Manchester is surrounded by so many adorable villages nestled in stunning countryside valleys, that…read morenot venturing out every other weekend should be a crime. I had the pleasure of visiting cute little Littleborough a few weeks ago to do a short photography project. fair to say I was blown away by the place and in particular this tiny Deli in the heart of the village. With the city centre littered with franchises and chains, finding independant business' has become a mission of mine. Discovering this little hidden gem therefore gave me a great deal of satisfaction. I've bookmarked it and will be returning to review Hollingworth Lake a small piece of Lake District not far from here.

A really lovely little deli. The best place I've found in town to get lots of little knick knacks…read moreto try out at home. They sell all sorts of exotic foods and jars of jams and chutneys and pates and lots of other delights. There is also a cafe on site where you can sample their home made sandwiches and cakes which are absolutely delicious. The service is great and the people really know their stuff. Its a little pricey but no more than you would pay elsewhere and definitely worth it for the occasional splurge.

I really think our group hit the meteorological jackpot recently - gorgeous blue sky, sunshine and…read morefallen snow (albeit bitterly cold temperatures but I prefer that to heat!). So after blowing away the cobwebs on a chilly walk along the byways of Saddleworth, soaking in the views of the valleys and reservoirs, we completed the loop and were back at The Rams Head Inn for a much-needed Sunday feast. With two nippers in tow we opted for the side seating area away from the main dining room, which meant we were nicely self-contained and also fellow diners didn't have to endure 'toddler carnage'! You can select from their main menu here, as well as their bar menu. Not wanting to pass up on the chance to try a full meal I decided on wild boar & apple terrine for starter and lamb shank for mains - both were terrific; there was a generous portion of terrine and the lamb sloughed off the bone thanks to its cooking for 24 hours. If I see lemon meringue on any menu I'm compelled to order it and so it was done. Gorgeous it was too, more so with lashings of cream (I was telling myself I needed to replenish all those calories lost climbing over walls and ascending gravelled tracks...). For lighter dishes the bar menu certainly had some tempting options; ones I'll try when we come back again. Lovers of truly hearty and quality food, served in a friendly, rustic setting and surrounded by the wilds of moorland - look no further.

One of the holy grails for me is finding a good pub/country walk combo which is much harder than…read moreyou'd think. Luckily a friend recently recommended the Rams Head which has a nice moderate 3 mile walk that starts from from the back of the pub- win win! Anyway, enough of that exercise malarkey and onto the food! The Rams Head offers both a main menu for their dining room and a more casual lounge menu which was can be taken in their snug type room, complete with cosy wood burning stove. As we planned on our walk afterwards (and the winter sun was getting lower in the sky) we opted for the lounge menu which has an array of hot and cold sandwiches and 'something different' items such as game terrine and locally reared pork pies. Not being able to choose, my husband and I decided to order a hot beef and gravy sandwich and a slow roasted pork with stuffing, apple sauce and gravy sandwich to share. It's all pretty casual and so you order at the bar at which point my husband was persuaded to order a portion of the homemade chips as well. This turned out to be a brilliant decision as they were some of the best chips I've had in ages! When the sandwiches arrived they came in enormous white rolls with an equally good amount of filling and two little jugs of gravy for dipping and were absolutely delicious. You could tell the meat was really good quality (the menu advises on provenance) and the gravy that came with it was proper homemade gravy, as it should be. I can't comment on the boozy side of things as we opted for a cuppa each. This actually came served in a pot with Yorkshire's finest loose leaf and a generous pot of milk- always a bug bear of mine when they scrimp on the milk. They also have an onsite shop called The Pantry which sells locally raised meat, cheese and posh tea/biscuits etc, along with what looked to be a good selection of wine. The Pantry has a small number of tables if you prefer a cafe environment to eat in. This for me is a perfect country pub and I shall be returning here asap to try out the full menu. Based on this visit I'm expecting an epic Sunday roast!

The food offer is the best in Rochdale, they dont scrimp on the fillings and the baguettes are…read morefabulous. The service is very polite and to say quite a few young people serving is quite refreshing when they hand over the food and say "Enjoy the rest of your day". Very pleasant environment.

