Good Food Shops

Aberystwyth - The Treehouse

2009-11-11T07:00:00.000Z

The Treehouse used to be the Victoria Inn (1872-1920), and still has a ship's figurehead (carved about 1838) on its corner.

Inside it's a rather superior organic food shop and restaurant.

There's plenty of good quality fresh produce:

The Treehouse

14 Baker Street

Aberystwyth

SY23 2BJ

Tel: 01970 615791

Web: www.treehousewales.co.uk

Nottingham - Chocolate Utopia

2009-11-08T07:00:00.000Z

Not far from the castle in Nottingham is Chocolate Utopia.

The chocolates are hand made in small batches in the shop. You can also have a tea, coffee or hot chocolate here, and all their hot drinks are served with a complimentary chocolate.

Chocolate Utopia

30 Friar Lane

Nottingham

NG1 6DQ

Tel: 0115 947 0016

Nottingham - Oriental Mart

2009-11-06T07:00:00.000Z

Oriental Mart are near Ice Nine in Nottingham and specialise in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Singaporean, Thai, Phippine foods and Vietnamese foods.
There's a very wide range of foods. Try some Korean pickled radish for an interesting change.
There's a small selection of fresh items, the lemon grass I bought was good quality. If you can't get to the shop they also sell on-line.

Oriental Mart

6-8 Heathcote Street

Nottingham

NG1 3AA

Tel: 0115 950 6615

Web: www.orientalmart.co.uk

Nottingham - The Cheese Shop

2009-11-04T07:11:00.000Z

The Cheese shop in Nottingham has a good selection of cheeses and also some interesting delicatessen items including Mrs King's Pork Pies - as sold in Borough Market and which some say are the best in the country.
Local cheeses included Cropwell Bishop Stilton (including the smoked variety), white Stilton with Ginger and Mango, and Sage Derby. There was a good selection of blue cheeses including Barkham Blue, Cornish Blue, Garstang Blue, Harbourne Blue, and Lanark Blue. Cahill's Irish Porter Cheddar was dark (as you would expect), a couple who'd been to a tasting the night before had come back to buy some Tunworth soft cheese, and were very excited about it!
Like all good cheese shops, samples are available, but be warned - the more you'll try the more you'll want to buy!

The Cheese Shop Nottingham Ltd

6 Flyinghorse Walk

St Peters Gate

Nottingham

Nottinghamshire

NG1 2HN

Tel: 0115 941 9114

Web: www.cheeseshop-nottingham.co.uk

Nottingham - Delilah

2009-11-02T07:00:00.000Z

Delilah is a fine food and wine merchant, close to Nottingham's Lace Market.
It's an exciting shop (with over 200 cheeses) and a good selection of salamis and other meats and all the usual (and some unusual) deli stuff.
There's also a tapas-style food bar where you can have something to eat and drink while you decide what to take home.

Delilah Fine Foods

15 Middle Pavement

Nottingham

NG1 7DX

Tel: 0115 948 4467

Web: www.delilahfinefoods.co.uk

Konditor & Cook

2009-10-31T00:03:00.001Z

If you've gone to Borough Market to buy a pumpkin, you're very close to a branch of Konditor & Cook. On the awning it says "Deservedly legendary cakes, tarts, biscuits and savouries" and when you go in you'll see why!
As it was just before Halloween when I called, you could buy Halloween Pumpkins - made from marzipan:

or noisette:

or chocolate:

They looked to good to eat, but I bet you know someone who would?

Konditor & Cook

10 Stoney Street

London

SE1 9AD

Tel: 020 7407 5100

Fax: 020 7407 5101

Web: www.konditorandcook.com

Halloween

2009-10-31T00:01:00.000Z

Today in the UK it's Halloween. I've always been a bit against Halloween, regarding it as one of the poorer things to have come across the Herring Pond. Since reading Wikipedia, I've discovered that Halloween has origins in the ancient celtic festival known as Samhain and it was the Irish that took it to America.

I particularly dislike trick or treat, a license to ask for protection money. It's a bit like Knock-up Ginger - which some wag said is now called Parcelforce!

Apparently Barmbrack is traditionally eaten on Halloween, but I've not seen it over here? However if you want a pumpkin (with attitude) you could try Borough Market, which I'll cover properly in a future post.

