Farm Shops in the UK

Finding a good farm shop in the UK

A farm shop sells food from the farm it sits on and from producers nearby: meat from the farm's own animals or a local butcher, fruit and vegetables in season, eggs, milk, cheese, bread, cakes, preserves, honey, cider and beer, along with a deli counter, a freezer of pies and ready meals, and often plants, gifts and household bits. The best have a butcher's counter, a café or tea room, and a field of pick-your-own in summer, and they range from a converted barn by the farmhouse to a large shop with a garden centre and a restaurant that draws people from thirty miles away.

The reason to go is quality and provenance: meat hung properly and traceable to a field, vegetables picked that day rather than a week ago, bread from a local bakery and cheese from a named dairy, with staff who can tell you where everything came from. Prices are higher than a supermarket on some things and lower on others, particularly seasonal veg, eggs and meat bought in quantity, and the money stays in the local economy. Look for shops that say what is their own and what is bought in, that change with the seasons, and that have a butcher who will cut to order.

The listings here show each farm shop's produce, butcher's counter, café, pick-your-own and seasonal events, opening hours, parking and contact details, so you can see who is nearby, what they grow and sell, and where people in your town go for food with a farm behind it.

What farm shops sell

Meat and butchery: beef, lamb, pork, chicken, sausages, bacon and burgers from the farm or named local farms, cut to order, with game in season and turkeys, geese and gammons for Christmas by order.

Fruit and vegetables: the farm's own crops in season and local growers' produce the rest of the year, potatoes, roots, greens, salads, soft fruit and orchard fruit, apples pressed into juice and cider.

Dairy, bakery and deli: milk, cream, butter, ice cream and cheese from local dairies, bread, cakes and pies from local bakeries or the farm kitchen, chutneys, jams, honey, and a deli counter of cooked meats, pâtés and olives.

Café and tea room: breakfasts, lunches and cakes using the shop's produce, often with a play area or animals to see, and a restaurant at the larger shops.

Seasonal: pick-your-own strawberries, raspberries and pumpkins, Christmas trees and wreaths, hampers, and events such as lambing days, maize mazes and farmers' markets.

Getting the best from a farm shop

• Ask what is the farm's own and what is bought in; a good shop labels it and is proud of it.
• Buy what is in season; it is cheaper, fresher and the reason the shop exists.
• Use the butcher: order a joint or a Christmas bird ahead, and ask for the cheaper cuts the supermarket does not stock.
• Check the hours; many close early, some close Mondays, and the café often stops serving before the shop shuts.
• Take a cool bag and cash for the honesty stalls and the pick-your-own field.
• Look for a loyalty scheme, veg boxes or a delivery round if you want to shop there every week.

What farm shop food costs in the UK

As a rough guide, farm-shop beef mince is £8 to £12 a kilo and a good sirloin steak £30 to £40 a kilo, sausages £8 to £12 a kilo, a free-range chicken £10 to £16, half a dozen eggs £2 to £3.50, seasonal veg often below supermarket prices with potatoes at £1 to £1.50 a kilo, local cheese £20 to £35 a kilo, a sourdough loaf £3.50 to £5, a jar of chutney £3 to £5, and a Christmas turkey £70 to £150 depending on size and breed; a café breakfast is £8 to £13 and a cream tea £6 to £9; pick-your-own strawberries £5 to £8 a kilo. A weekly shop at a farm shop costs a little more than a supermarket on branded goods and less on fresh seasonal produce and meat bought in bulk.

A £40 farm shop basket of meat, veg, eggs and bread feeds a family better than the same money in a supermarket trolley, and you know which field it came from.