h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Around the corner from where I live the is an Italian butcher called Enzo Tartarelli.

His shop is the last one on Sidmouth Parade, London NW6.

He sells the best italian cured meats, gorgonzola, pamesan and Dolce Latte, Buffalo Milk Mozarella, home made ravioli with fresh cheese and apricot stuffing. He also sells panetoni and the best fresh meats in the area. If you ask him nicely, he'll also let you sample some food before you buy.

The shop has a traditional red/gold frontage, no neon here. The inside is uber modern as Enzo himself exudes enough Italian culture to fill the whole road - plus the place is cram pcked with goodies.

You'll spend at least an hour in there - 30 mins choosing and 30 mins chatting to Enzo.

Jeffries the butcher. On the Kingston Road, in Kingston. Just down from Kingston Station. Does wonderful free range pork, Scottish beef. A really good proper butcher. Say hi to Peter the butcher. The pork is particularly good, because since it hasn't been wrapped up in plastic it doesn't go all soggy, so it makes really excellent crackling.

In the same parade of shops you'll find Jarvis the fishmonger, they provide excellent fresh fish to the local Japanese community, so they've some really unusual types. They also sell game, rabbits, pheasant and so on...

Davey Burns' butchers, Abbey St. Bangor, N. Ireland.

Davey himself is dead now, but while he was alive he won all sorts of awards for the meat he sold. Try the beef sausages if you go there. The high standards haven't dropped since his death fortunately. He was known to travel far and wide sourcing good meat - he went to New Zealand to check out the lamb for instance.

McKeown's fishmonger, High St, Bangor - another old family one which has been there for over 100 years. Great fresh fish, a lot of variety too. Great for shellfish.