Leicester - Salvador Deli

2009-10-30T00:01:00.000Z

I was glad I made my way out of the centre of Leicester to Clarendon Park to find Salvador Deli (another great name for a deli). It's a café and delicatessen with some unusual cheeses (including Stinking Bishop) and meats like Serrano ham.
Someone in Leicester had recommended I try their bread, helpfully adding that they kept quite well. We had a tomato and herb loaf, but it was gone within a day!
They also have an interesting selection of tarts like chorizo and courgette or red pepper and parmesan. I especially liked this Mediterranean vegetable dish:

Salvador Deli

50 Queens Road

Clarendon Park

Leicester

LE2 1TU

Tel: 0116 270 8408

Fax: 0116 270 8507

Web: www.thesalvadordeli.co.uk

Fife Fine Foods of Leicester

2009-10-28T07:00:00.000Z

Fife Fine Foods of Leicester used to be called Henry Walker. Henry Walker was a pork butcher who moved from Mansfield to Leicester in the 1880's. He made good sausage and pork pies, unlike some of the competition. According to the London News in 1880 "the Celebrated Leicester Pork pie have become too celebrated and in Leicester and its neighbourhood will not be thought of for some time without a shudder"!

By 1945 meat was so scarce that Henry branched out and began cooking slices of potato. Now Walkers crisps currently makes 10 million bags of crisps per day!

A Scottish company, Fife Fine Foods, bought up the Walkers butchers stores chain from Dewhursts in 2006.

This shop is the home of the Leicester Pork Pie.

Fife Fine Foods of Leicester

4-6 Cheapside

Leicester

Leicestershire

LE1 5EA

Tel: 0116 262 5687

Leicester Market

2009-10-26T07:00:00.001Z

I went to Leicester looking for fine food shops and called in at the tourist information centre, where the person I spoke to suggested I visit Morrison's supermarket. I then spoke to some old ladies who recommended Greggs the bakers......

Fortunately I remembered from a previous visit that Leicester has a really good market. Leicester Market is the largest covered market in Europe and is well worth a visit.

There's a wide variety of traders, with over 300 stalls.

If you're after Scotch bonnet peppers, plantains or yams you'll find them here.
There was an advert for a bank where some customer (of a rival bank) had discovered that their bank is now a wine bar. I was horrified when I found the old fish market in Leicester has now become a bank!

Fortunately Leicester still has a very good fish market (it moved in 1974 to just over the road)!
Leicester is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United Kingdom and there's a very diverse range of fresh fish and seafood here.

Some of the produce is still alive and in tanks:

Leicester's longest established tripe stall is also here, they also sell chitterlings, brawn, cow heels, potted meat, gammon, cheese and various pies.

Leicester Markets

Market Place

Leicester

East Midlands

LE1 5HQ

Tel: 0116 223 2376

Web: www.leicestermarket.co.uk

E-mail: markets@leicester.gov.uk

Mrs Dowsons Ice Cream

2009-10-23T00:01:00.001+01:00

Mrs Dowsons Ice Cream is on on the A59, between Preston and Blackburn, in Clayton-le-Dale. It's not far from Fairfield Farm Shop. We were greeted by goats when we arrived at Mrs Dowsons, but the milk and cream in their ice cream comes from their herd of dairy cows. Mrs Dowsons makes one of the nicest farmhouse vanilla ice cream we've ever tried.
There's an ice-cream parlour where you can try and buy their ice-cream. Besides their Vanilla, try their Amaretto & Black Cherry - which won a Great Taste Award and is made with finely crushed ammaretti biscuits of Saronno with Amarena black cherries.

I like they way that farmers waste nothing! The "vases" on the tables looked suspiciously like the school milk bottles we had when we were kids:
My naughty sister got told off at school for not holding her school milk bottle with both hands!

Outside there's a Maize Maze in the summer, some old machinery, goats and cows to look at and from October 24th for a few dates (see web site) it's the home of Scare Kingdom! Watch Countryfile on 25th October.

Mrs Dowsons Ice Cream

Hawkshaw Farm

Longsight Road

Clayton-le-Dale

Blackburn

Lancashire

BB2 7JA

Tel: 01254 812407

Fax: 01254 814476.

Web: www.mrsdowsons.co.uk

E-mail: info@mrsdowsons.co.uk

The Country Larder at Trentham Gardens

2009-10-20T07:00:00.000+01:00

I can remember going to Trentham Gardens as a small child, and going on a cable car to look at the M6 motorway! I understand the cable car was removed shortly afterwards, as it kept breaking down. The Italian Gardens at Trentham are now being restored and are now a tourist attraction again. There's also a garden centre and shopping village, which is where today's destination is.
The Country Larder has two branches, the other is at Bideford in Devon. Their stated mission statement is to source quality, local produce, to know and work with suppliers and to put more into the community.
It's a big shop and was quite busy when I went. There's a good selection of apples and other fruit and vegetables, sausage and bacon from Maynards, beef from Stockton & Stratton, and Cheshire Farm icecream. There's a good range of gluten free and sugar free products.

