In her weekly column for the Saturday Telegraph Magazine, Mary Portas reviews and rates shops around the country. Known for her forthright and honest opinions, she can send fear into the heart of many retailers, but we were delighted when she gave the Budgens brand a great big thumbs up!

The Budgens commitment to ‘share a passion for fresh, seasonal food and a desire to support local small producers’ and seeing this in action is what really impressed her. “It’s clear that Budgens’ local sourcing policy goes far beyond a gesture,” she said, a fact which our 700+ Local Heroes lines testifies!

Mary also praised the friendly staff, the customer service, and the Budgens ability to offer highly affordable basics in the Good Value range alongside local lines. But it was the Budgens interaction with its local community which really meant the most: “Wouldn’t it be great if all supermarkets were made this way?” she asked. Indeed!