Tariq’s Greengrocers

Tariq’s is a tiny TINY shop and if you don’t live in the area, probably only one you’ll venture into for a pack of smokes or a juice. But for those of us who call Stockbridge home, Tariq’s is another one of those «diamond in the rough» grocers along this street. Between this and the Cost Cutter — I don’t think there’s a spice in the world that you wouldn’t be able to find.
It’s not my go-​to for everyday groceries, but when I happen upon something in a recipe that I don’t recognize or can’t find at Waitrose, this is one of my first places to poke my head in. Bonus: again, like Cost Cutter, the produce here is surprisingly great — very fresh — and you can pick up interesting seasonal produce that you might not find if you shop primarily at the bigger shops down the road. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s a solid neighbourhood shop and i’m glad to have it around!

Greengrocers ticks all the boxes in its criteria. It is packed full of good fruit and veg, smells good, seems fresh, hosts some exotic fruit, it’s clean, it’s fairly cheap for organic produce, and it stocks various herbs and spices.
The staff are very attentive and interested in your custom. What’s more, greengrocers like this deserve your attention because they have a wider selection than the supermarket. If you’ve ever been to local fruit shops abroad, you’ll see the fruit is oddly shaped and a bit earthy — that’s what it’s meant to look like. The supermarket has warped our perception of what good food should look like, to the point that we’re not arsed if the nutrients have been zapped out of them through pesticides and whatnot. If you have ever watched a documentary on it, you’ll see the waste is sickening.
Luckily for locals, Greengrocers gives us good fruit, and the slight increase on the cost is a fine price to pay for fruit and veg that is less tampered with than what you’ll get from Tesco.

Tariq is the man. His shop is open longer than anywhere else, he always has loads of fruit and veg and the crisp selection is superb. You can pay by card and it’s a good greengrocer as well as a corner shop and newsagent. The homemade pakora and samosa is very superior and Tariq himself is a charming, honest man.