There's a good range of beers, including Titanic stout from Titanic Brewery in Burslem.
In case you didn't know, the captain of the Titanic, Edward John Smith, was from the Potteries. They also have their own Trentham Ale made by the Staffordshire brewery in Cheddleton.

The Country Larder
Trentham Retail Village
Trentham
Stoke on Trent
ST4 8AX

Web: www.country-larder.com

Email: infocountrylarder@tiscali.co.uk

Meet Lord Hindlip and a bloody ploughman!

2009-10-17T07:50:00.008+01:00

Lord Hindlip and Bloody Ploughman are, of course, apple varieties and today and tomorrow it's the Reaseheath Apple Festival.

Here you can see around 100 different varieties of apples

and get advice on how to grow apples

and what to do if they look like this!

It's also worth exploring the Reaseheath Model Fruit Garden, where the crab apples look fantastic:
There's also a chance to try and buy some apples and Reaseheath cheese.

If you live in the Midlands you may prefer to go to the Tenbury AppleFest (on today), and if you live in the South visit the RHS's Taste of Autumn at Wisley (16th - 19th October 2009). More suggestions here (thanks to the Inelegant Gardener).

Aberystwyth - ultracomida

2009-10-16T00:01:00.001+01:00

In the centre of Aberystwyth, not far from the pier, I found ultracomida. They specialise in food from Wales, Spain and France! At the back of the shop is a stylish café/wine bar where you can sit down and eat some of their classy food. At the front is a shop where you can buy a filled Barra Gallega (Galician bread from Spain) or perhaps a sourdough with walnuts. You can buy Welsh Pastrami (from Gorno's in Cardiff), French Smoked Ham, or Chorizo Ibérico Blanco Extra. I never expected such a diverse choice in Aberystwyth!
There's a good selection of cheese including Trethowan’s Gorwydd Caerphillly, Teifi with cumin, and Rachel and Sam Holden's Hafod cheese from Wales, Roquefort le troupeau from France or Zamorano cheese from northern Spain! They've also got a shop in Narberth and a stall in Cardigan market. I will come back to Aberystwyth just to visit this place again....

ultracomida

31 Pier St

Aberystwyth

SY23 2LN

Tel: 01970 630686‎

Web: www.ultracomida.co.uk

Bashall Barn

2009-10-13T10:00:00.001+01:00

I'd heard that Bashall Barn made good ice cream and decided to visit to see what they'd got. I was amazed when I got there, this farm diversification was much bigger than I'd realised and very tastefully done. It's not just a farm shop, - it's a food visitor centre!

As you go in you'll go through the farm shop:

with produce from Bashall and nearby.

You can buy wine from the wine shop:

and this is the home of the Bowland Brewery:

so you may even see beer being made.

It's also the home of Ribblesdale Honey and Bowland Meats

who sell outdoor reared meat:

There's then a classy bar area, and 100 seater restaurant:

where you can either look out across the fields, or inside at pictures of cows:

Their chefs also prepare ready meals for sale in the shop.

The ice cream is home made here:

You can even have an ice cream cake made at Bashall Barn:

and if you eat it in their café, their cows are through the window just behind you:

This place sets new standards in farm retailing and catering, I would definitely recommend a visit.

Bashall Barn Ltd

Bashall Town

Clitheroe

Lancashire

BB7 3LQ

Tel: 01200 428964

Web: www.bashallbarn.co.uk

Bridgemere Farmers' Market

2009-10-10T11:46:00.010+01:00

The first ever Bridgemere Farmers' Market was held today at Bridgemere Nursery and Garden World. Bridgemere is one of the largest garden centres in Europe, they grow more plants in more varieties than anyone else in Britain. It's near Woore, so why not combine it with a visit to Snape's Bakery?
The garden centre also has 20 gardens set in 6 acres to give you inspiration. I always like this cottage garden:
Anyway Wyevale have agreed to have a Farmers’ Market here on the second Saturday of every month.

I've must first of all mention Dalewood Fine Foods, who sell black pudding, baked goods, speciality cheese, and pâté, - as I missed them off my Market Drayton Farmers' Market review!

I must also give Christine, from the Alderley Pudding Company:

as special mention, as Christine organises this market and also Alderley Edge Farmers' Market (which is on tomorrow).

