Quality Foods Store entrance
If you are thinking of holding an Indian dinner party, making a curry for lunch or just fancy exploring South Asian food products then the Quality Foods Store in Southall is a great place to visit. This store is located on South Road amongst surrounding South Asian clothes shops, sweet dessert distributors and jewellery shops. There is a small car park adjacent to the store but it is not free. Quality foods has a few other outlets, these locations are detailed on their
website. Here is some information on the products they sell.
Rice and Flour
Rice and flour are staple ingredients in most South Asian cuisines and are available in many different styles. Check out this
web page for the different types of rice available. As with most products in this store the variety of weight quantities can be commended. You will definitely find the volume to suit your requirements, whether you are stocking up or making a one off meal. For example there are different brands and types of rice and flour available these come in packs ranging from 500g to 45kgs.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
Most of the fruit and vegetables in this store are sold loose, meaning you can pick how much you like. From this photo you can see that there are many different varieties of chilli and pepper available.

Chilli and pepper varieties
All the usual fruit and vegetables you would expect in commercial supermarkets, such as Asda and Tesco, can also be purchased here. Something I found particularly interesting were these purple banana flowers kept next to the bananas, this is the first place I've seen them being sold. If you are a fan of exotic fruit and veg then this will be a field trip for you.

Green bananas and banana flowers
Oils
The different types of Olive Oil including flavoured versions
Most South Asian foods are oil based so there is a wide selection of oils available. With recent health awareness everyone is making efforts to use olive oil as it is significantly lower in cholesterol then ghee. If you want more information on ghee then
Wikipedia provides a photographic explanation of what it is. The short version suggests that it is basically a clarified butter.
Chutneys, Pickles and Sauces
Most cuisines are complemented by chutneys, pickles and sauces so it's no surprise that there are a few aisles dedicated to these products. This photo shows the choice of mixed pickle (also known as achar) available in this store.

Different types of pickles
A useful website to look at is the
National Foods website, this brand distributes its products in many South Asian stores. On this website you will find recipes and be able to explore the whole range of products available, most of which will be in Quality Foods in Southall. If you want to take a closer link at pickles then this is a
great link.
Herbs and Spices
There are so many different herbs and spices available from the Quality Foods Store including chilli powder, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper and much more. They are available in packets like the ones shown in this photo.

Herbs and spices in the store
The above list is just a snippet of what is available, in this store the range of products is similar to that of a supermarket. You will also find pulses, beans, drinks, breads, candles, dishes and much more. Even if you are not planning on buying anything it is a great place to visit for a browse.
Please note that all price tags in these photos were correct at the time of the photos being taken. It is best to inquire in store for current prices.