Corrie's is a family run butchers in the center of Newtownards and it prides it's self on the…read morepersonal service it provides to its customers who come back again and again. Young Gareth is a pal of mine simply through heading in here. They are very helpful with everything and even advised me on special low fat cuts of meat when I told them I was on a diet. The steaks and other meat cuts are the best in Newtownards which explains why the shop is always busy. A very friendly feeling greets you as you enter and they will suggest the right pieces for a dinner party or just a Wednesday night stew. I remember being in recently and after discussing the diet with the butchers they recommended how to cook the pork chops I was buying to cut the fat content. I also bought a cheesecake which I had a tiny piece of - raspberry ruffle - homemade and it was so nice!

You know a butchers is authentic when it has its very own awning and Corries has got one! The…read morebutchers inside also wear those straw hats and aprons, no they are not scarecrows but that's the only way I can describe them without the correct terminology. Corries also has great offers on, today they had Milk for 89p and some Chump steak for 3.49, random prices eh? They are so old school they do not believe in round numbers. This place is always absolutely jam packed but I suppose that only goes to suggest that it is the best butchers in the area. Despite how busy it is the staff in their outfits always treat each customer with the same warmth.

"The authentic, original farm shop." In the middle of nowhere, my sister swore by this place so we…read moreswung by it on the way home from Ards Shopping Centre. I say we swung by it, that makes the journey sound simple, but it was anything but. We travelled about 50 (slight exaggeration) winding country roads and at one point I began to question the existence of this farm butchers and in turn began to question my big sis's sanity. We finally found it and I had to eat my words...again... The blurb on the website says; "Known locally as Drumhilla Farm, our home is on the farm, our shop is on the farm and our heart is on the farm. We take pride in our top class breeding, state-of-the-art facilities and an exemplar farm." This is absolutely bang on, we did get a warm welcome and we came away with some top quality meat at an even better price. I was informed that the butchers has loads of contracts with local restaurants, so if you have eaten out in North Down you may well have sampled the top class meat Corries offers. The farm shop is your best bet if you want to replicate the restaurant experience in your own home, they always have deals on for instance when we went in they had Chump Steak - 3.79plb 8.36pkg Mince Steak (5lb or over) - 1.99plb 4.39pkg. You can not really argue with these deals. Corries is well worth the trek and you will reap the benefits of your journey when you sit down to a tender slab of meat at the dinner table.

McKee's is a family run farm in the sweeping Craigantlet hills that has been growing and harvesting…read morequality crops for three generations, more recently the family have undertake the venture of a Fram Shop and restaurant and it has proved very popular. The McKee family work under the ethos that food should be natural, wholesome and healthy and they only cook and sell quality fruit, vegetables, bakery butchery and dairy on their premises. These beliefs have helped McKee's build up a bit of a cult following, recently I went to McKee's on a dreary Wednesday afternoon and could not even get seated for a quick bite thus is its popularity. There was a real mix of people seated in the restaurant and in contrast to a lot of other places of this nature it seemed to attract a few people who were under 60. We didn't get seated and we would have had to have waited a good bit to get a seat so we left, but McKee's will definitely be visited again by me. The staff were extremely apologetic but there was not much else they could have done apart from wheeling a pensioner out of the restaurant.

So it's been a couple of years from I've been back at mckees and I've always loved it. However this…read moretrip made me question if it would be somewhere I would come back to. Previously you were seated and served at the table, now you have to go through one door know what you want to order, order at the door and then be handed a number in a plastic try with your cutlery. It was giving school canteen vibes and tbh was a little chaotic and stressful. We had gone just to get some deserts and coffee for a catch up but these weren't on the menu on the wall and we had to ask about these at the desk. The staff are lovely and the food was nice for what we had but these new changes just weren't what we expected.

Veggies beware, Primacy Meats Food Village kind of give the game away with their name. It started…read morelife as a butcher and farm shop and is mostly a carnivore's paradise. That said there is plenty of fresh fruit and veg in the shop as well. Although Bangor has an abundance of butchers, this one has joined the growing trend of having a coffee shop/restaurant attached. The food in here is good quality using on site ingredients for good prices. You can get a hearty feed for £5. Unlike other reviewers I find Primacy to be one of the cheapest butchers in Bangor (maybe its more to do with what I buy) and they have good meat packs available which offer decent discount for bulk buying. Some of the other products on offer in the shop can be pricey though. I also think their meat is great quality and well tasty. The staff are all great. Friendly and happy to provide help and advice.

Primacy Meats used to be a small family run butchers with a small farm shop that probably stocked…read moreproduce 2 years past its sell by date. But within the last 3 years it has grown, matured and developed into a super butchers. It now boasts a coffee shop, gift shop and fruit and veg shop, its like when one of your friends comes into money and completely changes. They get a brand new house (shop) build big iron gates and lose all personality. Although I think I may just be bitter because I felt a certain affinity with the old Primacy meats. It is rather over priced compared to its competitors and it feels like it is trying to hard to be the best. With the awards it has won there is no wonder that it has developed an ego. Northern Irelands Butcher of the year 2009 is one of these accolades but trust me if you want reasonably priced meat I would stay away from the Primacy. The staff are friendly and polite and they will even throw in an extra dog bone with your purchases. But if they get any more expensive the dog will be missing out and I will be chewing on the bone. It is a great location, out of town and if you fancy something different for lunch then you should visit the coffee shop, it is a little more reasonable. Parking is fantastic but it does get busy in BBQ season and you may have to queue out the door.

Ards Saturday Market is a traditional Irish Market dating back to the 1760's. It has a variety of…read morethriving stalls and local produce including meat, vegetables and fish. These will be as fresh as you can get too. Don't be disappointed, although this is a traditional Irish market it still has stalls where you can purchase 5 lighters for a pound and get wicker washing baskets for your household chores. This is also traditional in the sense that you can get some knock off clothing, for instance instead of an "Adidas" tracksuit why not get an "Amidas", exactly the same only with two stripes. You will be the envy of all your friends, by envy I of course mean punch bag. This really is a must if you are in Ards town centre on a Saturday, you will meet some characters on and off the stalls. This market ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous so expect to be beckoned over to see some form of tat or tradition.

Newtownards, like many of the smaller towns and villages in northern Ireland plays host to a market…read moreevery Saturday and every Saturday I pass by, so used to seeing it that it could be full of naked shoppers and I wouldn't notice. I decided last week to make an exception and to enter the market square. My friend and I decided we would play a game. each had £1.00 and we had to buy the other a gift using only that pound. We set off in different directions. The stalls all sell typical market products. There is a butchers with great deals on meat such as five steaks for £10 and also selling a selection of nice looking sauces. There is a fishmonger selling any sea creature your heart desires - just follow the smell. There is also, bizarrely, a stall selling big massive lighters, as in lighters the same length as my arm, car fresheners: 4 for a £1.00 with rather interesting perfume scents such as cool water and poison - this stall also sells pellet guns. There is a florist stall with all colours of plants and a lady selling big Sloggi branded knickers - i decided to get my friend a pair but they were only slightly dearer than a pound so instead I bought her one giant prawn, thankfully she bought me some really nice buns from the bun stand. She told me she had gone straight for the big knickers too - ha ha great minds think alike. The market is good for machinery, garden things, rugs, meat, big lighters and fish. It's worth a look.