A. J Afro Caribbean (Foods and Veg) in the market is an absolutely delightful place. It epitimises…read moreexactly what is so fantastic about markets such as these. Selling a full array of Caribbean foodstuffs, including seasoning, scotch bonnet peppers, plantain for cheaper than you'd find it anywhere else, and dried fish for £6. As somebody who absolutely loves the firey sweet and sour flavours of the Caribbean, this place is a jewel not to be missed.

Being of Polish descent, with a father who lives out in Warsaw, I have been to many Polish shops,…read morein this country and in Poland in search of ingredents for various traditional meals. I stumbled across the Russian and Polish Delicatessan in the market, and decided to have a peak. Walking in, I truely felt as though I had been transported overseas to do some shoppng. Every jar, tim, packet and sausage had been imported from either Poland or Russia. In such a small space they manage to cram in so much, clearly making i a favourite to the Polish and Russian communities. The staff speak in Polish and Russian and are undoubtedly from either Poland or Russia, making it a truely authentic experience. The only drawback was the display of sausages in the fridge section. It was confusing and messy, looking as though people had rummaged through. If that display had been as good as the others, I could have marked them higher.

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!

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.

Another valuable addition to the vibrant mix of cultures in Leeds Kirkgate Market. As previous…read moreposters have noted, it's not quite what you'd really call a supermarket, but it is definitely a good size for a shop in the market and is well-stocked. They sell a wide range of foodstuffs including tinned foods, condiments, a large range of teas, dried fruit, and many a weird and wonderful desert. For Chinese shoppers in the market, I imagine this would be a regular stop-off but for anyone else who enjoys trying foods from other cultures and would like to search out a new mysterious ingredient or unusual tasty treat, you will definitely be able to find something at Tian Tian.

A much smaller, grubbier version of the big Chinese superstore up the road this shop which is…read moretacked onto the side of Kirkgate market bustles with the activity of Chinese speakers rummaging for native grub. Not so many green groceries are available though you can pick up some lemon grass and other small bits. There is a large range of noodles, spices, sweets, savory good frozen, chilled of freeze dried, lots of teas and some meats and generally all you'd need to knock together a meal of different kind. The range is obviously limited to size of the shop but the prices are very reasonable.

Where else can you find dried fish , sauerkraut and seaweed together, An interseting little deli…read more If you are into cooking and want to try something different try here. The owners will give you tips on cooking different ingredients. You can even buy cock soup, how cool is that?

This shop has a slightly misleading name as it doesn;t only stock foods from contenental europe but…read moreAfrican, Carribean and oriental foodstuffs also. You can buy delectable cold meats, amazing fish and exotic spices here. They have a good range of carribean drinks and tinned goods, and lovely fresh hard dough bread. Dried foods like imported Italian pasta, rice and japanese noodles are also available. I don't know his name but the man who wears the white coat behind the counter is very friendly and knowledgeable and even when i go in with a vague description of what I need he can always help. Overall a fantastic little shop ideally located in the market hall.

A little bit dingy and dodgy looking, indeed when I entered there was a guy with a smushed up face…read moreinside, however if you are after Polish fare then this is an excellent place to come. Literally piles of polish grub piled on top of each other. From fresh sweet breads to all kinds of savory breads, meats, cheeses, snacks, teas and so on and so forth they even have the layer cakes I tasted on my travels through eastern Europe, I would highly recommended avoiding these as they taste artificial that is the best way I can describe it, sort of like you are sucking on an empty squirty cream bottle. Anyhow, if you have a Polish friend you wish to impress this could be a good place to start.

'Continental Foods Cooked Meats' (as it is known from its sign) is a fantastic shop/ stall in…read moreKirkgate Market. Run by some very sweet ladies, they sell all sorts of cured meats under their counter chillers, from hams to sausages of several different persuassions, from italian, to Polish and German. They specialise in what they serve, and I have found it the only place in the proximity to sell my favourite Polish sausage, which was fantastic. They have a phone number, and I am sure, down to their good customer service that if you had any spacial requests, they would happily help where they can! A great cooked meats stall, with excellent people running it!

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.