Go shopping at Taj Stores

Your author loves unusual community supermarkets and Taj Stores, situated on Brick Lane is an absolute diamond. Founded in 1936, it is one of the one of the oldest international grocers in the UK, serving the local community with seasonal produce, flown daily from Bangladesh.


Those worried about food miles should probably avoid it, but some of the unusual offerings in the store make it a real experience, with a wide selection of fresh exotic Fruits and Vegetables, Halal Meats including Lamb, Mutton, Beef, Deer and Poultry, and fresh fish from throughout the world, including from Bengal.

The produce in the store isn't exclusively Bengali, however, and they pride themselves on stocking produce from all four continents, as well as specialist items from India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Greece, Lebanon and Jamaica.

Best of all, however, the website even has recipes for exotic dishes so you can draw up a shopping list before you enter the store. For more, see http://www.tajstores.co.uk/