndale, with a fairly presentable store and helpful staff. 4*

I'm kind of in love with this shop. It's dreamy! The window displays are whimsical and they're sure…read moreto draw you in every time. The seasonal produce is brilliant, both food items and general home ware. They've got the Christmas stock in at the moment and it's absolutely gorgeous, snow globes and crockery, bath products and food. You name it :) I had to drag myself out of the shop before I spent my entire pay check. I love that you can get top quality, one off items here are a very decent price. The staff are always helpful and the store is clean and well presented. They also have a pretty good reduced to clear range. If you're in to DIY like me you can pick up something that's a little damaged for a ridiculous price and fix it up at home. I've saved so much doing this. I also find this shop to be ideal for gift shopping as they stock such a wide range of products, the packaging tends to be beautiful and I can pick up items here that I wouldn't normally see in other shops.

Furniture stores are few these days as big chains are in charge more or less. This shop though has…read moregrown from strength to strength. It offers all sorts of furniture to customers and is very popular to locals as it is cheap and unique furniture. If you don't want to follow the herd and go to IKEA then this is your perfect find. It really is great!

From the owner: We are an independent retailer specialising in home furnishings and bathroom products. Good quality…read moreluxury at affordable prices.

Nisbets is a very useful store, although known as a brand that sells commercial catering equipment,…read moreit is also open to the public (Although do remember that prices on the shelves might not include VAT for the public) This is one of their largest stores in the country, it is located on Booth Street, with St Peter's Square and the Town Hall a stone's throw away. I visited the store to pick up an online order, orders can arrive in the store within as little as an hour, during their opening hours, if the item is in stock, which is pretty good. There were quite a few staff members working, which was good to see, ensuring fast and friendly service. I found the process to pick up my order in-store simple, all I had to do was provide my name and order number and I was able to get in and out of the store within a couple of minutes. The only thing I didn't like was having to sign a physical sheet of paper, which appeared to have other customers' names on it, it seemed so draconian, having a handheld scanner, and keeping any customer names confidential would be much easier both access and privacy. The store was well stocked, clean and easy to follow, and they did have some nice items, and prices were very good value for money, so it's no wonder this place appeals to both trade and public members. They are open until 17:30 Monday to Saturday, for a store in the city centre, I do find this to be far too early, and I would have thought they would have remained open until 19:00 at the earliest. 4* - A nice store that I will look forward to returning to.

Having passed this place a thousand times and not even…read moreseeing it is hard to imagine. its open to trade and general public and sells lots of diffrent cooking need. from pans to baking dishes ,utensils and expensive kitchen aid mixers if i wasn't already carring a load full of cooking gadgets in my hand i would of walked around more slowly and probably pick up a thing or two. This is the place to come for any keen cook wether your proffessional or a home cook

Tefal is a french manufacturer of your typical cookware and home appliances, such as kettles,…read moretoasters and blenders, this is an Outlet store which are often cheaper to reduce some stock, and I was very impressed with the prices in particular, where I picked up an iron, for £9.99 which as I recall should have been around £25 - £30 The store was quite quiet, but so was the rest of the Lowry Outlet Mall it was located in, mainly due to the time of my visit, later in the evening after grabbing a meal elsewhere in the complex at Caffe Rouge. The store was a decent size and did have a nice range of items, which still seemed good quality and they were applicances, I guess were discontinued and sold at set price, but they still seemed to be good, and honestly I'm a tech-lover but even I don't care about having the latest iron, kettle, blender or toaster if such thing exists, as they still had some pretty nice applicances here. The decor was basic but it seemed typical of most Outlet stores, it was okay. The staff seemed nice here, the man picked up a boxed version of my iron from the back, rather than the model I picked up, it is worth noting some items here may not come in boxes which is partly linked into the lower price. Overall, this is a nice store for home and cookware appliances, and really worth a look in while in the area, and one of my favorite stores int he Lowry Outlet and I feel it has done enough to earn three stars.

It is Japanese version of Primark. In Japan it is not expensive at all, very reasonable…read more I like the design, very simple and stylish. My partner likes their business card holder( he puts all his cards and uses as a wallet). I am not happy with the price as I know how much it should cost originally but if you do not have chances to travel Japan, it is good price to pay. Still worth it. They have much more different items including foods, so it is a bit shame that they do not offer it in UK. I like their gel type pen, it is very smooth writing!

Muji is a Japanese brand that sells minimal style homeware, cookware, clothing, storage (acrylic),…read morestationary and other rare pieces of bric-a-brac. Everything at Muji is innovative and very accessible unlike a lot of homeware stores that sell storage that look good but aren't necessarily good at the function. Muji's products although very simple; the clothes for example tend to be made of natural fabrics and one colour, nothing bright or garish, look good on and are good quality. I could buy everything in this store. Prices are reasonable and I am always finding useful things, whether it be a teapot, and a storage box for my make up.

cannot recommend Affordable & Stylish on Barlow Moor Road highly enough! From the moment I walked…read moreinto their showroom, I felt confident I'd chosen the right place. The team were warm, approachable, and genuinely listened to what I wanted for my home. They didn't just try to "sell" me something - they guided me through different options, explained the pros and cons clearly, and helped me stick to my budget while still achieving a really stylish finish. I recently had my kitchen and bathroom renovated, and the entire process was handled with professionalism and care. The showroom is beautifully laid out with a wide range of choices, which made it easy to visualize how everything would look together. Their designers came up with clever solutions for storage and layout that I'd never have thought of myself, and it has transformed how I use the space day to day. The installation team were equally impressive - punctual, tidy, and very respectful of my home. The quality of their workmanship is outstanding, and the attention to detail really sets them apart. Even the little things, like neatly finishing edges and making sure everything was cleaned and polished before handing the space back to me, made such a difference. One thing I really appreciated was how transparent and supportive they were throughout the whole project. Any questions I had were answered straight away, and I was kept updated at every stage so I always knew what was happening. Now that everything is finished, I honestly couldn't be happier. If you're looking for a company that offers both great value and a truly stylish finish, all delivered with outstanding customer care, then Affordable & Stylish is the place to go. They've earned every bit of this 5-star review, and I'll definitely be using them again for future projects.

Wonderful service, always ready to help, any problems are solved , boug products for 14 years and I…read morewould never shop anywhere else, excellent

Forget pots of paint, stencils and fancy wallpaper…read more The only reason anyone would be crazy enough to go to B&Q this week would be to buy one of their wood burning stoves or electric fires. Last time I checked they had about half a dozen different models at reasonable prices. Admittedly, none of them looked as stylish as the fires you see in lifestyle magazines but when Britain is having it's worst cold spell for thirty years, I think some people might be willing to sacrifice a little style for the sake of staying warm! Handily, this branch offers Reserve and Collect so you can order products online or by phone and collect later.

B&Q at 'The Fort' on Cheetham Hill Road, less than a mile out of the city centre. What can I say…read morebut DIY. This store is very big has a large garden centre, both inside and out. Whatever you need for your home you will mostly find it here.