Yes, it's always best to give your custom to the little independent traders where possible.

And when they're cheaper too, it's a no-brainer! :)

<-- does all her veg shopping at the North End Road market, where five grapefruits cost a pound

I'd like to make a little addition to your last sentence:

If you're skint and looking for cheap food and you prefer vegetables that don't rot before you've even had the time to stick them in the fridge, avoid the big four supermarkets.

I had a £20 M&S gift voucher: since we're low on food supplies, I opted for using it for that purpose instead of wasting it on the single sock pair of socks I could've gotten from it otherwise. Alick offered to do the shopping, and he was given specific intructions: buy essentials, and all-veggie. We don't even have any pasta, for pete's sake.

Naturally, he came back with two bottles of (cheap) wine, two cans of hashed something meat, and three cartons of orange juice. £23.48, if you please.

When I'm looking for produce I prefer to go to the local farmer's market. Yes, it's more expensive, but it's worth it. The food tastes better and I'm supporting local business.

I live on Green Lanes, so I have a plethora of local shops selling greengrocery stuff. As an example, Sainsburys' will charge me 69p per pepper. The local chaps will charge me £1.59 or less per pound. They aren't perfect shapes and sizes like the supermarket ones. Like you give a toss about that when they're in the curry?

I rarely buy fruit and veg from Sainsbury's. About the only thing I'll buy are mushrooms.

The cornershops are rather more expensive for tins, milk and the like however. The big four win on that sort of thing.

*used to live on Green Lanes and misses the after-hours alcohol shops*

Every time I buy veg at the farmers' market I'm convinced they've dropped a zero off the price somewhere. And it means I can afford the more expensive meat, too.