Meat, meat, lovely meat. Meat to eat, meat meat meat…read more I adore meat. Love it. Can't get enough of it. And I respect it too. That means that I am loath to rely on the anaemic slabs of water-pumped, antibiotic-addicted chicken that line the fridges of Messrs Tesco and Saino. Yeah, I'll use them if they're going to be smothered and pulverised in a slow-cooked stew or curry. But if I'm braising a lamb shank or searing a fillet steak, I want quality. Axons, my friends, is quality. There's no denying it. Back when I lived in ye olde Didsy-B, I would scrape my pennies and every now and then I'd pop to Axons and treat myself to a particularly plump breast of corn-fed chicken, or a devastatingly juicy sirloin. The venison on offer here (seasonably, obvio) is truly incredible. Dense, dark and just that right amount of dank pungency. I honestly haven't had venison that good since I ate at a weird hunting lodge in teh Czech Republic. I am actually salivating right now, imagining that meat. The meat here is obviously more expensive than at the supermarket, but not prohibitively so. Expect to pay about a quid more for your workaday meats such as mince, but seeing as their mince has less fat and crap in it, you're getting about twice as much real meat. When it comes to meat, you get what you pay for, so please pay for the good stuff. Your tummy will thank you (even if Bambi doesn't...)

Though ladled with the unenviable title of 'award winning sausage maker' Axons Butchers have got no…read morebeef with anybody. Excuse the hammy jokes but this place really is making mince meat out of the competition at the minute. Whilst there is definitely something a little Sweeney Todd about the old style shop front, there really is no need to be chicken, the staff are extremely friendly and all too keen to help you plan out what you'll need or a dinner party or special meal.

One of two family run butchers in Withington, and in my opinion the worse of the two, but still…read morevery good quality. The two butchers in Withington sell meat so much cheaper than do the local supermarkets, and so much higher quality as well. What this does have over the other butcher, is a better selection of cold meats. Great hams, some good salamis and other cold meats are often on a deal. They do a good barbeque selection as well. As none of the stuff is pre-packed, you can get the quantity you want so even if its just a couple of rashers for a bacon sarnie or a few sausages you're after, then the place will do it, and it'll be remarkably cheap. Sometimes they have some exciting sausages in as well, so keep an eye out for those. If you live near Withington, definitely worth checking out.

During my time in Withington, I found I was relying too heavily on the meat aisle in Somerfield,…read moreand decided to support my local businesses by going local for my groceries. As I walked past Robinson's every day, it was quite exciting, I thought, to buy fresh meat every day, probably farmed locally. Ooh, I thought, I'm so good and nice and kind to the earth. Or something. Anyway, my experience at Robinson's was not the feelgood bacon-buying trip I imagined. First off, the shop positively reeks of bleach, which worries me as the meat is largely uncovered in the big fridges, and I fear fumes. Secondly, the self-serve fridge near the door is full of shrink-wrapped bacon and whathaveyou, which all looks a bit anaemic and sub-Somerfield in quality. The final nail in the coffin, however, has to be the chicken I bought there once. Upon getting it home and unwrapping it, I was overpowered with the stench of positively rotten meat. As I held my nose and suppressed the vom reflex, I saw that the meat had a greenish tinge. GROSS! I am absolutely 100% certain that the butcher *must* have known this meat was off. How could he *not*? The stuff stank!!! Obviously, I never returned (and I also couldn't bring myself to eat chicken for a month afterwards). There are many things I forgive in this world, but selling putrid chicken, I will not forgive!

If there's one thing I like, it's meat. I love meat. Seriously, it is one of my favourite things…read more Since I jumped off the vege bandwagon in 2004, I can't remember more than a handful of meat-free days. So, you get it then, I'm a bit of a carnivore... One thing that really gets my goat is crappy meat. I am as guilty as the next person of buying shrinkwrapped anaemic lumps of flesh from Tesco and then complaining because it's a bit shit. And that's fine if you're whipping up a curry or a stew. But when I want something special, like a leg of lamb or a particularly juicy chicken breast, I always go to a butchers'. Midway used to be sort-of on my way home, so on Fridays I'd often pop in and buy something for the weekend. The staff are friendly and bloody hell, do they know their stuff! Once, I had to admit that I had no idea how to roast a leg of lamb in my ridiculous counter-top oven. The bloke behind the counter gave me all manner of good advice, and man, was that lamb tasty The meat here is all very good quality and because you're being served by a real human being, you get exactly what you want, how you want. Say you want big chunks, you get big chunks. You want your chicken basically minced, done. And for a lot cheaper than Tesco. Though I mainly go to the Arndale Meat Market nowadays, out of convenience, I strongly recommend Midway to anyone looking for decent meat at great prices.

