Di Silva's Deli in Southport is another pleasant shop that I stumbled upon during my accidental…read moremeeting on Hoghton Street with my girlfriend. We noticed this interesting looking café/deli and decided to go in there for some refreshments. The seating area inside is a bit small and cramped, but there is a very comfortable outdoor seating area as well if it's too busy inside or if the weather is deciding to be nice that day. The menu there includes an interesting selection of sandwiches, baguettes and panninis that are available to eat in the café or to take away with you. They also offer a range of hot and cold drinks to accompany any lunchtime snacks you might fancy, as well as a decent selection of pastries and cakes for those of you with a sweet tooth. As well as lunchtime refreshments, Di Silva's also sells a very good selection of deli meats, cheeses, olives and marinades as well as offering to make up hampers filled with any snacks and delicacies that take your fancy. Di Silva's versatility as a café and deli selling homemade dishes and snacks makes it a very useful place to go for lunch or if you're looking for a slightly unusual gift for someone.

My Wife and I travel over from Blackburn every couple of weeks to enjoy a morning Latte and toast…read moreand good company at Di Silvas, The shop, food and goods on display are top quality and would definately recommend a visit if you are in the area.

This is a traditional candy shop on the New Brighton Promenade. Here you will find the sweet…read moretooth's heaven: homemade fudge, chocolates, jars and jars of sweets, rock candy, and pretty much everything tasty the world has to offer. They also sell quite a few beach toys like plastic pails and shovels, so if you're kids are driving you nuts down on the promenade, you can buy them some cheap toys so they can build a sand castle and buy yourself some chocolate to keep you sane at the same time.

A real traditional style sweet shop with wall to wall sweetie jars. As well as traditional and…read morerecent sweets and chocolates (including a large selection by Goody Good Food, and a good range of sugar-free sweets, they also sell local ice cream, soft drinks, and Slush Puppies. They also have some specialist items such as to-order cakes and boutique chocolates, and imported American goods. They occasionally sell unusual trivial items such as pictures, models, ornaments, and even neckties. These aren't worth bothering with though, as they are just filler. The store thrives best on its confectionery. The staff are also very friendly and helpful. They don't currently accept cards, but they have done previously. One of the owners says that they're looking into doing so again in the future.

You're homesick. You miss your mummy/daddykins/dog/significant other/catfish/weasel/antfarm. You…read moreneed some of that home cookin' to soothe your lonely soul, something traditional and warming and comforting. And while in this humid heatwave such thoughts might turn your stomach as much as they're turning mine, I'm thinking back to the cold winters of November when I visited Pudding and Pie in a chilly, wind-whipped Southport. It's worse on the coast, you know. Rumour has it that breeze is so sharp it can make your favourite jumper threadbare. True story. Look no further to solve those feelings than the very definition of stodge that is Pudding and Pie, a place where they do a mean fish finger sandwich (whether the fish were mean before they became fingers remains to be seen), a steak and ale pie that views your arteries as a personal challenge, Lancashire hot pot that could rival Betty's in the Rover's, soups designed to put hair on your chest when you're feeling infirm... all 100% home made. And if you've made the leap to the fat-is-flavour side of the river this far, you might as well finish yourself off with an equally cosy pud. Eccles cakes, or fly pies as my mother calls them (thanks, dear parent, for ruining a traditional north westerly baked treat), apple crumble so warm and juicy that Jim from American Pie would want to get a room with it, bread and butter pudding that ain't stingy on the bright yellow sticks of doom... it's all here, waiting to comfort you. The location is pretty delicious too; Wayfarers Arcade happens to be one of my favourite spots in Southport and the ornate architectural delight that it is blankets Pudding and Pie in even more loveliness. Plus it's super central, so once you've had your fill you can either walk off your heavy tummy by hitting the shops with aplomb or head straight to the beach for a lunch-burnin' sand hike. Either way, the staff are lovely and it makes a superb spot for a substantial lunch or naughty treat any time of the day... one I'd highly recommend.

