I can agree with the above comment.
The main Asian Grocer in Bristol is Sweet Mart and they do all their fresh produce very cheap. A massive bag of chillies, garlic and ginger is just ?1 each.
Two large bunches of coriander is ?1.
But then for birds eye chillies, prawns I would recommend the Asian (Chinese) store Wai Yee Hong.

http://www.waiyeehong.com/

Is it the texture or the flavour of the skin that you dislike, Little Badger ?  I quite like both, so if I cook thighs I leave the skin on.

** Phil.

Hi Phil,
I'm a bodybuilder and so remove the skin to kep the fat content of the meal down.
My mother used to leave the skin on when she cooked. Sometimes I would eat it and sometimes I would take it off.

I use chicken thighs from lidl at ?2.69 for 1KG.
I just peel the skin off and the bone in each thigh adds to the taste of the curry.

I've just stumbled upon this site and just had to join.
I'm half Burmese and love cooking Burmese curries but would like to expand to making other curries from around the World.
I'm also a keen gardener and have been growing chillies since I was 11 years old (now 44).

I've got something new to try tonight. I went the the Bristol Sweet Mart (a very famous store around these parts) and bought their Naga Chicken Curry and Vegetable curry to try out tonight.
I'll be eating them later but the Naga curry looks very red as in chilli red. 

http://www.sweetmart.co.uk/bristol-sweet-mart-deli