Lahore Stores

Laindon Road spoils the casual snack ‘n’ booze seeker; you have several convenience stores within only a few doors. Last year I spent a lot of time at my friends’ house just across the road from this parade of purveyors of the pre-​packed and though there were months and months of long boozy nights and apocalyptic morning-​afters it was only in the final few weeks of them living there that we made it to Lahore Stores. Maybe it was too far away (you had to pass three other shops to get there) or Maybe it was that it was on the corner (too cliché) but we had always ignored it. And this was as it turned out the biggest mistake since having that party in the damp basement, after which everyone started growing mould in their lungs.
When we finally made it there we discovered a glittering El Dorado of a mini market — a massive range of sweets and crisps and frozen pizzas and fizzy pop, beer and cider offers galore (although this was before the tax hike; when men were men and white cider was cheaper than mineral water.) Three for £10 on bottles of Paul Masson (with their big brimmed bottles wide enough for two); a Big bar of fruit and nut for £1; Walker’s Sensations on buy one get one free. Truly we had stumbled on something wonderful but were cursed to never be able to exploit it. Lahore Stores slipped through my fingers, don’t let it slip through yours too.