The Heatons, being the affluent suburbs that they are play host to (count them) three traditional butchers shops: Littlewood Butchers just down the road in Heaton Chapel and over in Heaton Moor, La Charcuterie and Jacksons Butchers. Considering the bemoaning of peoples lack of interest in local butchers and reliance on supermarket tripe (or rather complete lack of actual tripe!!) in recent editions of Gordon Ramsay's f-Word, I feel rather proud to live somewhere so well catered-for and to be patronising such places. It's very nice being able to wander in of a lunchtime and chat and hobnob with the shopkeepers in a way that went out of fashion years ago. While in La Charcuterie today I was grumbling about not being able to get Mousse de Canard in this country and he wrote down my phone number with a promise to get back to me soon if he can find some. The friendliness comes at a price though as La Charcuterie is incredibly expensive - particularly for the vacuum packed pates and cooked meats.

Meanwhile down the road the bloke in Littlewoods is particularly verbal and kept me there chatting for so long that I kept spotting more things to buy. I got some multi-coloured eggs (which Jackie is delighted by), some pork pies and a little tub of French Rillettes which is heavenly spread on a bit of toast. I think worth the two quid. For top-ups and treats it can't be beat.

Now find us a fishmonger...