With all the disruption caused by “the thing that shall not be named”, we’ve all had to figure out how to get groceries to cook and eat the food we like. Sometimes the usual shops aren’t open, or they don’t have what we want.
I’ve done more online food shopping in the last year than ever before, so I now have opinions about both physical and online shops.
I recognise that this list is slightly central-London-centric because that’s where I live! Some shops might not offer a nationwide service or the range of items that can be sent might be limited (e.g. no fresh stuff outside of the M25), but I hope you find something useful.
Specialised Spanish food shops
Stockist | Best for… | Online? | Comments |
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R. García and Sons 248 – 250 Portobello Road London W11 1LL http://rgarciaandsons.com/ | – shaped pasta such as fideos, letras… – spices (such as paella colouring) – Christmas sweets (and other sweets): polvorones, turrón, mazapanes… | Yes, sometimes (they take it offline if they have too much demand) (but I haven’t tried it) | Great food cupboard and fresh cheese and meats selection (I think those aren’t available if buying online). Lots of imported Spanish products. It truly feels like a traditional Spanish grocery shop. |
Brindisa https://brindisa.com/ The Floral Hall, Stoney Street, Borough Market London, SE1 9AF | – morcillas (black sausages) – dried red peppers – artisanal food – cupboard items such as almonds, fideos… | Yes, and also via the Borough Market delivery service (see below) | More of a deli than anything else. Pretty high quality. Prices are pretty decent. They seem to have fresh sweets in the deli that aren’t sold online, such as Tarta de Santiago (Galician St. James’s cake) |
Other shops that sometimes sell Spanish products
Fresh produce delivered to London
Stockist | Best for… | Comments |
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Borough Market via Good Sixty Website | Brings Borough Market to your door | SUPER convenient. All the food, none of the queueing and battling with people / tourists! Some favourites: Turnips for fancy fruit and veg (and mushrooms, yum), Ted’s Vegs for daily fruit and veg; Neil’s Yard Dairy, French Comté and Mons for cheeses and butter; Brindisa for all things Spanish; Spice Mountain, The Turkish Deli (olives and sweet treats), Borough Olives, La Tua Pasta, German Deli (sausages), Smokin’ Brothers (great smoked salmon). |
Vincenzo Website | Self-care fruit and veg box | Their box for £40 (delivery included) includes a selection of fruit and vegetables of generally good quality (except the almost dead and wilted oranges that they kept including until very late in the year). This is very useful (you don’t have to agonise over what to buy), but it requires commitment to go through all the food if you’re only two people. It will last more than a week too. |
Phillip Warren butchers Website | High quality meat | We eat meat less and less, and we also try to only eat meat coming from grass fed animals. This shop has extremely good quality meat products. |
London shops with great stuff
Stockist | Best for… | Online? | Comments |
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Delicias de Portugal Pimlico: 58-60 Lupus Street London SW1V 3EE (and other branches) Website | – Portuguese products (obviously!) – Spanish cupboard stuff – asparagus, lupin beans (altramuces) – Culturally related stuff like Brazillian items | Yes (but I haven’t tried it) | It feels like the Portuguese version of R Garcia & sons! The Pimlico branch has a lot of fish. |
Japan Centre 35a Panton Street London SW1Y 4EA Website | All things Japanese! | Yes (some items limited to London only) | I love this place. |
Lina Stores 18 Brewer Street, London, W1F 0SH Website | Excellent Italian deli | Yes | Everything here is great (flours, confectionery, cheeses, fresh pasta), but I’m really longing for their Soho restaurant in Greek Street to re-open… |
Honey & Spice 52 Warren Street, London W1T 5NJ Website | – middle eastern cupboard items (think great quality tahini, olive oil, nuts, etc) – delectable sweets – great salads – pick-up point for their take-away food | Yes | I give them a copious amount of my money 😂 In addition to the random cupboard items, I have been frequently ordering food feasts for special occasions in the last year. Also they’ve got great peaches in summer… |
Green Valley 36-37 Upper Berkeley Street, London W1H 5QF Website | – All sorts of Lebanese things! – Big spice and beans selection – Fresh produce – Various counters (meat, sweets) | No, order by phone 😱 | If it’s good enough for Nigella, it’s probably good for you too 😏 |
Oseyo Multiple locations Website | – All sorts of Korean stuff – also has a lot of other Asian products (Chinese, Japanese, Thai…) | Yes, but I haven’t tried it | The fresh produce can be sometimes really hard to find elsewhere. Good range and an alternative to visiting Chinatown. |
Mestizo Market 101 Hampstead Road, London NW1 3EL Website | – Mexico in a shop!! – Chillies, tortas, totopos, horchata, chocolate, random Mexican sweets I do not recognise, beer, wine, decorative stuff | Yes, but I haven’t tried it | The shop is also SO pretty |
Rupashi Bangla Cash & Carry 93-97 Hampstead Road, London NW1 3EL | Lots of useful “cupboard” Indian products in big sizes: legumes, spices, nuts, etc. They also sell meats but I didn’t pay attention to those. The fresh selection seemed quite limited. | No idea | I think there might be more of these all around London – but this can be convenient if you’re centrally located. |
Bread making supplies (flour, grains and accessories)
Stockist | Best for… | Comments |
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Bakery bits Website | – Heritage flours – Country flours (French, Italian…) | It also has an excellent range of accessories. Prompt service. |
Shipton Mill Website | – fab strong white organic flour – other great organic flours (ciabatta, pastry) | I really like their flours. Very reliable and consistent between batches. |
Gilchester Organics Website | – Extremely heritage flours and grains (einkorn, spelt, emmer…) – Unbleached strong white flour – gives your bread a deeper colour! | Super high quality, and the only place where I could find einkorn grains! |
Hodmedod’s Website | Grains and pulses grown in the UK (and their flours) | Everything we’ve had here has been very TASTY but my favourites are the lentils, the rye flour and grains, and the YQ wholewheat flour |
Other useful shops
Stockist | Best for… | Comments |
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Steenbergs Website | Amazingly fresh spices and seeds | Their stuff is so fresh I have to reduce the amount of some spices when cooking, or they would overpower the food! |