One of my favourite ways to spend a day off in the sunshine is strolling around one of Glasgow’s neighbourhood high streets. It could be somewhere in the south side, like Shawlands or Govanhill. Or in the west end, from Kelvinbridge to Byres Road. But on these little weekend wanders, I’ve noticed that I spend a lot of time yearning for my idea of the traditional high street. The bygone era.

I like the thought of nipping into the baker's, the butchers, the produce shop. The playful back-and-forth with the boys behind the counter at the fishmongers. Arming myself with strange vegetables and carefully carved steaks, maybe some oysters and a sourdough boule (and a bottle of pinot noir), and trotting off home to spend the evening cooking.

The problem is that a lot of these traditional mom-and-pop joints have pulled down the shutters for good. Or they have rebranded as an upscale, artisan facsimile of the traditional fixtures, their till areas decorated with Torres Jamon Iberico crisps and Perello Gordal Piccante olives (which I love, don’t get me wrong).

It’s just too expensive to be a heritage retailer these days. Sky-high energy bills, soaring rents, the general cost of food products. The same factors that affect our own wallets and make getting the weekly shop from the new artisanal independents so cost-prohibitive.

A couple of days ago, I was in Partick in Glasgow speaking to a recently retired butcher, Billy Bishop. We met at his former shop, W. Bishop........

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