As the sun made an unexpected appearance today (spare a thought and prayer for those poor people…read moreflooded out in Wales today in the middle of our alleged summer), I took advantage by walking from Tooting Bec to Tooting Broadway station today, a walk which takes you through an area filled with ethnic food shops and restaurants. I was pleased to see that it's mango season back in Pakistan and India, which means that the ethnic supermarkets and greengrocers' shopfronts fill up with boxes upon boxes of yellow Asian mangos. Beware, the price and quality can vary and quite often, the mangos are over-ripe. These over-ripe ones are fine for putting into desserts (in fact, they may be sweeter and more fragrant for this purpose) but they're too far gone to slice and eat fresh. There's such a wide choice of vendors that you should always insist on feeling and smelling the fruit from the actual box that you're buying and not the box on display. The colour and the wrinkliness of the flesh isn't actually that accurate a test of the ripeness and sweetness of the mango. Instead, use your nose - a ripe mango will smell sweet and it should give slightly under the thumb when you exert a little pressure. The slightly longer honey mangos come from Pakistan and the shorter rounder Alphonso mangos come from India. They're both wonderfully sweet and aromatic. Certainly several notches above the South American mangos you find in the conventional supermarkets Also, this being Tooting, haggle! If you buy a few boxes, you can always secure a discount. Daily Fresh Fruits is a bustling shop with a large selection of fruit and veg from a lot of ethnic backgrounds. They had some nice ripe mangos and I secured a good price from the chap outside. Cold mango is a perfect antidote to a hot day!

I am unable to comment on the their food, but the quality and standard of service from the mobile…read morephone service part of the shop is incredibly poor. Do not on any circumstances let them "mend" your phone. If it does not work, they will not answer your calls, cut you off, deny all knowledge and basically not be truthful. A screen replacement should not be difficult but it has been made worse by the chaps at Daily Fresh Foods. Apparently they don't know when staff are coming back from holiday and are just plan rude. Avoid at all costs.

Another one-off market, held in celebration of the Kingston Food Festival, this Fairtrade-focused…read moreevent took place on Sunday 14th September. It was a real pleasure - on many levels - highlighting local foodie stars including Riverside Vegetaria (who produced the most delicious aubergine dip, as an introductory taste experience of their restaurant delights);Montezumas also did a roaring trade with white and dark chocolate samples to tantalise the sweet-toothed visitor. Neighbourhood allotment growers were on hand to inform, inspire and offer tastes of their freshly-picked produce. I spent a happy time exploring (and sniffing-out) the wonderful fresh herb stall, with myriad varieties (rare and mainstream) for cooking and medicinal purposes. The chocolate mint and lemon balm were especially fragrant I left with some wonderful oregano, and a pretty chilli plant, to enhance my autumn dishes and add to my herb garden repertoire.

I love supporting local businesses, especially when their produce is top notch…read more B H Card is on the end of a little parade of shops on Craddocks Avenue. It's an independent greengrocers and the advantage is that they have much tighter control over the supply and quality of their produce. Greengages? Check - they were super sweet. Seedless watermelon? The lady was able to pick me out a super sweet one. Fresh free range eggs? Yup and I did do a comparison 'float/sink' test with some eggs I got from the supermarket. These were fresher. Bonus conscience mark for supporting local business. Check!

If you want fresh, local produce this is the place to go. Avoid Tesco over the road (unless you…read moreneed more than just fruit and veg!) and come here for your fruit and veg needs. The owners and staff are some of the nicest people you're ever likely to meet. They welcome you, and help out with any inquiries or assistance you might need. Also, when it gets close to Christmas, you can pre-order your fruit and veg, and pick it up when it's all ready to collect. Brilliant!

Bigger than most delis, Barley and Sage feels a bit like an expensive foodhall in an expensive…read moredepartment store. They have a far bigger range of goods too, salads, sandwiches and soups for lunch, chilled and prepared food, jams, preserves, cheeses, hams, homemade cakes and chocolates, corkscrews and linen for the table. Last time I was in there they were playing some jolly, very Christmassy and very twee music (it was November but I bet they started playing it on the first cold day in August) and the whole place smelt amazing. I managed to buy a nice chickpea salad but forgot to enquire as to the name of the band playing in the background. I was thinking maybe for my grandmother or maybe if I was having a very bad day...

Bayley and Sage is a beautiful idyllic village grocery store. It's almost like stepping back in…read moretime to an era of fresh produce straight from the locals farms with friendly local service, the only thing stopping you from believing you've slipped back in time is the contemporary style to the shop. They are also a little more upmarket than your typical grocery store. There's lots of organic produce, lots of gourmet foods and a wide selection of wines. The prices you pay reflect the quality of the products and produce you're buying but it is great and I love it. The staff are friendly and helpful and it's definitely better than heading to your local Tescos.

Actually known as The Real Butchers - this is a welfare butcher with fabulous meat, will do you any…read morecut required, bone and roll your meat and also cook their own pies and pasties. Run by father and son team Roland and Lawrence Head, who will help you get the best from your meat. Not cheap but can trace every piece of meat they sell back to where it was actually out in pasture. Cannot be beaten - ever !