The Bamford and Norden areas of Rochdale were seriously lacking in decent takeaway lunch options -…read morethe arrival of Baguettes has really improved this situation. Located on Bury Road which is often very busy, finding a safe place to park up is the main thing to be aware of when heading there. I'd recommend leaving your car on nearby Fieldhead Avenue or Oulder Hill Avenue and using the pedestrian crossing. Once you're inside, you'll see they have a very sizeable selection of breakfast and lunchtime options - mostly served on freshly baked baguettes, toast or muffins. The baguettes are large, soft and very good quality, I've eaten from here a couple of times now and the fillings are all fresh and generously portioned. Also on offer are sandwiches (hot and cold), salad boxes, pies, hot drinks, soft drinks and Daily Specials on the blackboards. Their team is led by a AA Rosette trained chef, which sounds majorly over-qualified for a local sandwich shop, but it draws in the crowds so they are very busy - whenever I'm in the area in future, I'll always make a beeline for a tasty sarnie from there. Tip: they offer catering services for corporate or private functions.

The only thing wrong with this shop is that at lunchtimes the queues can be very very long. I…read moresuppose this reflects that they sell a great product at reasonable prices, but I do think they should employ more staff. However, it IS worth the wait as they have a massive range of sandwiches and they are all made individually to your order. They have a good selection of breads to choose from and the options board is massive. If you want something that isn't on their board, they are happy to make it up for you. As well as sandwiches they also sell general deli food, some of which is hard to source elsewhere in Sowerby Bridge. Definately recommended, but try to avoid peak times.

Appleby's is one of Middleton's oldest businesses which isn't part of a chain, it was here long…read morebefore the big chains came into Middleton such as Costa, Sports Direct, KFC and Tesco's newly built store. It is a deli, quite a small place but still they sell some fruit and vegetables, meats, drinks and sandwiches. With a Subway confirmed to be opening in Middleton soon, this place sure has more competition, and this time in one of their key areas, but I'm sure they'll continue thriving, infact it is interesting I write this review now, to be able to look back and compare when Subway is open to see how they have changed to complete better, with fierce, big name competition just a few stores down, in the old Santander building next to The Roebuck. Now back to Appleby's, it is a small building on the corner of Wood Street and Middleton Gardens, next to Amigo's and opposite Simon's Café and Middleton Computers. There is no outdoor or indoor seating, but this isn't your typical place for that. The main services and food Appleby's provide are fruit and vegetables, a small yet decent selection paid for by weight, as well as some cooked meats, sandwiches and a poor selection of drinks, mainly fizzy cans. The staff here are okay, yet don't really stand out but in a way this place could be so much better and more profitable, such as providing a wider range of foods to eat, and drinks and maybe adding a few tables for diners to eat in, as well as slightly refurbishing it inside, as in a way, it just feels outdated and like it hasn't been updated for a very long time, which also lets this place down as for now I sadly can't warrant awarding Appleby's with anything over 2 stars.

I now only shop at appleby's as the products are so fresh and very tasty. I now have to buy for my…read moredaughter who lives in Barnsley and my two grandaughters. The minty lamb chops are an absolute delight and the pies are to die for. I find the staff so helpful and pleasant. If you try you wont be disapointed

Called in Saturday afternoon for coffee and cake. Home made sticky ginger cake was yummy, coffee…read moregood, service friendly and efficient. Good value too. Recommended!

The food was excellent. I got cheese and onion pie (lunch) and tried the chocolate challenge…read more(which we failed dismally). The chocolate was to die for...totally scrumptious. The service was really good with friendly and knowledgeable staff. I'll be back for sure. The prices were good also. The seating was good and the wait was not long ( although I booked ahead of time).

The best Patissier and Chocolatier in North Manchester…read more Any time I drive into Manchester (which is very often) I have to drive past Slattery's and always manage to make some excuse to pop in. I shouldn't have to make an excuse to go here - It's excellent. The ground floor is their outstanding chocolate and cake shop - definitely worth spending some time here tasting and choosing what they have on offer. Their selection of over 40 celebration cakes on display are stunning - you'll find yourself staring at them like some sort of art. A few of the wedding cakes are pushing £1,000.. asking if it would be worth it? For me, yes! Their cakes are amazing - no wonder Wayne Rooney bought his wedding cake from here and had it shipped to Italy. You'll find me with my face pressed up against the viewing window where you can watch the cake decorators working hard to perfect these masterpieces *drool* I'm certainly not planning my wedding or anything but I already know that there's a massive possibility that my cake will be from here. On the first floor is an elegant restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and of course CAKE. The menu is fab and I haven't heard anybody mention a bad word about it. I have yet to visit the restaurant and I hear that unless you book weeks in advance you've no chance of getting in, but this only makes me want to try it even more and it is certainly on my list. In the past I have bought baskets from here and made my own hampers, mainly for family or friends at Christmas time - consisting of chocolates, hand make cakes, biscuits, marmalades, wines etc (all locally sourced). Safe to say these always go down well. If you have a sweet tooth, this is somewhere you should definitely visit.