Thetownend.com

You don't see em about these days, the occasional butchers yes. Sweet shops is another  :no:

Can't think of a single fishmonger in Swindon, which is a shame.
Only a couple of butchers I can think of as well. I prefer to buy meat from a butcher where possible.
Sometimes i'll go into town on a Saturday morning especially to go into McGuire's to get meat for the weekend.

There's a good one in Lechlade that also sells fruit, veg, local beer/wine, fresh bread, cheese, chutneys, etc. I walked in and it was like my idea of heaven.

There's still a fishmongers up here in Reading (in the aptly nicknamed Smelly Alley). It's superb as well, albeit not cheap.

I once went out with a fishmongers daughter............

Then I went out with a pilots daughter........

 :D

In Chichester we have 3 old stylee sweet shops selling everything from space dust to sweets by the jar - they are very popular.

Chichester is lovely. Expensive place to live no doubt?

Theres an old fashioned sweet shop in Bassett too, loads of jars on the walls behind the counter, really evokes memories of spending pocket money as a kid.

No fishmonger though...

There used to be a 'really good fishmongers' in Lyneham but it shut down recently... probably because every time I drove past it I kept thinking that looks like a really good fish mongers, I must go in there sometime and buy some fish, but never did...

So you're taking sole blame for it's closure?

We need to plaice the blame somewhere.

 Last fishmongers in town was in Market Street, near Castle's. Proper good shop, nothing was ever too much trouble, when it came to advice and filleting etc.

 Somehow, the sections in the supermarkets just aren't the same...even though sometimes you can get a good buy

Just a little, a significant premium to live by the sea. 

And don't clam up

Norway has the opposite problem. There is too much fish.

Its the fish for breakfast that got me

Smoked salmon for breakfast is good, pickled herring not so much. Visiting the in-laws at Christmas there was something like 14 different types of pickled herring on the breakfast table

For cods sake give it a break!

These puns really hake me off.

You're talking pollocks!

Old fashioned sweets in jars are available at the cook shop in Faringdon Road, cannot remember what it is called, used to be a sewing shop.  They do a lot of cakes and baking stuff in there as well.

Chippenham has 2 old fashioned sweet shops.  Cant see em lasting mind you, not both of them.

I just saw a guy filming a pair of crustaceans being buried alive under a pile of rubble on his camera phone... I think he was making a hardcore prawn movie

Is it just one left down there? Used to be several when i lived there.

Newbury has an ace sweet shop, actually shopping in Newbury is pretty good

I thought the last one was a fishmomgers / grocer on Groundwell Rd ? (also good), plus the newsagents opposite the Wheatsheaf on Newport St has a decent selection os sweeties !!!

Try Three Trees Farm shop at Chiseldon. Or Cobbs Farmshop at Hungerford if you are EITHERpassing or live within easy traveling distance for meat. Real gems in an oasis of poor quality.

Cheers, I'll pop in the Three Trees tomorrow :)

I'm feeling quite chipper, start a thread about something that pops into your head and someone else is prompted to do something they might not have thought of.

Tell the butcher with grey hair that the man from TTEF "Fatbasher" reccomended them to you.

To be fair, there are few places in Britain farther from the sea (that are an actual town) than Swindon.

Brum being the furthest (72 miles)

I worked in a fishmongers in the summer holidays as a youngster, was never short of cockles in my house  :I'm a complete mofleakin Deak

Fair point, I never really thought of it as a fishmonger, as I used to buy game from there. Earle's has the sweeties, I'm sure if you're a sweet eater it caters to your every need.

Being a knight of the road I get to travel to lots of plaices where there are decent fishmongers. The best one though not inexpensive, or local is down on the front at Ventnor on the IOW. I always make that my last sales call on the last day and bring home something tasty as a treat.

There is a fishmongers at the Cobbs farm shop at Hungerford, open from Wednesday I think. Maybe worth a punt.

butts farm is pricey but usually decent too ( just off 419 near cerney), also millets on the way to ox*ford has a farm shop and a corn maize and some animals to look at with the kids if you are out that way.