I've actually had some experience of two Halal butchers, the other being just outside of…read moreWithington, which I've also reviewed. There's not much in it, but a friend of mine prefers the Withington one. This one has got a lot more large hanging sheep and other ambiguous animals, and more strewn blood, but a much larger selection. The chicken from both this butcher and the Withington one is absolutely gorgeous, so much more succulent and flavoursome than supermarket chicken breast, and also much cheaper. Thomas is absolutely right, it is a bit industrial scale, but they'll also sell you however much meat you require and the staff are very helpful and will even share cooking tips. Basically I recommend going to either. They're usually used by kebab shop owners and restaurants in the area which is likely to put people off, but it really shouldn't do, so next time you do a shop, leave the meat out and visit the Halal butchers, or the Withington one. I bet once you do this once you'll do it every week.

Like the nearby Cheese Hamlet, Evans is one shop that I cannot walk past without gazing longingly…read moreinto the window. Unfortunately quite a few people also seem to share my predicament, which often results in a pile-up of buggies and pedestrians attempting to cross Barlow Moor Road, especially on Saturdays. The shop is great, but they need a bigger pavement. Like out of the blue in Chorlton, Evans sells a wide range of fresh fish and is home to friendly and helpful staff. As Angela B. stated they stock pretty much every type of fish you could dream of. And should you have a particular fishy requirement which they are unable to fulfil, then they will order your desired fish in for you. My personal favourite are the fish kebabs which are often on display in the window. Sure, at £1.99 each they are much pricier than Tesco's offerings, but they are a really good treat for a summer barbeque. I've never bought any fruit or veg here - there are cheaper and more diverse offerings down the road at freshsave, but it's worth noting that Evans also sell Christmas trees and turkeys in December.

On the corner of Wilmslow Road & Barlow Moor Road you will find the most amazing fishmongers!…read moreEvan's of Didsbury has been offering it's extraordinary produce since the seventies, so it is safe to say they know a thing or two about about fish. They also sell poultry (including Game) fruit & veg... as Chris has already stated, the prices are above those you would find in a supermarket, but the difference in quality is instantly noticeable, even more so when eaten! The staff will cut your fish or poultry to your liking and they will be more than pleased to help....don't be surprised if they add some free advice on cooking your purchase.

Well, whaddya know? Didsbury pulls it off again. This time with a wonderful little deli on Lawping…read moreLane. If there's one thing that gets me excited, it's a well-stocked deli counter of cheeses, meats, olives, pates and pickles from around the globe. Well, Fusion goes one step further, offering a marvellous array of conserves, condiments, drinks, cakes and last but not least, breads. In fact it's the bakery here that I'm particulary taken by; you can get local organic breads, flavoured ciabatta, Polish rye, cheesecakes, french fruit tarts, fudge cakes, mousse cakes...the list goes on and on! Did I mention the selection of 50 teas and fresh coffee beans? No? Come on! What more convincing do you need!

Fusion Deli may very well be the best delicatessen in the foodie paradise of West Didsbury, which…read moreis really quite an accolade! This is a generously-sized store (owner-managed, I would think) full of lovingly sourced speciality produce, lush sandwiches, mezze boxes, speciality breads and cakes - see Angela B's review for more - a huge display fridge runs the length of the store. As with near neighbours Inman's and West Didsbury in general, the vibe and customer service is super-nice and helpful in an unpressured way, with plenty of space for your average free-range human being to move around. Not tried them, but I take this as a barometer of where Fusion Deli want to be - they sell Garcia's corn chips, which come in blue and white corn varieties. That's a premium organic brand, and probably as good a bag of tortilla chips as you can buy in Manchester if you are trying to raise your Mexican cooking to the next level. I'm not local to the 'burb, and I'm not a big deli shopper as I have other more convenient places to buy my dry goods and get them home, such as the Suma truck. But if you are a foodie living in West Didsbury, I would suggest popping in from time-to-time for some goodies, and especially the senior staff here are bound to have some useful foodie advice on how to pull meals together. West Didsbury is great as there is so much on offer within the crossing roads of Lapwing Lane and Burton Road. For example, you could pick up a magazine at Inman's, deli shop at Fusion, enjoy a soup-sandwich-chips lunch deal at Greens. (See my photos of Greens deal boards under their entry.) All on foot, and still be done within an hour and a half. Or any of a hundred and one other fab permutations.

