Self-catering in Bournemouth: food shops, markets and delis

If you are staying on Bournemouth's West Cliff with a kitchen, you can do a weekly shop on foot: a Tesco Express sits by the Square, and Westbourne, a short walk west, has an M&S Foodhall and a monthly farmers' market. For fresh produce and specialist food, the street markets in Boscombe, Poole and Christchurch and a handful of butchers and fish stalls fill the gaps.

This guide is for guests in serviced and self-catering apartments who want to cook for at least some of their stay, whether that is a week with the family or a month on a contract. It starts with what is in the kitchen, then works outwards from the West Cliff.

What is in a Flexiestays kitchen?

Flexiestays apartments come with a full kitchen: a hob, an oven, a fridge, a dishwasher, cookware, crockery and cutlery, according to the Help Centre's guide to what is included in your apartment. The same page lists a washing machine in the apartments, and notes that breakfast is not included by default, so plan the first morning's shop.

One thing to check before you book: some rooms at Shore Retreat and Coast are hotel-style rooms rather than apartments, the Help Centre says, so if cooking matters, choose an apartment. The self-catering accommodation page shows the options and says a weekly shop is within walking distance of every building.

Where is the nearest supermarket to the West Cliff?

For everyday basics, the quickest option is the Tesco Express by Bournemouth Square on Bourne Avenue, a short walk from most West Cliff streets. It covers milk, bread, breakfast and a simple dinner. For a fuller shop, head west to Westbourne or into the town centre shops around Commercial Road.

Arriving late after a long drive, a convenience store for the first night and a proper shop the next morning is the usual rhythm. The Bournemouth Guide's first 48 hours guide plans an arrival around exactly that.

Why is Westbourne the best place for food shopping?

Westbourne, the Victorian shopping village on the Bournemouth and Poole boundary, has the best mix of everyday and special food shopping within walking distance of the West Cliff. It is about a mile from the town centre along Poole Road; allow twenty to thirty minutes on foot, or take the bus if you are carrying bags back.

The M&S Foodhall on Seamoor Road is the main supermarket, with a Tesco Express close by. On the first Saturday of the month, the Westbourne Farmers and Makers Market fills Landseer Road from about 9am to 2pm with bread, meat, poultry, vegetables, eggs, cheese, preserves, coffee and cakes from local producers. Renoufs, the cheese and wine bar in the Westbourne Arcade, is the place for a board of cheese and charcuterie with a glass, rather than a shop.

The Bournemouth Guide's Westbourne page covers the village as a whole, and our guide to eating out in Westbourne covers the cafés and restaurants for the nights you do not cook.

Which markets are worth a trip?

Three weekly street markets cover the conurbation, each a short bus or train ride from the West Cliff. They are general markets with fruit and vegetable stalls, fish and meat at some, and plenty that is not food. Go in the morning for the best choice, and take a bag.

According to the area's tourism site:

• Boscombe Open Air Market: Thursdays and Saturdays on the pedestrian precinct in front of the Sovereign Shopping Centre, with fruit and vegetables, fresh fish and meat among the stalls.
• Poole Market: Thursdays and Saturdays on the pedestrianised High Street, with local produce, fruit and vegetables and takeaway food.
• Christchurch Open Air Market: Mondays on the High Street and in Saxon Square, with fruit, vegetables, flowers and plants.

Poole is about ten minutes from Bournemouth by train and Christchurch under ten, so either market pairs well with a day out.

Where can you buy good meat, fish and deli food?

For specialist food, you need to travel a little. Winton, north of the town centre, has a Brazilian butcher and deli; Mudeford Quay in Christchurch has a fish stall selling what the local boats land; and Avon Beach has a deli and bakery. All three reward a planned trip rather than a quick errand.

Brazilian Beef at 606 Wimborne Road, Winton, is a butcher, deli and café. It cuts beef for churrasco, the Brazilian charcoal barbecue, sells sausages and cuts that are hard to find elsewhere, and stocks Brazilian groceries such as cassava flour. Its listing gives daytime hours from Tuesday to Sunday, closed on Mondays; check before you go.

On Mudeford Quay, The Fish Stall sells locally caught fish and shellfish to take away, and at Avon Beach The Noisy Lobster runs a deli, shop and bakery alongside its restaurant. Our guide to where to eat in Christchurch and Mudeford covers both.

What about the nights you do not want to cook?

Self-catering does not mean cooking every night. A chippy supper or a takeaway eaten at the apartment table is part of a seaside stay, and the West Cliff is well placed for both. Keep one or two numbers to hand for the evening you get back late from the beach.

Chez Fred on Seamoor Road in Westbourne has sold fish and chips to eat in or take away since 1989; it is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Hive Kitchens, also in Westbourne, runs several takeaway brands from one kitchen for delivery and collection, ordered online.

Cooking for a longer stay

On a month or more, the shop becomes a routine: a big weekly shop, a market on Thursday or Saturday and a treat from a specialist at the weekend. Flexiestays' monthly stays start from 28 nights, and the Bournemouth Guide's long stays guide covers the practical side of living here for a while.

For guests moving for work, our guide to relocating to Bournemouth for work explains how a serviced apartment works as a first base, and where to stay in Bournemouth compares the neighbourhoods by what is on the doorstep.