The name of this bistro style café reminds me of that nursery rhyme 'Georgie Porgie pudding and…read morepie, kissed the girls and made them cry'. I always wondered why the girls were crying so much at him kissing them, he must have been quite the hunchback for them to have reacted in that way because in my experience, any attention from boys is usually a good thing as far as girls are concerned. Luckily, Pudding and Pie café in Wayfarers Arcade has no such problems satisfying its customers as it offers hearty home cooked meals at very cheap prices. The food usually changes on a daily or weekly basis as they use local ingredients but the daily specials are definitely worth checking out if you're in the area. They offer a patio seating area in the Arcade itself for you to watch your fellow shoppers as they pass by as well as a decently-sized seating area in the café itself, with interesting Lloyd-loom style chairs for you to sit on. Pudding and Pie also offers a range of scones and cream cakes as well as hot and cold drinks, meaning it is a great place to go if you're in the Arcade and fancy stopping off for a decent meal or a just a small refreshment.

This is the place to go. Buy that stick of Rock all your…read morefamily and friends want you to take home. Fantastic, they put Rock making displays on for you. Watch how it's made from sugar to the sticks, and putting the letters in the centre. I first went there years back and it's still there , so well worth a trip to see when in Blackpool. Not the greatest looking shop on the outside, and a little off the beaten track. not too far. Ohhh and when you do go visit . One stick of rock with Trevor in the centre please hee hee.

EVERY store along the promenade that sells cheap tack, also sells some sort of Blackpool Rock…read morecandy. Now, I am not a HUGE fan of rock candy, but i always remember bringing a load of it back to california for friends and family to do with it as they saw fit. (I am guessing it be good for anything EXCEPT eating [paperweight, doorstop, bludgeoning weapon- if someone breaks into your home.] ) But Rock Candy is part of the Charm of Blackpool.

Fantastic old fashioned little sweet shop in the centre of Blackpool. Great for buying presents…read more Lots of delights to choose from which you cant find anywhere else. Highly recommended.

I'm not really sure why but I've never really liked eating fruit and veg much, but I definitely…read moredon't eat enough. Maybe it's because my parents didn't force it down me enough as a child, or not often enough anyway. Whatever it is, I always struggle with eating it and I'm definitely not ever going to be one of those people that order a salad for lunch, either. Thankfully, local greengrocers like Branfresh in Ormskirk village almost make me change my mind and start eating my greens more often. The shop is full of various freshly grown and picked produce that even I must admit does look quite tasty, even if I'm reluctant to actually eat it. As it's a small local business, the service they offer there is personal and friendly, meaning the staff are chatty and happy to help if you can't find the cucumbers or oranges (although the shop is set out well enough for you to probably not need them anyway) and their prices are more than reasonable enough for you to consider choosing them over the local supermarkets.

This is a wonderful fresh produce shop on Church Street. I say wonderful because they stock far…read moremore than the average fruit and veg shop. Besides an abundance of tasty and decently priced fruits and vegetables, Branfresh also sells some grocery items, a wide selection of herbs and spices, and some organic/health foods like dried fruit, nuts, and my all-time favourite--yoghurt covered raisins! The prices here are very good. I was very pleased with the garlic chips and the yoghurt raisins that I bought. I would definitely come back here if I were planning to be in the area again.

Lion Fruit Pastilles, tasty, the right amount of chewiness. Excellent pastilles but Home Bargains…read moreno longer stock them and I have not seen them anywhere else. I would love to buy a full case.

The package says that if we're not 100% happy that we should give them feedback which is what I am…read morein the process of doing at this very second. I liked the assortment, however, it was missing some licorice and some hard candies, therefore, by the old school UK definition this is not actually "dolly mix" I bought this from an import store for a lot of $$$. Does say what is exactly on the package but this is not an assortment of candy called dolly mix. I bought some for Mother's Day for my mom and although it did bring her back to her childhood I could tell that she was looking for those other pieces.