Before Lidl came to Oxford Road, Worldwide was the place where I did most of my shopping. My…read moreflatmate and I set ourselves a challenge - each time we went to Worldwide we would buy an item of fruit or veg which we had never tried before, bring it home, attempt to prepare it and sample it. This led to some rather funny looks at the counter. One one occasion, on asking our Kenyan friend for cooking information, he explained to us that they probably laughed at us because *no-one* buys just one bhindi. We soon learnt from this school-boy error. As well as fruit and veg I always picked up pitta, naan and other foreign breads here, but it's probably not the place to go for a reasonably priced loaf of Warburton's. They also sell exciting fizzy drinks from all over the world, baklava, mango lassi and every herb, spice, bean or pulse you could think of, all of which I can recommend. Things that I have purchased from here and regretted include tinned palak paneer, a tray of 30 very unethical eggs, weird smelling incense, cheese and DIY henna. As a vegetarian I've never looked at the meat counter. But I know that my Muslim flatmate bought her meat there as it is all Halal and my Chinese flatmates bought their meat there because they sold all the disgusting-sounding parts of animals that they liked to boil up in stews, such as chicken feet. I challenge you to visit Worldwide and not to come away with more than you went in for. Even the fruit and veg is priced so that you end up with 3 cucumbers (£1) rather than the one (50p) you went in for!

Worldwide Foods. Not just a clever name my dears, certainly not. While its location on the Curry…read moreMile might make you think it's an Indian supermarket, well! Remember that it's not only Indian restaurants in Rusholme. Okay, so most of them are curry houses, and that's reflected in the fact that Worldwide Foods is mostly Indian, but you're just as likely to find your Turkish flatbreads or your Jerk seasoning here as you are your Patak's pastes and poppadoms. But you'll find so much more. As I found out far too late on the way out, there's a massive fresh produce fruit and veg stall at the back. There's also a Halal butchers, and tons of stuff you've probably never heard of. We picked up some unusual little treasures like miniature crisp puri breads with cumin seeds, like tiny poppadoms, sweet buns made with sesame seeds and egg, and crumbly shortbread-like biscuits with coconut and topped with chopped pistachio and almonds. In fact, if you're as unfamiliar with ethnic sweets as I am, you may well spend most of your time in the cookie aisle to pick up new treats. As well as this there are additional niche items like rose syrup (for faluda methinks), tropical drinks, every kind of Bombay mix you can think of, canned goods and tons of pulses and rice... just do what I did and explore. It's so much fun. Worldwide Foods is nothing short of a culinary adventure!

Eastern Food Store in Renshaw Street sells a variety of Halal, poultry and continental foods both…read morefor wholesale and retail. When you walk into the shop, you can immediately smell the aromas of Asian ingredients which sets your senses going. You are presented with essential sauces, dried and canned foods with a mid/far eastern taste so if you fancy something different, then here is a shop that can offer you that exotic twist to your dishes. There is even a butchers at the end of the shop where a friendly guy will provide you the best cuts of meat how you wish. Prices are generally a little dear but you are paying for good quality products so that is your guarantee.

This foreign grocery store offers a little wider variety than Hondo in that it sells Indian items…read moreand other Asian items as well. I personally think they are smaller than Hondo, though. (I'm not sure why someone said that Hondo was the smallest of the main three?) This seems to be a quieter shop as well, but that could because it's not as near to China town. Besides dried and canned goods they also sell fresh produce and meat. Still, I don't think you will find as wide a variety here as you will in Hondo (my personal opinion.) And the prices are a little higher.

There are plenty of arguments for and against the social impact of segregated communities in…read moreManchester. One of the overwhelming advantages of such communities however, which I'm sure will gain universal approval is their complete immunity from being threatened by giant retail food chains. You know the ones I'm talking about, the ones that've been driving out small independents outta business across across the country. I LOVE the fact that the communities remain militantly loyal to local foodstores like Madina. Upon close inspection, turns out the reason is a little more complex than just cultural affiliation. One of the main one reasons? This place is AWESOME!! There's literally a library of spices to buy (at BARGAIN prices) and experiment at home with. Any foodie/charlie out there who's sick of the monotonous nature of the shopping experience, will find this to be their culinary/chocolate factory. True, London probably bigger volume of such establishments, but they probably cant beat us for sheer quality. So next time you're stuck in traffic driving to town on Stockport road (through Levenshulme) have a break, and instead of having a kitkat, park up and have a cheeky gander.

Despite having a deceptively small storefront, once inside Madina Superstore turns out to be…read moreanother Desi supermarket easily on a par with branches of Worldwide Foods or Manchester Superstore. With the UK 'hungry gap' upon us, I bagged a box of lychees plus sundry Desi vegetable and fresh herbs. Freshness of the produce was very good, although a bit of banter with a Desi customer revealed that he was passing up on the tinda as being too big - although this is no doubt an out-of-season issue. For the mobile cosmopolitan foodie such as myself, the aim is to know where all the ethnic food stores are so that ethnic food shopping can be done with a minimum of detour from other city business and pleasure. Although there is nothing really oustanding about Madina Superstore to make you travel beyond your nearest Desi superstore, it is nice to have a proper Desi supermarket in Levenshulme to save Levy locals a trip up Stockport Road to Longsight. And visitors such as myself can combine a visit to Madina Superstore with a trip to the monthly Levy Market, or else the permanent Trove café bakery or POD deli.

