The FastDay Forum

Just wondering how many of us on here still use local butchers/farmers' markets.

The big heavy stuff is delivered weekly by Tesco, but I like to source as much local veg and meat as I can.

I do use a farmers' market (but, as I have a stall there, I get a good discount!!) and buy local buffalo meat, poultry, cheeses, veg, bread (though we eat very little of that now) and eggs.

Then I also visit a local Thai supermarket once a month for those essential herbs and spices and the local Cash and carry for bulk items.

It works for me!

Really lucky as there is a farmers' market on Fridays just across the road from where I work . This has an artisan baker from out in the sticks (rural Northumberland) as well as Ridley's fishmongers (one of Rick Stein's original food heroes) - as well as fish they also sell meat, poultry and game. We also have a good butchers and green grocers just across the road, so I can go out in my lunch hour and fill a carrier bag full for the weekend. The green grocers stuff is all super fresh, and you can pick as much or as little as you want - and they sell things like local eggs, yoghurt and cottage cheese as well (longley farm)

There is also a Waitrose nearby which I use every couple of weeks, and in the village where I live we also have a good Co-op.

[Betsysgr8]

Costco for some bulk (veg and meat) items and local grocery for smaller amounts of veg/fruit and dairy. My local farmers market is only once a week and has short hours, I always forget to check them out.

I actually buy bulk items at Walmart once a month. Use a local butchershop for meats and veg as they are less expensive than the grocery stores. Only do grocery store for sale items. I got sick of playing the supermarket chains games with prices along time ago.

I use Tesco for some of my weekly shop, the local cash and carry about once a month and I've just started to have a veg box delivery. We also have a good local Co-op in the village and a Mace which stocks milk etc from a local farm. We don't eat meat.

As I don't have a car (little point living and working in London), I get Waitrose to deliver most of my groceries - particularly the heavy stuff. I do use my local butcher's shop at weekends and since I cycle through Brixton, I sometimes stop at the markets there for fruit/veg and occasionally fish. And there are some great spice shops in Peckham which I detour to visit every couple of months.

Otherwise, I grow my own salad leaves, tomatoes and herbs and bake my own bread.

I live in a smallish town, 30 miles from London, pop 100,000 app.
For the last 20 year we have had virtually no independent traders in the centre of town, no butchers, greengrocers, fishmongers, etc. Ever since two vast supermarkets, Tescos and Sainsbury's arrived on the edge with their great big carparks.
So VALUE YOUR SMALL SHOPS if you have them or else they too might get driven out of business!
We do have a farmers'market, once a month, although that too has a lot of stalls which one wouldn't think had too much to do with food or farming!
So I have an order weekly from Ocado and one I really look forward to - a veggie box from Riverfood. Oh and I grow a few things also - it's as well courgettes (Zucchini) are low cal!!!!!
is it OK to mention names on this forum?

I used to shop at the farmers market religiously. But now...eh...I just can't get myself up and around on a Saturday morning when it's going. There are also plenty of tourists there which makes it crowded and puts me off. I do some of my grocery shopping at a health food store and some of the farmers and bakers sell their goods there.

Anything I can't get at the health food store, I get at Meijer which is sort of a regional version of Walmart. They sell locally grown produce which I give preference to. They can do that because agriculture is big in this area. Not sure if they can carry local stuff in all their stores.

hi love the Welsh markets unfortunately home in the west of Scotland our markets have dwindled. I loved Ebbw Vale market and the Barras in Glasgow is a poor second. In our little town Helensburgh, we have a monthly farmers market which sells lovely but expensive food. Farmers enjoyed a boom in the last century with their fence to fence produce, but now the whole economy and wildlife are suffering. No hedgerows can you believe that bees are thriving better in cities? I am sorry if appear to be on a rant but I have healthy slim children and grandchildren whom I nurture with good food and love. Myself?????

O'Dell we have Meijer here in Cincy as well. They carry local products like Smiths Dairy which you cannot find at Walmart or Kroger. However, Walmart has started stocking Ruggles ice cream which is a part of Smiths and they do a to die for Buckeye Blast (chocolate ice cream, peanut butter ripples/swirl and mini buckeyes/peanut butter cups)!
I do miss living in England.
I miss going to Tesco and Sainsburys and seeing all of their yummy foods One day I think that the States will have grocery delivery to our homes, but that seems to far away to fatham!

I know I should use the local butcher but he's only open when I'm at work and shuts at lunchtime on a Saturday so I rarely get there in time to get anything good. We also only have a tiny table top freezer at home so the long shelf life of supermarket items is useful for us. We don't have a local greengrocer and the farmers markets near us are either prohibitively expensive (we live in Berkshire) or on during the week while I'm working.

The upshot is we do 90% of our shopping in Waitrose. I know it's still a supermarket but at least its ethics are a little better than most of the others (as is the food)

I use Aldi for the basics. Top up at Sainsburys and we are lucky to have a great butchers and deli in the village. The farmers market is monthly in stirling but it is expensive. I don't tend to go. Only if in town anyway. X

[carieoates]

I use aldi now and sainsburys. My weekly food bill got stupid so popped across the road to aldi and boom my bill nearly halved. All the meat is British so I'm really happy to buy it as it hasn't travelled half way around the planet. My kids 12 and 17 do eat loads.

I live just outside a small market town where there is a Co-op and a Tesco. We also have a good independent butchers but no greengrocers, so I usually buy fruit and veg from Tesco. We have a small bakers where they make from scratch every day (no pre-mixes used) although we usually make our own. Our weekly market is very small but we have an artisan bakers (expensive!) and a fruit and veg stall which does a good trade.