Wittens is a good old local green grocers. These are a complete dying breed which is a terrible…read morething because Its always good to have local produce. This place is filled to the prim with everything you could ever want. Everything is in season and picked on the only a day or two ago. I get my eggs here, mainly due to the fact that they are local free range eggs and eggs is where my ethics when it comes to food comes to an end! The till is at a really awkward position and you have to kinda loiter around in the hope of being served at it, but that just adds a little something more to its local charm I think.

What a pleasant little shop to have in such close proximity of huge chain stores and takeaways…read more Situated on the Lisburn Road, Whitten's looks and smells like an old fashioned green-grocers and is a favourite among the locals. With its well-stocked shelves, cheap milk and traditional feel, this particular green-grocers is certainly my favourite in Belfast. It does not have the 'market stall' impact when you walk in, as if they are waiting for you to buy your food and leave. Instead you can roam around the shop as long as you like and pick the freshest ingredients to cook for that someone special. They have great offers on all products, especially their potatoes which for a huge bag comes in for a £1. Their fruit is top drawer, with a huge selection of everything, whilst their mixed salad bags may not be as cheap as a supermarket, but taste much nicer. For fresh fruit and vegetables with a real homely feel, I suggest you come to this pleasant little place and you never know, they might even give you some discount.

One of a dying breed of independent fruit shops, the Busy bee fruit shop has been here for a long…read moretime. Most people get their fruit and veg when they're doing their shopping at one of the big retail supermarkets, but if you're fortunate enough to live near a fruit shop then you can get fresh fruit and the odd good deal (although Lidl is becoming increasing difficult to compete with in the fruit and veg department). This place also has a small display which has fruit that will have to be eaten within two to three days, which is great for families with kids going to school with packed lunches. Amongst the bargains recently were six kiwis for 50p, five big bananas for 50p, and four apples for 50p. What more could you want in a credit crunch age when we're all being encouraged to eat more fruit and vegetables, and when we're supposed to be aiming for children to take in their "five-a-day"?

Great local fruit and veg shop. Get a wide range of fruits and veg all fresh and reasonably priced…read more Very friendly staff.

What more can you say about a fruit and veg shop other than it sells fruit and veg? And attracts a…read morefew wasps? (Darn creatures). Well, this particular greengrocers certainly sold a huge number of fruit, including the most ginormous watermelons I have ever seen, and a few strange looking characters that can be most likened to a cross between an apple and a plum. They also had a vast range of veg, as well as salads (my sister got rather excited at the prospect of shredded beetroot), coleslaw, a few health food snacks (sesame bars...mmm. Or not) and other typical purchases in a fruit 'n' veg shop. I picked up a few kiwi fruit at 29p each (pretty cheap I reckon, and they were really quite delicious to boot), as well as a couple of nectarines for 45p each. And this is where things changed. Up until this point I thought the smooth-skinned, hard-hearted fruit I had been eating for weeks was a plum. Apparently not. It was actually a nectarine, and if it hadn't have been for Ian Wilson (cheers sir), I never would've known the difference. Now, I know this epiphany could have happened in any fruit and veg shop, or even Tesco, but that is not the point. It happened in Ian Wilson's in Saintfield, and I am a better, more knowledgeable person for it. Plums / nectarines...I will forever be able to tell you apart now. Ha. And that's why this little place gets an impressive four stars.

This place is as basic as they come. It is the only fruit and veg shop in Saintfield and it has…read morebeen owned by the same people for years and years, but it has never treated itself to a fully functional sign of its own! Hopefully one day it will to give itself a more established and professional feel. The store used to be very shoddy and old on the inside but got renovated recently and the place is all the better for it. The place itself sells everything you would expect from a store like this, with a wide range of all fruits and vegetables, which are always good quality and are relatively cheap too. The store also sells a few other tinned items and milk so you can get a bit more shopping done here than you would have thought. The place is hardly special but I like to support my small local firms so it gets the thumbs up from me!

Whenever I head to the Saturday market at St George's the two things I never miss are fresh seafood…read morefrom the multitude of fishmongers and fresh fruit and vegetables from one of the stalls. This probably has the most comprehensive range of the vegetable stalls on a Saturday. A wide range of fresh carrots, onions, shallots, root vegetables, potatoes as well as a variety of fresh fruit. The atmosphere is always friendly and of that traditional market trader environment. This is a place to haggle and banter with the grocers working there. I usually pick up the basics here, I always have carrots, celery, onions and garlic in the fridge as from that you can do just about anything Italian (every sauce base in Italy contains the three basics, finely diced carrot, celery and onion) Friendly quick service, great range and cheap (haggle worthy) prices.