I have been a regular customer at the other shop in Mottram St Andrew before they opened this one…read morein Didsbury. I really love their sausages and bacon perhaps even more than a fab dry aged steak. It's a great butchers with great produce you don't pay over the odds for unlike others in the area. You can pick up a hot sandwich while you are there too.

I'm in love with the place. The range of cheeses, cured meats, salads, dressings, coffees, teas,…read morepies, rolls, cakes... All soooo good. I now buy my ground coffee from there as they source it from roasters based locally, the one I go for are based in Ancoats. The pies are from Great North Pies and they're fantastic. If you need a sandwich, just let Annalise guide you or better still, give her Carte Blanche, you won't be disappointed. Meanwhile the service is super relax (don't be in a rush, give yourself 5 minutes to relax whilst they make your sandwich and have a chat instead). I costs a bit more but getting my lunch from this place, when I have the time, makes my day better, not just because I'm fed. On a nice day, you can also sit at the front, they have two little tables so you can enjoy your tea/coffee/sandwich and watch the rest of West Didsbury go by. If if you need catering for an event, they're also up to it! I'm a fan!

Such a brilliant little deli in Didsbury. It's really deceptive in here as to what they offer…read morebecause the place is so small! They have some fantastic sandwiches that they make fresh to order, and you can even choose from a great selection of fresh bread. I went for a Pastrami and Lancashire cheese roll and it was bloody lovely! I also sat outside (brave I know) and had a coffee which was equally as lovely. The girls working were brilliant as well, one was actually the owner and was happy to chat a little bit about the business! They recently won an award at the Manchester Food & Drink awards and I can definitely see why! Worth a drive or walk over for a friendly and tasty lunch!

Genuinely the best food I've had during my stay in England so far. I ordered the falafel wrap and…read morewas pleasantly surprised by the flavor combination. Delicious food and great service. I love being able to pay before the meal came so once I was finished I could leave right away without waiting for a bill.

Another update for Fuel? Another five star rating? Am I boring you, yelpers? I do apologise. If you…read morewish to snooze through the following transmission I fully understand, but should you choose to, then know that you will miss out on OMG SPLAWSOME FTW. For the very first time I was having a main meal at Fuel. A proper dinner. Not a snack, not a smoothie. Why? Everyone I know is a cow-hide biting carnivore and refuses to come to a vegetarian restaurant with me. I know, the sods. Should I come into a windfall, I may well buy new friends, then pay for their plastic surgery so they'll look just like my old friends. I digress. My mother eats meat, but she appreciates a veggie meal just as much as she enjoys some roast chicken. So she was the perfect Fuel guest. On a lazy Saturday noon, we stopped off here before she was due to get her train back to Liverpool, ordered some of their fine coffee (which I have decided is the best coffee in all of Manchester - and they gave us a pot of hot steamed milk with our Americanos which just makes them even brillianter) and perused the menu. After much deliberation and peering over at other diners' breakfasts with a mixture of intrigue and trepidation (those things are HUGE, people), I went for the blackboard special - stuffed peppers with cous cous and a Mexican side salad. My interest was piqued as to what the salad would contain. My mum opted for the 'fish' finger sandwich, and we had their mixed sweet and normal potato wedges between us. So, the 'fish' finger sandwich, huh? You're curious, I can tell. Well, in the immortal words of one Charles Sheen, WINNING! They use breadcrumbed halloumi, served with homemade tartare sauce on a wholemeal granary bun with a delicious side salad. I of course tasted this. Seriously, if you have any doubts, even really big ones, you've got to order it. It works. It works like a dream. My baked stuffed peppers with fruity cous cous and a salad below containing kidney beans, red peppers, spring and red onion was an absolute treat too. Nobody wanted to kiss me afterwards, but that was fine. I didn't need human contact. I had epic salad. Fuel just keeps getting better every time I try something new, and I'm insanely lucky to have it a mere short stroll down the road. I promise I'll never take it for granted.

They sell meat, the prices are cheap and the butcher is a friendly chap. Excellent. They do…read morevarious offers on multi buys but the best in my opinion is the 4 trays for a tenner... Over 3kg of chicken for £10. Makes you wonder why people don't support there local shops more often especially when it's cheaper. The place is clean. Definitely recommend.