A small wholesalers on Smithdown Road, if you fancy buying some out of the ordinary spices and…read moresauces, putting some pazazz into your kitchen or only want to buy your favourite hot sauce once every five years then come here! (Sweet chilli goodness, here I come!) It's cool walking around this store, they have a small butchers inside and fresh fruit and veg, as well as rows of freezers full of massive fish with their eyes gawping up at you. It's really cheap for the quantity you get so if you don't want to go to Asda and are feeding the five thousand then consider yourself in good hands.

Continental Supermarket is an alternative supermarket which deals in foreign food for those who are…read morenot natives of Liverpool but are after some home comforts. In principal this is a great idea and it follows in the footsteps of a number of Polish general stores which I have seen dotted around Liverpool and various other places across the country. Inside however this appears to be a poorly run establishment and one which could do with a good tidy to be honest. The order of the supermarket seems to be none- existent and the staff do not seem to be forthcoming with help or indeed seem to concerned about tidying the general mess. There is a wide selection of goods inside from fruit and vegetables to halal meat and in this sense this is a useful and caring place, the problem is it has too many faults. With a good tidy and a spruce up this could be an excellent stop for an alternative shop it just happens that there is work to be done.

The name Euro Wines makes it sound as though it would stock and sell a selection of fine alcoholic…read morebeverages from across Europe but this is really not the case if I am going to be honest. This place has nothing distinctive about it all so there is no real reason to go here as opposed to any other off licence or supermarket. The outside doesn't look particularly appealing and inside the place is fairly plain and I would be lying if I said there was anything inside which really caught my eye. Obviously as a student I have always been keen to look for cheap booze and as such I have visited a lot of off licences and this one did not really stick out in my mind at all. The name seems to suggest a lot more than the place actually delivers and as such I found this place to be a real let down.

Adjacent to Liverpool's China Town is this handy convenience store. Euro Wines not only stocks a…read morenice variety of booze and a good few groceries, because of its proximity to Merseyside's Oriental capital it has a few surprises too, such as Chinese ingredients, unusual vegetables and plenty of noodles. As well as wines you'll find a vast array of spirits here and beers too, and the staff have always been friendly and pleasant when I've popped in. All in all it gives weight to the term 'convenience' with its handy location for a lot of nearby urban dwellers and those potentially heading into China Town.

I think this is one of 3 asian stores in Warrington. It's…read morethe oldest and the one I use all the time. Lots of fresh produce, herbs and spice galore and very cheap prices. They have a frozen section and a butchers selling goat, chicken, lamb and mutton. They also sell Milk and yoghurt. It's a great place to stock up on ingriedients if you like to cook. A kilo bag of spices can cost around the same as 50g packs from some supermarkets. I also buy vacum packed meals from here for work. Some at und £2 with buy one get one free. It's on the small side but packed with everything you need.

Brilliant little shop.More friendly than over the road.Excellent prices.Very friendly+helpfull.If u…read morecan,t find something,they will point it out 2 u.10 out of 10.I wouldn,t bother looking anywhere else.They,ve got everything I have ever wanted,+more.Geoff;;;penketh.

I was amazed at how much this European and Asian food and drink superstore had. There is a small…read morebutchers on site, fresh bread, fresh fruit and veg as well as herbs, spices and nuts. There were lots of products that I hadn't come across before, which was great, but also those more familiar ones such as heinz and baxters. Flat packed olives - and loads of them! Mmmmh mmmmh. Huge bags of basmatic rice that could feed an army 100 times over. With such wonderful things to buy, you might need a car park. As I was stumbling out of the shop with all my bags and a few miles to go, I noticed a car park just over the road near St Vincent Street. Might be a good idea next time - ah dear!

Basically this is an ideal supermarket if you are not a native of this country and are in need of a…read moreshop which reflects your own culture. The place itslef has a wide variety of goodies which you wouldnt find in a standard supermarket. To be honest there wasnt much which suited myself as I didnt really have a need for the niche food products they were selling but nonetheless it is a great little store. If your looking for a standard supermarket shop then this isnt your place but if you want an alternative food shop then visit.

The "tindra", a green vegetable, that I bought here, were tasteless.read more

I've been to this Tesco location at Liverpool 3 times now. Every single visit has been great! You…read morefind treasures around every corner and the sales they have are really good. According to the locals, this is a bigger store than the regular ones. If I get a chance to visit a regular store, I'll confirm, lol. This one does have 2 levels, and you can take the lift (elevator) or the escaltors escalators. The escalator going down wasn't working the times I've been, but just walk down anyway. They have cashiers for check out as well as self check-out lanes. Prices here are awesome! I'm a huge fan of their bakery bread and the snacks. Their sparkling water game is pretty strong, too. Don't be shocked if I check in here again, lol!

There are Tesco's literally everywhere these days, none more so than probably in Liverpool city…read morecentre. If you're around Liverpool, Tesco's of all versions are dotted around places: metro, local, express, superstore. If there are any more, you'll have to let me know! The Liverpool One branch of Superstore is not actually the most super I have come across in Liverpool as there is one in Litherland which is gargantuan in comparison. However, Liverpool One Tesco is certainly what the town needs. You still have plenty of choice here, a variety of sections such as deli, clothes and international foods to keep you adding more to your basket! I find this place more of a relaxing and enjoyable shopping experience as opposed to the Metro version by the big screen, because its more spacious and offers an abundance of products. The location isn't great if you're driving there as it'll cost you pounds to park somewhere nearby but certainly convenient when you have other chores to do around town.