As in much of the UK, food shopping in Cambridge and the surrounding area is divided somewhat unevenly between the supermarkets and a flourishing but much smaller independent sector. Interest in the latter has increased in reaction to the rise of the supermarkets and the dominance of high streets by national retailers, especially since the 1990s. But you have to know where to look to find the speciality food, farm shops and local markets that constitute the alterative.

Farm shops and farmers markets focus on sustainable local produce and local production. Although Cambridge itself has no official farmer's market, a number of food outlets are found. Monday to Saturday, a score or so of fruit and vegetable, along with a few butchers, fish mongers and cheese sellers bring a great variety of goods to stalls on the Cambridge market square. On Sundays, a few organic producers of vegetables, cakes, bread and fish come along. They supplement the few regular shops in the town centre specialising in the sales of local fare, most notably the Origin8 store on St Andrew's Street, unique in its collection of foods from scores of East Anglian outlets.

Outside Cambridge, in outlying towns, you will find famers' markets certified by the National Association of Farmers' Markets, which means the stall holders have been independently verified as producing the food themselves and meeting the criteria of the National Association. Find the genuine Farmers Markets in Ely, St Ives, Ramsey, Huntingdon, on Sundays, unofficially, in Cambridge. Splendid affairs, these markets attract producers selling all manner of foods, much of it organic: gooseberry pies and Norfolk cheeses, ham and family beef and beer, apples and pears, salads and sausages, cakes and ale, herbs and honey, chutneys and chillies, breads and jams, fruits and flours, veggies and venison, chickens and eggs (hens', ducks' or quails'). The list rolls on! Markets typically operate on particular days of the week, so check for the calendars before you set out!

Another excellent source of variety are the ethnic and speciality shops found mostly among the outlying neighbourhoods, and sometimes even in the area's villages. Cambridge's ethnic areas flourish mostly along Mill Road (just a 10 minute walk from the centre), where, along with Arjuna, the worker's cooperative and a source for innumerable organic and environmental products, you'll find store selling imported huge varieties of Italian, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Korean and other foods.

In terms of buying wine and spirits, Cambridge features a number of independents, along side the dominant small chains and national chains - all of whom are threatened by the supermarkets. But the independents tend to offer a larger variety and staff there tend to know more about the alcohol.

For shopping, including organic food shopping, local food and farms shops in Cambridge and area, including nearby Royston, St Neots, Haverhill, Saffron Walden, Newmarket, Ely, St Ives and Huntingdon, this is the place. From bakers, butchers and farm shops to wine merchants and cheese sellers, with a special emphasis on organic and local production, Local Secrets is your choice, listing all the best places to buy food for home preparation.