Hello!
You'll like the area around Colwick. It's very green
In terms of shopping, I personally can't stand Asda and Tesco I always leave there feeling like it's a miracle I've not killed anyone. And to be completely honest, stay as far away from the Asda in Hyson Green as you can. It is hell. (Although if you are up in the area, stop by some of the Asian shops on Berridge Road, they are cheap, friendly and have a really good variety of food, but I've not had much luck with the butchers as most only do chicken and lamb)
I much prefer Morrisons and Sainsbury's (there is a Morrison in just up the road from where you'll be in Netherfield and I know there is a Sainsbury off Queens Drive which isn't *that* far. There is a Tesco that is open 24 hours in Carlton which isn't far either. ) I also prefer Sainsbury's basic range of food to Tesco's or Asda and have found that for that the price is not more expensive, just better quality. For their non-basics stuff, it is a bit more expensive, but again, I think the quality is much better. Also, I've found that you can get more unusaly cuts of meat at Morrison's. Only place i've seen things like Pork Shank.
I found the lack of variety in the supermarkets to be quite frustrating, also the price of fresh fruit and veg seems quite high to me although I'm cheap. My husband says that if the stores paid me to do my shopping i'd still not be happy and think i could have gotten it cheaper.
Lidl and Aldi, while having a rather bad reputation in the states are actually quite decent here. Their fresh food is quite good and very reasonably priced. Unfortunately there aren't either that are especially close to you, but if you don't mind traveling or you find yourself near one, I'd say it's worth it. The only issue is that the brands are German and you'll not recognise any (although you'll run into alot that you won't know anyway.)
Since you'll be around in the summer, there are a lot of small markets (
http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=563) as well and there is the Cattle Market on Saturdays that has a car boot, your husband should know where this is, but if not, let me know and I will tell you. These are good places to get veg and will often have traveling butchers, the car boot part of it is hit and miss, but if you go into the town centres you'll find little shops set up that have some good deals.
I think WebyJ's suggestion of just heading into town for a wander is good, but in terms of shopping for groceries or non-high street things, the City Centre is not the best option. There is a decent indoor market in Victoria Centre that I would recommend for harder to find items, but don't buy meat from the Victoria Market.
Anyway, if you have any questions, just let me know. I'm happy to help
