City North scheme - wow!

tosscat

Uhuh.

dion

@ Ali - I am surprised Tesco haven't bought Woody's and turned it into another Tesco!

katiejane

They're stocking up the Costcutter I notice.

Emma

I like the Tescos, it v convenient for meat - I would never buy meat from the butchers on SGR as they all smell of bleach. Agree that the veg is ming; even when they have stock it's all unripe and unnecessarily prepackaged, but that's the excellent thing about SGR - there are loads of places to get nice fresh fruit and veg.

I don't have a problem with the staff, I like having a chat with the regulars. It's a pig of a job they have to do, they get treated like extensions of the till, and I'm not surprised they're disninterested, if that's all they get back from it.

Having said that if I was shopping for a family rather than on my rather ad hoc basis, I would do it online as well.

tosscat

If we tip them better, maybe we'd get a better quality of staff in Tesco. I'm with Emma, have a chat to them, make them smile and maybe they'll do it for you.

Ali

If you want a good butchers go and see Tony up at Meat Master Butchers on Crouch Hill just up a bit from the Larrick.

Their main business is supplying restaurants etc but they also do a butchers shop as well. It is good for standard things, its bacon is good and the eggs are large anda lot lot cheaper and better than Tesco. Unfortunately they don’t do their own sausages an the like but on the whole a lot better than the Halla places on SGR.

There is also a great one on Green Lanes called I think Baldwins. Does game as well a lots of other great products. It is the sort of old fashioned butchers you used to get in small town High Street but adapted for the locals in Green Lanes. If you want fresh duck , pheasant, pigeons, quail etc that is the place to go

katiejane

There's a good one in CE, near the show shop by 'O' Thai, where they do veggie sausages

JoeV

The butcher up in CE near O’s is called Freeman’s and has very good sausages of all varieties. Baldwin’s on Green Lanes is comparable and very handy because my favourite fruit, veg, and bakery combo, Yaser Halim is nearby .


Not sure why Tesco provokes such outrage, though admittedly there’s room for improvement at the SGR location in how they order and stock the shelves (if only they would stop rearranging the location of items and get some unsalted butter in).

It’s definitely improved since I moved to the area a few years ago At least now it's possible to get a loaf of bread and some milk after 6 o’clock. They used to be out of stock regularly when I stopped by after work.

Ali

Yaser Halim have the best Apple pies on earth ! (excuding the bramble and Apple pies I make). Olive Bread is also very good

Mike from London

I vote for Tony at Meat Masters. A good local butcher. He and his dad (have I got it the right way round?) are really nice guys, they'll have a laugh with anybody, they know all the gossip, it's worth zipping in just to find out who's got the bailiffs in, who's won the pools, who's up, who's down.

The quality of their meat is good enough and nowhere near the price that Freemans will sting you for much the same thing. (Though of course Freemans is organic and probably the quality is a grade or two 'superior'.) They will also carve you a really nice joint of pork, roll it and string it and then tell you how to cook it - recommended!

dion

@ JoeV - they do French unsalted President butter

tosscat

@ JV - all supermarkets rearrange things regularly to shake up your routine and get you spending more, you'll never change that

JoeV

@geoff - Thanks for the tip. President is the only brand they carry unsalted. Why they don't offer Tesco's brands or others unsalted baffles me.

@tosscat - All supermarkets do, on what seems like a daily basis? Seems like SG Tesco does it far more often than other supermarkets I've been in including other Tescos. I know why they toy with me I just wish they would stop it.

katiejane

@ JoeV - what a coincidence - they've just started stocking their own. I bought some on Friday. It's in a similar packet as the salted, only it's blue, not red.

Ali

Every little helps !

Their Computer must have noticed a run President hence puts ion their own brand as it have a higher margin.

Clever stuff !

Alex S

Yep, Andy Jun 23. You're right. I write for Building and (mis)manage the web site. Def not a stooge for the architect - just a local who gets a bit excited about a bit of modern design. Sorry for not checking back for such a long time. Must find more about the scheme. It's backed by the same guy behind the library on Blackstock Road. He owns lot's of land round FP. Can't remember his name.

andy

Hello Alex. Interesting on the owner. Definitely interested to hear if you find anything out. (and randomly enough, I have been looking at the Building website recently and was thinking how good it was. Much better than Contract Journal ).

Alex S

Thanking you. Looks a bit shabby today. Are you in building/architecture?

Anyway the guy is Jack Morris, now OBE, and his family own the shopfitter CIL based behind the Tube - company is now known as Business Design Centre Group (yes they own that as well). The Morris family - him and four bros - have also set up a Trust, Morris Charitable Trust, which Jack chairs. He's also the governer of the City & Islington College and responsible for its expanstion. He's also chair of the Anna Frank Trust. Born in Stokie - looks like the family made their money and decided to stick around rather than heading for the Bahamas.

He's an accountant - probably explains why nobody's heard of him. Certainly deserves a wikipedia entry. This is the best I could find http://snipurl.com/3nczf