As part of Nisa’s overarching Fill Your Basket For Less campaign, the deals focus on value to ensure Nisa stores continue to provide consumers with a strong and varied offer that delivers on price without compromising on quality.

Available in stores now until October 11, promotions include the latest Big Deal, which offers a great alternative to a curry night takeaway for two at a fraction of the price and provides savings of up to £10.89 on the RRP.

Shoppers can choose any two mains (Co-op Chicken Tikka 350g, Co-op Chicken Korma 350g or Co-op Butternut Squash Makhani 350g), two sides (Co-op Plain Naan Bread 2pk or Co-op Pilau Rice 250g) and a 4x330ml pack of Cobra beer or 4x250ml Coca-Cola, Diet Coke or Coca-Cola Zero, all for just £8.

And for mid-week meal inspiration, consumers can pick up all the ingredients for a fuss free cottage pie for just £5, including Co-op Carrots 500g, Co-op Onions 3 Pack, Co-op Maris Piper Potatoes 1.5kg and Co-op British Beef Mince 500g.

The latest freezer-filler deal also offers great value meals for the whole household, comprising Birds Eye family favourites 4 Chicken Burgers 200g, 2 Crispy Chicken 170g, Mixed Vegetables 340g and Alphabites 456g, alongside Walls Carte D’or Vanilla ice cream 900ml – all for a budget-friendly £6 and saving shoppers £6.23 off the RRP.

Laura Gomersal, head of customer and communications at Nisa, said: “We know shoppers are increasingly seeking better value for money right now and will be particularly cost-conscious as we head into the colder months with household budgets squeezed.

“Through these promotions and our wider Fill Your Basket For Less campaign we aim to demonstrate to shoppers that there’s no need to visit larger supermarkets to make their money go further, when everyday great value offers are available in local Nisa stores on their doorstep.”

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Thanks to an abundance of rainfall matched with sunshine drenching the unique Comber and Ards Peninsula soil over the past few months, SPAR has bagged up Comber Earlies from the fields of William Orr & Son in County Down, which are now on sale across 500 stores supplied by Henderson Wholesale in Northern Ireland.

Noel McGregor, Trading Manager at Henderson Wholesale commented; “The team at Orrs has been lifting the first of their Earlies this week, and we all know these potatoes are best eaten fresh, so we’re delighted to be giving them a quick turnaround in our warehouses and send them out to stores in a matter of hours.”

As the name suggests, Comber Earlies are the first potatoes to come through after the crops are planted out at the beginning of March, but as Noel explains, digging has taken place even earlier this year.

Noel continued; “We’re about two weeks ahead of the usual schedule for Comber Earlies, which are usually dug up and on shelves mid-June, mostly due to the early appearance of spring weather, bringing prime growing conditions.

“We have been trading with William Orr & Son for over 30 years now, and as per previous years, their crop is looking fantastic and ready to be picked up by our shoppers and enjoyed at home for tonight’s tea.”

Comber Earlies, which have PGI status, are hugely anticipated by local shoppers due to their unique taste and flavour, thanks to the micro-climate in which they’re grown in the rich soil of the Ards Peninsula and Comber areas.

Henderson Wholesale, which supplies to over 500 SPAR, EUROSPAR, ViVO, ViVOXTRA and ViVO Essentials stores in Northern Ireland, sources over 75% of their fresh food from local farms and suppliers, ensuring maximum taste, freshness and continued support for the agri-food industry here.

Orr’s potatoes will sit alongside SPAR’s The Greengrocer’s range of over 100 lines of fruit & vegetables, including carrots from Fresh Fields in Comber, salad leaves from Willowbrook Farm in Newtownards and broccoli and cauliflower florets from Gilfresh in Loughgall, to name a few.

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Matt Montgomery, who runs The Secret Market on the village’s High Street, found himself supplying fruit and veg to the movie set at Titanic Studios as filming on the blockbuster movie – starring Christ Pine, Hugh Grant and Michelle Rodriguez – got underway last year.

Matt, who has just celebrated the first birthday of his popular greengrocer’s shop, has had a few brushes with stardom in the course of his work, numbering a few celebrity chefs and movie industry figures among his customers.

“I’ve had Game of Thrones actors in here, and two really big American directors producing the Dungeons and Dragons movie – John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Those guys did the Spiderman movie – they’re huge, huge names!” he says.

“Through that I’ve been able to get a lot of work supplying… obviously Belfast is just on fire with movie production and filming at the Titanic Studios and I’m been able to get into a couple of production houses who then use me for any sort of fruit and veg scene.

“So I’m really keenly awaiting Dungeons and Dragons being released because we got to supply a lot of big carrots with the bunches of leaves on them, cabbages, just for all these banquet scenes. It’s really cool, you never know what’s going to happen!”

Matt says he often picks up ideas from his customers who share their recipes – and some of those customers definitely know their stuff.

“It’s such a mix of people who walk through this door, which is what I actually love about my job – you really don’t know who’s going to walk in in Holywood. I have good customers and they have good connections and they send them this way,” he says.

“We’ve had Yotam Ottolenghi in here – he has a house in Donaghadee and they actually spend the summer in Northern Ireland, so last year I had the pleasure of dealing with him quite a few times when he was down in the shop.

“Ian Beattie is a regular in here, he played Cersei’s bodyguard in Game of Thrones. I’m a big fan of the show myself. He’s an absolute character and a lovely guy.

“The lovely thing about this shop is that we have a great community feel about us, with such regular customers that you gain a relationship with them and then you’re asking them ‘oh what are you going to do with that’ and then you’re able to find out something yourself,” he says.

“I do probably learn more from my customers than from anybody else – I’m very fortunate that we have Michelin star chefs coming in here!”

To read the full feature, read the May edition of Neighbourhood Retailer, due out soon.

The post Holywood greengrocer’s produce takes star billing in Dungeons and Dragons movie first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.