Unless you want everything in Britain to be managed by Tesco and Starbucks, it's important to…read moresupport locally owned shops. Especially when it comes to special arts like butchery, fish mongering or baking. This is a store where it only requires a few minutes to know you are in good hands. It's family owned and operated, with a couple of generations running behind the scens (and in front). While the shop overlooks a very hip weekend market, it's not a place you'll head for exotic game. Rather, they stick to basics: beef, lamb, chicken and pork in things like roasts, ribs and steaks. I don't think they have virginal partridge stuffed with dates, or free range alligator smoked over cedar, or a virgin stuffed with alligator on her first date. But if you want lamb chops, he'll offer 4 big ones for 5 quid total. Think about it. That's real food for 2-3 people for cheaper than a slice or two of bad pizza. Or a burger meal for one just about anywhere. It'll be a sad world if we end up with 400 types of coffee and only 3 cuts of pork.

Located on the quaint strip of Broadway Market in East London, this butcher is definitely a…read morecontrast to some of the other shops on the strip. I guess it is obvious that a butcher is not going to have much in common with a boutique fabric shop though. Anyway, this place provides locals, and weekend visitors, with a good selection of meats. It is a funny little store, and definitely has a real slightly 'rough around the edges' East London feel. I'm not saying that is a bad thing, I think it gives it character. My friend orders a certain type of chicken from there every now and then. At first she was a little scared of the staff, but after a while, she realised that they are really nice people. I guess proper East Londoners can be a bit intimidating, but you have to take it with a pinch of salt.

I have a lot of time on my hands, so instead of going to the supermarket and getting all my…read moregroceries in one go, I prefer to support local businesses, potter at leisure around Ridley Road Market and do my shopping old school style; at the butcher, baker and candle stick maker (well, the first two at least). Butchers can be a little nerve racking to the inexperienced, in this extra packaging, extra sanitary day in age, its sometimes possible to forget that what you're buying is essentially dead animal. I like to remind myself of this fact and also, I like the variety of ways you can order your carcass at halal butchers, Kingsland Butchers. The first time I came to buy real chicken (as opposed to rinsed out, bleached white chicken from the supermarket) I was a bit green about the whole thing, I assumed that when I asked for my chicken to be cut up, the butcher would intuitively know what I meant. Not so, it seems there are not only many ways to skin a cat, but also many ways to hack up a chicken. Hacking was his preferred method, bones, skin and all. Next time, I came prepared, with my sister. She expertly asked the butcher to skin the chicken and separate it into wings, breasts and thighs, the way nature intended it to be. What a revelation: not only did the butcher do it, he seemed to really relish the challenge, it was very enjoyable to watch considering that I need a strong drink before touching wobbly, gross, raw meat. All the stall holders and shop owners at Ridley Road Market are up for a laugh and coming here is much more fun than the weekly Salisbury's run.

This butchers shop has been serving islington residents for over 100 years. The meat is…read moreconsiderably younger than 100 years of course and there's always a wide choice of all the usual stuff. Highly recommend the steaks here (sirloin is superb) and the pork and lamb steaks/chops are also fantastic. Free range chicken much nicer than any of the stuff you'll get in the supermarket too! Maurice is always very happy to help you choose the right bit of meat to match what you're trying to cook so don't be afraid to go in and ask - you will get better quality than the supermarket and usually for cheaper too! Opens at 7am and closes at 4 so on a weekday go before work to get your dinner sorted.

I cannot recommend this place highly enough, my friends all thought it was hilarious that on my…read moreactual 30th birthday nothing made me happier than going to pick up 2.5kilos of venison from lovely, friendly, Maurice the butcher, (ordered the day before) so that i could cook up a pie for twenty people on the weekend. They all really enjoyed the pie though and those who were non-vegetarians all asked me where his shop was:) I was worried that as I'd bought the meat a little early before the party, on the Wednesday when the party was the Friday, then it wouldn't be as fresh, but it came in a vacuum sealed pack so it kept really well, but i think it would have still been as tender and as tasty even if it hadn't been vacuum sealed. So I suppose if ur not an early bird and able to get up early enough to go before work, the way to get around the early closing time (4pm on a weekday) is to buy some meat on the weekend and it'd be good until tuesday at least. There is a nice range of meat in stock anyway but if you want something particular you just have to ring up and order it the day before. Maurice's customer service is really great and it was no problem to him to sell me a small amount of venison that had been in his deep freeze earlier in the week, just to test out whether i liked the taste or not so I only spent couple of pounds that visit. There was no pressure to buy a lot in one visit, unlike some small independent shops you go into. The prices are really reasonable, I agree with the gavpacho review. I had been to another butcher in Angel a couple of years back again for a special birthday treat and I realise now I was charged rather a lot more than I should have been for a tenderloin of steak, which, though an expensive cut, could have been sold for less than half the price i paid at the butchers in Angel. On my second visit as well as my venison I also bought some bacon which was very very tasty and unlike supermarket bacon it was not full of water, so it stayed the same size as when it went onto the grill! I also bought some fresh quail's eggs, which one of the regular customer's was buying whilst I was in the shop, so I thought I'd give them a try. Nothing so cute for breakfast as tiny little fried quails eggs, and again very reasonably priced:) Although for ecological reasons I try not to eat meat everyday, i really enjoy meat when i do have it and if you buy from a good butcher you know it has been produced on a farm that cares about quality not just quantity. Before testing the venison I was trying to decide between a venison or a rabbit pie recipe, and so I'll probably go back for the rabbit to give that a try too sometime in the near future as the venison was so yummy!

