As the credit crunch bites and everyone downgrades from Waitrose to Lidl, let's here it for the little guys - all those indie food shops and delis that will really be feeling the effects of our belt-tightening.

I've tempered my food snobbery in recent months (since becoming a hausfrau, I've even shopped in Tesco, y'know) but there are some things that only the specialist shops do well, such as cheese. And it isn't always the more expensive option - in the future I'm hoping to back this up with real price comparisons in the hope that people will keep visiting their local indie for cheeses, charcuterie and bread.