It was a really good farmers' market with an interesting selection of producers. There were lots of old friends, like the Harvest Store present.

You could buy meat from Deep Clough Farm, Ricky the Butcher's, and Ipstones Park Farm:
who produce award winning Sussex beef and and pork products from their pedigree Berkshire pigs.

I bought some of Mrs Bourne's mature farmhouse Cheshire, from John Bourne:

and some beautiful raspberries from Woore Bank Fruit Farm:

I must visit this Woore Bank Fruit Farm to do a proper post, the quality of their fruit is always first rate and they've now started doing apple juice and cider.

I'd not heard of Pen-Isa'r-Llan Farm Shop, from Llanyblodwel before today. Their displays were stunning and you could tell that their vegetables were freshly cut:

in fact a robin, that flew onto their stand, clearly thought he was still in the garden:

Bridgemere Farmers' Market

Bridgemere Nursery and Garden World

Bridgemere

Nantwich

Cheshire

CW5 7QB

Bridgnorth Sweet Shops

2009-10-09T20:23:00.000+01:00

There's something rather comforting about an old fashioned sweet shop, and Bridgnorth's got at least two. Near the top of the cliff railway is Ye Old Terrace Sweet Shop. This shop sells jars of sweets including Uncle Joe's Mint Balls, Gray's Herbal Tablet and sticks of Bridgnorth Rock.

Nearby (towards the library and tourist information centre) is Gerry's Sweet Shop:
Take a trip down memory lane and find sweet jars containing all your traditional favourites including aniseed, boiled sweets, bonbons, cough sweets, fudge, jellies, liquorce, mints, toffees, and more.

Gerrys Sweet Shop

4 Listley Street

Bridgnorth

Shropshire

WV16 4AW

Tel: 01746 765529

Bridgnorth Delicatessen

2009-10-08T20:02:00.003+01:00

Bridgnorth Delicatessen is on the High Street in High Town, Bridgnorth. If you're there on a Friday or Saturday you can get fresh bread:
and you can buy Lisa's home-made ice cream and Shropshire Granola. There's a good selection of cheeses, the one you must try is their own Bridgnorth cave-aged Cheddar - "strong, lingering and memorable", also available smoked.

Bridgnorth Delicatessen

45 High Street

Bridgnorth

Shropshire

WV16 4DX

Tel: 01746 769001

Web: http://bridgnorthdelicatessen.webs.com

Bridgnorth - Beaman & Sons

2009-10-07T19:27:00.007+01:00

Bridgnorth is two towns in one: High Town and Low Town.

At the top of the hill is High Town, where the town hall and market are. Also in High Town is Beamans, a traditional butcher established in 1890.

Beaman & Sons

46 High Street

Bridgnorth

Shropshire

WV16 4DX

Tel: 01746 769139

I f you walk towards the remains of Bridgnorth Castle, you'll find the Bridgnorth Cliff Railway.

It's quite a pleasant (if steep) walk down to Low Town, but it's much more fun to go on the cliff railway:
The views over the Severn Valley were described by King Charles I in 1642 as "the finest in his domain".

The track is 201 feet long, with a rise of 111 feet.

At the bottom of the cliff railway is Low Town, and a short walk from the cliff railway is another Beamans butchers:

Besides another butcher's shop, there's also a hot carvery where you can get a hot pork of beef bap.

You can also buy home-made faggots in gravy:

Beaman & Sons

45 Underhill Street

Bridgnorth

Shropshire

WV16 4BB

Tel: 01746 767765

Bridgnorth

2009-10-06T12:11:00.000+01:00

Shropshire is one of my favourite counties, and Bridgnorth is one of my favourite towns. It's got the River Severn flowing through it, the Severn Valley Steam Railway, a cliff railway, lots of old buildings and a castle, and good food shops and a market.

If you're in High Town, the Town Hall (erected 1652) is worth a visit.

It's a great building inside:

and out

and the centre of Bridgnorth's market:

Here you can get cheap fresh fruit and veg and good meat.

There's an outdoor market on Fridays and Saturdays.

Tarporley Country Market

2009-10-03T18:30:00.004+01:00

I'd intended to go to Stone Food and Drink Festival today, but at the last minute decided to go to Tarporley to see their Country Market. Despite the forecast it was a lovely morning, and the brass band was playing outside the Swan.

The country market is in two bits. One half is by the Chestnut Pavilion where stalls included fish from Chirk Trout Farm, meat from Jim Stratton's farm, and puddings from the Pudding Compartment.