Having had the plum / nectarine epiphany in Saintfield (yep, there's a review for that), I felt…read moremuch more confident in my purchasing of such fruit, and so decided to test my skills of discernment in this little greengrocers in Comber. Unfortunately, small was indeed the operative word for this fruit shop, and it lacked in the nectarine department. Generally the levels of stock / variety of fruit was down quite a bit on what I had experienced in Saintfield. So much for my bright idea... As I mulled over the purchase of plums (as a replacement for the unavailable nectarines), my thoughts were distracted by a small boy of about seven whose mum was talking to a friend about her redundancy and subsequent job-searching. Bored out of his little mind, he had spotted a lengthy leek, pointed to it shouting, "Mum! Mum! Look at this! What is it?!" to no avail, and the picked up said leek, thrusting it towards me (not directly at me though) whilst crying "Ssssnake! Snake!". His mum, deep in conversation, took no notice. Oh dear. I decided, having witnessed the above scenario, I would grab a few plums and pay (perhaps for the sake of my safety). Unfortunately the lady shopkeeper had gotten caught up in the riveting conversation, and due to her listening intently, ignored me as I stood beside her at the till. The trusty clearing of throat attention-seeking method came in handy here, and once done, I was instantly seen to. The plums came to £1.47 for three (49p each...I could have sworn they were 39p, but I decided not to check and just get out). Who said fruit shops were boring?!

This is a fantastic local fruit and vegetable shop located just by the river Lagan. All the produce…read moreis delivered fresh each day from local, organic farmers which appeals to residents around the prestigious locality. This was a little bit of a bargain for a thrifty student version of myself who wanted to spend as little money as possible on food and keep as much as possible for the bar! All the local produce is relatively cheap because its delivered straight to the shop, cutting any middle man in the form of whole sellers. The quality of the vegetables is second to none. All grown organically and only in season, which also meant I could vary my stir frys without much effort! The lady owner is a unique character who is always willing to let a hand, is as enthusiastic about the quality of her stores products as are local chefs including celebrity Paul Rankin, who can often be see buying his dailies.

Michel's Fresh Fruit and Veg is a great green grocers selling every item you could possibly want in…read moreterms of plant based foods. You'll get both exotic imported and local seasonal fruit and veg here. Plus it's cheaper than large supermarkets and the staff are friendly and helpful. Michel's also stock items such as some fruit juices, fresh herbs, dried fruits, cheeses, coleslaws, jams, cereal bars, teas, pastas and bakery items. I'd give it a full 5 stars if only it stocked a few dairy free alternatives such as soya milks and cheeses - a fabulous little shop though.

Rumour has it that the 'Michel' who owns this fruit and veg shop isn't actually a Frenchman as the…read morespelling of his name would suggest, but a fella from here called Michael, who was the victim of a faulty sign painter at a previous address and who decided to keep the spelling for his shop when it changed premises. At least, that's what I'm told, although I've never brought it up with the man himself. Michel's is the perfect shop to have on your corner - a good range of quality fruit and veg, as well as essentials that you might need for cooking a meal, from gravy granules and fresh herbs to groundnut oil and fish sauce. The only bone I would have to pick is that sometimes it's hard to find the local produce among the lettuces from Egypt and carrots that have been flown in from somewhere else. However, overall a little fresh fruit and veg gem.

I know that most people associate Martin Philips with carpets in Northern Ireland, but in…read moreSaintfield the name is also that of the rival butchers to Massey's! Unfortunately this place will never dethrone Massey's as Saintfield's main butcher. Firstly, the place is very unattractive from the outside, and highly basic inside. It gives me the impression of the freezer where the killer in the first series of Dexter kept his bodies! Secondly, where this place could have improved on Massey's would be cheapness. Unfortunately this is not the case. I recently had to buy chicken breasts from here for making sandwiches for my girlfriend's birthday party and it cost me £20 for 15 medium to small sized chicken breasts. If I had went to Asda I could have got bout ten more for the same price! On the plus side it's never too buy here if you want to come here, but that is never a good sign for a business!