Discussion
I used to enjoy the occasional visit to a farm shop. Nice fresh veg, meat etc. Unfortunately, a visit to one at the weekend has put me off them.
Lot of advertising by a fairly new one, describing itself as a "Farm Butcher Shop", so we went for a visit at the weekend. Lots of posters advertising "Scottish Craft Butcher" and an impressive display of beef - mince, steaks, stew, burger, etc. Then I took a look at the chicken breasts - origin Poland. Then a lad came by pushing a trolley full of boxes of chicken - Dutch chicken.
The vast majority of the bacon was Dutch, with only a few packs of Ayrshire bacon on view. Lots of sausages, but as they don't seem to do much Scottish bacon, where would their pork have come from?
We left, disappointed, and went to a well known German discounter where I was able to buy British chicken breasts, British dry cured bacon and Scottish pork steaks. All were significantly cheaper than in the "Farm shop".
Am I being unreasonable in expecting a farm shop to sell local produce?
Lot of advertising by a fairly new one, describing itself as a "Farm Butcher Shop", so we went for a visit at the weekend. Lots of posters advertising "Scottish Craft Butcher" and an impressive display of beef - mince, steaks, stew, burger, etc. Then I took a look at the chicken breasts - origin Poland. Then a lad came by pushing a trolley full of boxes of chicken - Dutch chicken.
The vast majority of the bacon was Dutch, with only a few packs of Ayrshire bacon on view. Lots of sausages, but as they don't seem to do much Scottish bacon, where would their pork have come from?
We left, disappointed, and went to a well known German discounter where I was able to buy British chicken breasts, British dry cured bacon and Scottish pork steaks. All were significantly cheaper than in the "Farm shop".
Am I being unreasonable in expecting a farm shop to sell local produce?
Most 'Farm Shops' operate off the back of their own farm. Most farms don't produce all live stock, so much has to be bought in for the shop. This does not warrant selling s
t foreign low welfare meats though. Shame.
Our local farm shop rears cattle and pigs all year and turkeys at Christmas, so all other meat is bought in. The chicken and lamb they buy in are free range though.
My general experience of farm shops is that they are expensive. My local butcher does all free range British meat, and Scottish beef, and is far cheaper than the farm shop up the road.
t foreign low welfare meats though. Shame.Our local farm shop rears cattle and pigs all year and turkeys at Christmas, so all other meat is bought in. The chicken and lamb they buy in are free range though.
My general experience of farm shops is that they are expensive. My local butcher does all free range British meat, and Scottish beef, and is far cheaper than the farm shop up the road.
The most local farm shop to me is basically an out house on their farm. You can hear the pigs and cows walking in to the shop, then see their cousins on the counter.
I will say though that my local butchers are selling chicken from Poland, and selling 5kgs of the stuff for about £20/£25. I would think your farm shop is just a butcher with grand ideas of being a "farm shop".
I will say though that my local butchers are selling chicken from Poland, and selling 5kgs of the stuff for about £20/£25. I would think your farm shop is just a butcher with grand ideas of being a "farm shop".
Our farm shop is great. Chicken is the best we've ever tasted and markedly better than anything sold in a supermarket. Same for eggs too. FruitnVeg goes off quick especially in summer but I guess thats becasue it isnt sloshed in all the chemicals the supermarket product is.
They have a load of stuff obviously targeted at hubert and jemima when they swing by in the SUV, like little packs of barbie sized multicoloured carrots, 2 mouthfullsworth for £2:99, but the basics are all cheap
What OP describes is to a farm shop what the ylipson is to lancia
They have a load of stuff obviously targeted at hubert and jemima when they swing by in the SUV, like little packs of barbie sized multicoloured carrots, 2 mouthfullsworth for £2:99, but the basics are all cheap
What OP describes is to a farm shop what the ylipson is to lancia
Lozw86 said:
J8 SVG said:
That wasn't a farm shop, it was a shop in the countryside labeling itself as a farm shop.. find a better one.
This I'd expect, at the very least, a "farm shop" to stock only produce from suppliers within a 20 mile radius. Our nearest one is much like that (apart from the cheese section, which stocks Cornish Capricorn goats cheese, to the Moyden's range of cheese 5 miles up the road).
The next nearest one butchers their own pigs and chickens, and the quality and flavour of the meat is sensational but being a very small farm, the chicken / bacon / hams / sausages aren't on sale often.
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