Outmanoeuvring the supermarket forces

Jamie and Valentine are at it. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is at it all alone in Dorset. Delia has been at it for years. Seasonable, locally produced, quality food is very much in fashion right now. The backlash against the supermarkets is on. Edinburgh has more than its fair share of these warehouses of convenience. Dotted amongst the pubs of Old Town and the boutiques of New Town, however, a few independent warriors fight against the giants.

Pedestrians on Roseneath Street, Marchmont’s shopping epicentre, can be seen dodging the sumptuous array of both exotic and locally grown fresh fruit and vegetables that spill out from independent greengrocer Fresh Fruit Connection. Inside, the shop is bright and colourful with bountiful shelves groaning under the weight of variety. Under-ripe tomatoes and plastic bags of flaccid salad leaves are not to be found here.

Impeccably placed next door is Eddie’s Seafood Market, famous across Edinburgh as much for the quality of the fish as the occasional presence of a whole dead shark on the floor of the shop. The dubious ethics of such practice aside, this wholesaler and retailer has supplied the restaurants and residents of Edinburgh with the finest, freshest fish the East and West coasts of Scotland can provide. A shellfish and crustacean specialist, muscles and sea urchins nestle in the ice next to delicious crabs and giant tiger prawns. For the most part, Eddie’s sells fish landed in that morning by Scottish fisherman, with a few foreign exotics for good measure. The on-site smoke house produces a delicious, light and sweet salmon, a far cry from the slimy and chewy fish found vac-packed in a typical supermarket fridge.

Over on Broughton Street, three generations of the Crombie family have been selling the finest cuts of meat for half a century, and the name has become synonymous with one thing: sausages. With over forty types available, almost all having won some sort of award, the choice can be a little daunting. The range starts with the traditional butcher’s porker, encompasses regional and international speciality sausages and ends with the gourmet, specialist bangers. The fantastically named Lucifer’s Matchsticks are as fiery as they sound and the Toulouse is deliciously herby and course. Prices vary from around £3.30 for five to around £4.20 for eight. Pricier than the supermarkets, no doubt – but the care and attention to correct preparation make for a bargain package.

A few doors up Broughton Street is the discreet front of Artisan Roast, which opened in August 2007 with the simple aim of improving the coffee drunk across Europe – starting with Edinburgh. Co-owner Michael Wilson describes the “holy trinity of coffee” with the bright eye of a true believer, a zealot. He starts by buying the best green coffee beans there are, paying top money for the top quality he desires. The roasting process happens in-store, on the café floor, optimum roasting determined by his and his employees' keen sense of smell. The final product, sold in bean form to over 20 of Edinburgh’s cafes and restaurants or in a cup in the Artisan Roast café, is possibly the finest you will find anywhere in the UK and is a testament to the passion, dedication and almost alarming adoration Michael and his staff have for coffee. Artisan coffee may strain the budget more than Starbucks, but for the true “caf-fiend”, once tasted, no other will suffice.

These four are just examples of the massive choice of superb independent retailers in Edinburgh. Shopping regularly from places such as these is a challenge for the busy individual – but try supplementing your usual shop with this quality, and pretty soon any reliance on the simple and convenient supermarkets will be broken.