Since becoming a vegetarian, people always ask me if I miss eating meat and the answer is always…read moreno. That said, I really do miss cooking meat and have been known to make, quite literally, the most gorgeous crackling in a 10 mile radius. With summer upon us it's time to get the roman pizza oven/bbq in the back garden going and my mum has stumbled upon something great down at Vic Hopkins. They do really great BBQ meat, pre marinated and packaged up ready to just chuck over the coals. Our carnivorous guests always absolutely love them and the smell of lamb and mint wafting from the garden is almost enough to lure me back to the dark side. If that doesn't indicate just how good the produce is here, nothing will...

For me, stumbling upon a butcher shop is a stark reminder that yes, this Yank's not in Kansas…read moreanymore. Up until a few years ago, I only satisfied my carnivorous cravings by purchasing the shrink-wrapped offering from the local grocery store. Shameful, I know. I've bought two steaks from Vic's before, but ended up freezing them because I was too lazy to cook (story of my life!). I'll be sure to post an update once I actually eat them. Judging by the look of them though, these babies are sure to be the cornerstone of a tantalising dinner. If you're not a sirloin fan, Vic Hopkins & Sons offer a range of delights, from sausage and lamb to homemade faggots and pork pies. If you eat meat, then there's probably something delectable here for you. Vic Hopkins & Son also offer a delivery service throughout the greater Barry area.

This is a big and shiny (though no longer quite so new) Morrison's in the centre of the new…read moreharbourside development in Barry. Although it's surrounded by new housing, it's actually pretty central, and only a 10 minute walk from the centre of town. It's also served by several of Barry's local buses. Although a lot of people are disparaging about Morrison's, I quite like this store: it's clean, bright, and well-stocked, and with wide aisles. The quality of fruit and veg is fine (not quite up to Waitrose standards, but then you're paying less) and it's large enough to cope with the most demanding weekly shop. There's an in-store bakery, cake shop, butcher, fish counter and delicatessen, as well as a fresh salad and fresh pizza counter. The large cafe at one end of the store is fine, if you need some sustenance before or after your shop, and it seems popular with pensioners and the odd family doing just that. There's a very large car park, and a petrol station with very competitive prices and reasonable opening hours (NB it doesn't open until 7am, so if you have an early start, fill up the night before). Other facilities include a cashpoint, customer toilets and recycling centre.

Easy to get to, competative prices and helpful staff…read more The cafe isnt cracked up to much but the salad bar in the store is nice. Morrisons is great at trying to get that 'market feel' with a bakery, deli counter, fish counter and butchers. The petrol station can be a pain - the layout is terrible and if it's busy it's hard to get out of the car park. They have just re-furbished this and i havent seen if they've actually changed the layout - i hope so though!

Sad but true: I'm a sucker for any establishment that carries fresh olives and wasabi peanuts. So…read moreit's always a great pleasure to wander around Food for Thought, where I can source a fix for a few of my many food addictions. Food for Thought offers hungry passersby a range of fine cheese, fresh bread, and made-to-order sandwiches and paninis, in addition to spices, drinks and sweets. It's like a mini Wally's, but without the Yank goodies, unfortunately. One of the highlights of working in Barry was the opportunity to raid Food for Thought's extensive pastry and snack selection on mornings when a bowl of Cheerios just didn't satisfy. The staff here are cheerful, offering help as soon as walk in, which is always welcome when you stumble in on a Monday morning, bleary eyed and grumpy.

Great place to go for lunch or to pick up some snacks, the baguettes are to die for and they're a…read morereasonable price too. A great selection of many different things and they also now stock american foods, which is superb. The staff are lovely and are always welcoming too.

Located on Barry's high street, Premier offers everything from toilet roll and toys to spirits and…read moresmokes, making it less like a corner shop and more like a mini grocery store. The selection of wine is much better than what you'd typically find in a small shop, with prices that rival Tesco to boot. Premier also offers frozen goods, grocery items, even arts and crafts supplies (I found a Silvine memo book for only 74p, which I quickly scooped up). However, the main draw for me was the stock of individually-wrapped ice cream without a trace of freezer burn - it took everything I had not to devour a mint Magnum in the early hours of a cold and windy weekday morning. The lovely lady behind the counter actually took a few minutes to speak to me about the looming Christmas holiday and what she plans on buying her grandkids. This is definitely a shop that has a steady stream of regulars coming in, judging by the amount of conversations that went on between customers and staff alike.

We decided to visit the restaurant as it's newly opened. It seems to have the edge over other…read morerestaurants in the area as it offers unlimited refills on soft drinks, the salad bar and the ice -cream machine. This makes it a cheap meal out. However, the vegetarian choice is awful we went for the buffet. We did not have a choice it was cheese and tomato pizza and that was it. It was burnt on the bottom and as my daughter put it Tasted like chalk. We needed the drink refils to wash it down! The utensils were all dirty so I didnt know if the pizza slice had been used to pick up the fish (it looked like it had). The food was awful, the service was sloooooooow and it just wasnt a nice experience. I did say that next time I'd try the restaurant meals rather than the buffet but I honestly dont think I'll bother there's a Weatherspoons around the corner I'll go there instead!

Call me sheltered but I've never lived anywhere near an Iceland store until recently and with…read moresummer coming I have an insatiable need for ice cream. This more than does the trick, there are freezers FULL of the stuff (I know, it's Iceland, that's the whole point) and it's CHEAP too. If you've resisted this powers of this massive chain for whatever reason, then for gods sake, go there and buy as many ice lollies as your arms can carry.

This is quite a small Iceland but it has everything you need in it. I find in the weekends it gets…read morequite busy and it sometimes takes a while for them to open up another checkout even though there's queues. The shop is well laid out except the aisles are a bit narrow but this can't really be helped as is a small store. I find the food is really cheap and there is always a great choice of fresh fruit and vegetables. There are trolleys outside that you can use but you need to put a pound in to use them but this is refunded once you have finished with it. This Iceland also offers Free home delivery if you spend over £25.00 which is ideal.

Medium sized branch of Tesco although still stocks a good range of products…read more Car park is always busy and can be hard to get a space. Also can be difficult to get back onto the road as the roundabouts are often congested. Also has fuel station which can have lengthy queues.

A smaller branch of Tesco than the one a few miles further north at Culverhouse Cross, but with a…read moregood range of goods including clothes. It's also handy to nip in there (if you can find a parking space not too far from the door) if you're passing through, rather than than go to the larger store which can be a lengthier process.

Recently opened within the last few months, service is great, food amazing and freshly cooked, and…read moreeverything looks really clean. Portion size of chips is generous. They do delivery although a delivery charge does apply. It is much cheaper to collect if possible! Southern fried chicken is lovely and tasy and crispy. The only thing that could be improved is if they take card payments If you spend over a certain amount you get to pick a lucky dip and be entered into a weekly prize draw (conditions apply) Would I go there again? Already been there numerous times and look forward to the next visit.