Neither do fish. Obviously bibury trout farm do trout. You can club your own fish to death if you like. No I'm not joking.

Popped in Three Trees this morning. Nice place, bought a joint of beef for tomorrow.
Quite an expensive place though.

I walked past there yesterday, on the old railway, doing a loop from Swindon, up to Barbury and back. Thought about nipping in, but decided against, due to the fact, if I did buy something I'd have to carry it for about 6 miles.

Expensive doesn't sound good..

The bitter taste of poor quality remains long after the sweet taste of the lowest price is forgotten. You'll come on here after lunch tomorrow and tell everyone how nice it was, unless you murder it when cooking.

We have over decades now become consumers of larger portions of lower priced tasteless mass produced products, myself included. I reckon we could all survive on smaller amounts thus giving us more money to pay for better quality.

I had my Christmas turkey at Easter, It's a long story suffice to say there was a mix up with Vowley Farm and I left it in their freezer till Easter. I ended up buying a fresh turkey from Sainsburys, it was OK, however,@ £27.00 I think was probably £7.00 more than it was worth. My Easter/Christmas turkey from Vowley Farm was effing sublime, moist, tenter full of flavour, slightly gamey as a turkey should be. Took it to my brothers house as we had a big family gathering with a joint of loin of pork from the same people. Ok it was more expensive probably no more than 15-20% tops though. There was nothing left on the carcass and only rib bones from the pork.

You pay your money and take the chance. For me, pay a bit more, get a bit less a fair exchange IMHO.     

[url width=500 height=400]http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Dv5e5.gif[/url]

Thank you SY, if I was a cynical fcuker I'd say you were taking the piss.  ;)

A little bit.

I agree with you though, I used to save money by using soya mince, lentils and pulses in stuff like curry, tacos or lasagne so that I could afford to buy some good meat from the butchers a couple of times a week.

I'll happily pay more for decent cuts of meat every now and then.
Farm shops in general tend to be more expensive than butchers, that was my point.

I bought some so say better sausages from millets farm that were pricey and they we're fucking horrible.

Yeah afraid so Sutton, still two butchers and a greengrocers though so not doing too bad compared to the rest of Britain.

Free delivery too although as i said prices aren't cheap.

http://www.thesmellyalleyfishcompany.co.uk/

Anyone remember 'The Little Shop' in the parade in Marlborough.  Now that was a proper sweet shop.  Closed down 20 odd years ago, but plenty of childhood memories spent there.  My dentist has done ok out of me too.

This is the gayest thing that's ever been written on here and by god there's been plenty.

Take a bow sir.

Bollocks....I'm just cooking a curry with mung/aduki beans and lentils, and I can assure you I'm not the least bit gay.

Christ I hope you sleep with a window open tonight....

Not all of us have such wonderfully well paid jobs Daffyd.

You should try harder then :toocool:

The curry is an hors d'oeuvres to tonight's lager I find it dampens flatulence.  :)

you've never banged a bird with a beard - you haven't lived mate, fair play with the bean curry though - are you going to have a sprout and egg bhaji?

Anal beards...yes, facial...no.

I reckon you could lob eggs and sprouts in and make a biriani easily enough. Now that would make me even more unpopular at tonight's quiz.

I understand. Though you need to ask why? When you have the answer you'll not only understand the economics but the ethos too.

When I was in the trade in the late '70's through to the late '80's there was a plethora of butchers in town. Trust me some big names were really shit. Today the bar has been raised and the quality has risen to the top like cream should.

When we had the turkey and pork at Easter the meat alone was £70. There were 7 adults and 4 kids. You can estimate the bill going out to eat somewhere above average as being around £20 a head plus drinks. I gaurentee the quality would be no-where near the quality we had. However you go where your pocket can afford. For me, I end up after every meal out asking myself if I could have done better at home. If it's yes then I have wasted my money, simple. Even when I stay out on company business I've been known to have a bag of chips in my car than eat in some of the gash places available to me and my Co. don't quibble at my expenses as long as I don't take the pizz.

I'm not well off by any standards but I refuse to accept mediocre as the norm.

 :(

You better ring up Thames water in the morning to warn them...