Farm Shop shopping

justjoda

I am just getting into money saving and also eating veg for that matter and have saw a few posts on here around farm shops and getting fruit and veg from there rather than supermarkets but with supermarkets selling them so cheaply is it really better value to buy from farm shops?

Also apologies in advance if this is in the wrong place

MrsE_2

The farm shops around me are lovely but very expensive, but thats Surrey for you.

seraphina

I'm very sceptical of farm shops; the majority around here (Herts/Cambs border) are overpriced and concentrate on the expensive deli/posh breads etc. Unless the fruit/veg comes from that farm then it tends to be more expensive and don't keep as long as supermarket stuff.

That said, there are some reasonable ones; in particular one has a great selection of frozen fruit and veg on a scoop and weigh basis - you can get great amounts of frozen blackcurrents/raspberries/roasted veg at good prices.

greenbee

My local market garden has a farm shop which is cheaper for organic veg than supermarket non-organic.It sells mostly their own fruit, veg and meat in season, supplemented by a few local/national/overseas imports in season.

Some of the big farm shops have expanded so much that they're more like normal shops with normal overheads.

Mumof2_2

The ones around me are expensive which is a shame. Also quite a lot of the produce isn't grown at the farm; it's imported from overseas and costs a lot more than I can get from the supermarket. So I'm afraid the supermarket wins every time.

Butterfly_Brain

Why not go to your local market they are a lot cheaper than Farm shops - a bit dearer than supermarkets but the fruit and veg does tend to last longer and is usually locally sourced. If you go just as the market is closing you can pick up some real bargains because the traders want to get rid of stock that won't keep

cooking-mama

went to our local farmers market last week (on a farm)and got stung for £4.25...I only bought 2 croissents(sp),and a sour dough loaf.:eek:
I darent look at the price of meat etc after that,and the veg seemed overpriced and not terribly fresh.

thriftlady_2

They are good value if you pick the right things. My farm shop sells its own produce cheaply, but it also sells all those expensive extras other posters have mentioned-olives, oils, cakes etc.

Stick to fruit and veg grown locally.

Penelope_Penguin

I like my farm shop - the produce is generally good, as are the prices, and the food is local and seasonal.

I'll add this to the existing thread so you can see the views of others.

Penny. x

Aytoun27

leiela wrote: »

Thanks for the reply's

i took a look and found this site

http://www.northernharvest.co.uk/index.htm

Pricing thier indervidual items against Asda, they seem to be cheaper on many items, the same on others only a few things i spotted where more expensive, but tbh i don't mind that so much i'd rather give money to local farmers and small company's rather than huge chains like asda.

It looks to be that if i by everything seperately i'd maybe save a few pound, but I was looking at the "mixed box's" and they look pretty good only problem is im not sure how much of each item im likely to get to see if its good value or not?? do you think it would work out better value getting those??

what do you think?? think its work ordering a couple of boxes to give it a whirl?? Or should i ring the helpline number see if they can help??

I use this company a lot, about once every two weeks, but don't buy the veggie boxes as there are too many of the 'don't like veggies' brigade in my house. Individual veggies I've had have always been very good, as have the fruit and salad items. Spuds and eggs are cheap and the Kenyon Hall jams are to die for. I look forward to having my box of goodies arrive on a Friday morning :j

There isn't too much British produce at this time of year, (loads of stuff in the summer though) but everything on the website is very clearly labelled, so you always know where it came from. You have to order by noon on Tuesday for delivery that week and the minimum order is £15.00 plus £3.50 delivery.

They're very helpful, so I'd suggest that you just give them a call if there's anything you want to know.