The other half is by the church. Stall holders here included Chestnut Meats, Tiresford Guernsey Gold, where you can buy Cheshire Brie, John Bourne was selling his traditional Cheshire cheese:
and you could buy Swiss style Crabtree and Federia Cheese from Anne Connolly, made 10 miles away at Larkton Hall:

I'd not come across Pimlott's home grown produce before:
They come from Tarleton in Lancashire. They grow, amongst many other things, 10 different sorts of tomatoes - including stripey Tiger tomatoes:
Chocolate lovers were well catered for, with the Cocoa Emporium:
Tarporley Country Market

Web: www.tarporleycountrymarket.blogspot.com

Walmersley Falshaw's Farm

2009-09-29T06:53:00.000+01:00

Falshaw's Farm shop is on the A56, between Bury and Ramsbottom, not far from junction 1 of the M66. There's a café selling hot and cold meals, including home made lamb and beef burgers and a farmhouse lunch (3 Lancashire cheeses served with a mixed salad, roll, butter, coleslaw and chutneys). You can sit inside:

or outside looking across the farm.

There's a shop selling Stavelys free range eggs, home made savoury pies
and meat from their pedigree Suffolk sheep and crossbred lambs and their own beef.
However it's their own ice cream we would especially recommend. When we called flavours included double chocolate chip, cookies and cream, espresso, ginger, strawberry and pink grapefruit sorbet. I think the best way to try a farmhouse ice cream is to try the vanilla. Here we offered a choice between royal bourbon vanilla and our favourite, Falshaw's farmhouse vanilla.
Falshaw's Farm

Rowland Road

Walmersley

Bury

BL9 5LJ

Tel: 0161 764 9312

Market Drayton Farmers' Market

2009-09-26T18:21:00.000+01:00

I'd rather assumed that Market Drayton's Farmers' Market would be held in the lovely old Buttercross market shelter, but it's held just up the road by the library. Sharon Fox-Byrne is the enthusiastic organiser, so I wasn't surprised to be greeted by the town crier:
All my old favourites were there, like Buttercross Farm, Tiresford Guernsey Gold Cheshire yoghurt, Tuesday's Fine Confectionery, Fordhall Farm, and London Road Oatcakes:
Tuesday's Fine Confectionery were doing gingerbread men and chocolate fondue:
There were also stalls I'd not seen before like Grandma's Kitchen, who make jam and pickles (with love!) and welcome tasters:
and the Good Food Factory who make celebration cakes, traditional puddings and desserts:

and had some very nice tarts and pecan pie:

and the ever popular cup cakes:

My only criticism is that Market Drayton's Farmers' Market is not (yet) every month. The next one is tomorrow, on Sunday 27th September 2009.

Market Drayton's Farmers' Market has even got it's own blog:

Web: www.marketdraytonfarmersmarket.blogspot.com

Nantwich - H Clewlow

2009-09-25T00:02:00.001+01:00

Nantwich butchers Clewlow's have been going since 1929. They select all their pigs, lamb and beef from local farms and sell over 30 different sausages (all made in the shop). They've won numerous awards, especially for their pies which are also made on their premises.

Why not try a Dabber's pie? A Dabber is someone born within the town's boundaries and Clewlow's Dabber's pie is made with Reaseheath pork, farmhouse pickle and Cheshire cheese:

H Clewlow Butchers

8 Pepper Street

Nantwich

Cheshire,

CW5 5AB.

Tel: 01270 625366

Web: www.clewlows.co.uk

Email: sales@clewlows.co.uk

If you fancy visiting Clewlow's there's Sea Breeze (a good fishmonger) opposite, and a branch of Chatwins a popular baker, and a good greengrocers just a few doors away. Better still if you come today, tomorrow or this Sunday, you can also visit Nantwich Food Festival where Clewlow's will also be.

Limited Resources

2009-09-23T15:50:00.000+01:00

Limited Resources have been delivering organic, environmentally friendly and fairly traded products since 1988 to the Greater Manchester and north Cheshire areas.
The people that run it are friendly and helpful and enthusiastic about what they do. They support local organic farmers and growers with an aim to reduce food miles where possible.
There's a carefully selected range of organic beer and wine, and they even sell organic gin:
They also sell organic, very low salt, stock cubes:

Limited Resources

Unit 20

Chadkirk Business Park

Vale Road

Romiley

Stockport

SK6 3NE

Tel: 0161 427 8811

Web: www.limited-resources.co.uk