My wonderful Tesco Express in Bounds Green. Where shall I…read morestart!? Small but nice with absolutely everything you need, from fresh bread to fruit & veg, frozen & cupboard foods, and a great selection of beers & wines. Always well stocked up, super fresh & great quality, and above all, a friendly atmosphere and wonderful, courteous customer service. A great new Manager & a fantastic Team of people super dedicated, competent, helpful, hard working and really really lovely. And lets not forget the DJ... the lovely background music is every time just the cherry on the cake!

My new local. Off-licences are nice but usually expensive. Bounds Green did not have a 'real'…read moresupermarket until this one opened in early October this year. Open every day until 11pm, it offers all one needs just a few minutes away from the Bounds Green tube station. It has dairy products, fresh vegetables, household items and much more. In total: all you need for your home if you just want a good dinner and clean house. It is also located directly on the 221 bus route, giving it easy access to both Bounds Green and Wood Green as well as the surrounding areas.

Waitrose are my favourite supermarket chain because of the ethics behind the business and the…read morewelfare provision for the cows that produce their milk for example. The Hersham store looks old (I'm not sure when it was built) and looks in need of refurbishment. Having said that it has a good range and at least it is a Waitrose and not one of the supermarket chains lower down the ethical consumer list.

Good location as around 5-8 mins walk left of Enfield Town BR. This store has recently been…read morerefurbished. All the expected groceries and in addition there is a deli, fresh fish counter and a rotisserie, serving hot chicken and sausages. Toilet facilities available which appear regularly maintained.

I lived right around the corner from this Tesco for almost a year and was often pleased with the…read moreselection, but at times was very annoyed at the quality they provided. This Tesco was large and had an electronics section, clothing, music, house hold stuff etc. Its almost like a crappy Target. Regardless, this is where I went grocery shopping. The produce section was probably the best part of the store. They had fresh fruits and veggies, assuming you go there in the day or two after the shipment arrived. I love the mini lettuce they had, as it was perfect for sandwiches. The dairy area was fine, including the cheeses, which were best if you bought Scottish or Welsh cheese. The meat was a different story. Ground red meat = terrible. Chicken = acceptable. Sausages = pretty good. Fish = pathetic. I guess I'm spoiled by much of the red meat I get in the US, so unless you got the top choice meat here, it was pretty poor in my opinion. This isn't a knock on the store though and did not contribute to the 3 star rating. Overall this place had enough stuff to be a good grocery store, but had many downsides. Price wise, it was a great deal locally.

It you want a good old-fashioned butchers then Turners is where you should come…read more Queues outside on a Saturday morning speak volumes. It's a tiny shop but the butchers offer excellent advice and sell great quality produce. As far as possible meat is locally sourced and the home-made sausages are something else! There's a lot of choice for such a small outlet and, if they haven't got what you want then they can either cut it or order it in. Turner's have a full game license and, in season, stock a good range of locally sourced game. Local produce is also stocked from preserves through veg. Customers are valued and treated as important no matter what you are buying. Prices are fair and the quality is outstanding! Recommended

Absolutely the best butchers - Graham's sausages are fantastic, and we always have amazing cuts of…read moremeat and chicken. I would highly recommend the pies - they can't be beaten anywhere! The service is fantastic - helpful, friendly and able to give great advice. We bought our turkey there for Xmas '09 and will be purchasing from Graham again as it was by far the best turkey we have ever had. Couldn't recommend highly enough!!

Magnificent all around. I came here on my final day in London on a recent trip and wish I had come…read morehere sooner. While they had an impressive array of raw meats, the reason why I came was to try their selection of prepared British classics. It was mid-morning when I arrived and they were just taking their meat pies out of the oven. They all looked divine but I since I had to be at the airport in a few hours, I couldn't commit to purchasing one so instead, I bought items that I could easily shove into my backpack. I walked out with 3 scotch eggs, a pork pie and a pasty...all for the grand sum of £5! I ate one and a half scotch eggs and shared the pasty and the other half scotch egg with a friend right away. Both were amazing, better than any other version I've tried. It wasn't until I was back home in Boston that I had the last scotch egg and pork pie. The egg tasted even better than the first time and the pork pie was the best I've ever had. Service was top notch by the extremely friendly and polite butcher behind the counter. I cannot wait to come back here the next time I am in London to try the meat pie...unfinished business!.

This traditional butcher's shop is wonderful - it offers excellent products and personal service…read morewhich are miles away from the supermarket experience. With meat cut to order, you can get exactly what you want in the size you want - along with any advice on choosing and cooking it that you may need. Worth a special mention are the wonderful pies. I love the steak and kidney in particular, although these do tend to sell out before the end of the day. The pork pies are also superb, and the faggots absolutely delicious. There is also a range of other products including sauces, pickles and relishes.