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I don’t think you can beat buying, and eating, locally grown and sourced products. The food’s always going to be fresher. The problem is though where to find the good produce? Here’s a few of my own Worcester favourites.
Gwillams Farm Shop in Claines is an exciting find. I shop there most Saturdays. Clearly visible from the Ombersley Road, and well signposted, you can park quickly and easily. Fresh fruit and veg. are well displayed, some so fresh they’re still covered in a light morning dew. Just grab a basket, pick up a paper bag and pop in what you need. Okay, not all the products are locally produced, but all do have clear signs showing the place or country of origin. They also stock
mouth-watering ‘Hand Made’ cakes [my favourite’s Iced Coffee], Bennetts Farmhouse dairy ice-cream [made at Lower Wick], a generous assortment of
low-fat yoghurts, and even meats and eggs. Before I tasted Gwillams range of Belvoir juices and pressés, I’d always found fruit juices unnaturally
over-sweetened. These though are 100% natural and perfect for children. The apple juices – each one made from a different variety of apple – are pressed and bottled by Pershore College. There’s much more on offer too, and, when you get to the till, the staff are experts at packing your box or ‘bag for life’.
When I’ve got guests, and always at Christmas, I order an organic veg. box from Farm Direct Produce. The veg. are grown, picked, sorted and packed at a local farm in Ombersley. I can vouch for the freshness of their content as I once helped out on the farm sorting carrots and planting – hard work, but fun! It really is a
family-run business and offers great service. The boxes always include the staples – potatoes, carrots and onions, then it’s a matter of what’s in season. The good thing is that you don’t have to be in when the box is delivered, just tell them a safe place to leave it and settle up later. Great if you’re out at work all week.
My favourite café and deli. in Worcester is Jenades, a little gem in Upper Tything opposite the Royal Grammar School. The couple who own it are always helpful and customer service is brilliant. Their byword is “local” and, where possible, they stock and serve up locally sourced products. The shop and café are painted an ultra-calming pistachio green and I like nothing better than to stop there for coffee and cakes on my way into town. My friend, who’s a bit of a coffee expert, says their coffee is “just right”. Most of the food on the menu is the food they sell so you can see before you buy. I highly recommend the patés and pizzas. The breads always smell delicious and I think I’ve probably sampled most of the cakes on offer.
Gwillams Farm Shop, Ombersley Road, Claines, Worcester [01905] 756490
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm
Jenades, 43 Upper Tything, Worcester, WR1 1JZ [01905] 731300
Opening hours: Monday – Saturday 08.30 – 4pm
Farm Direct Produce – www.farmdirectproduce.co.uk [01905] 356068
Standard box [7/8 veg] - £8
Medium box [10/11 veg] - £10.50
Large box [12 veg] - £13
Free delivery
BIOG.
Abby Williams is a freelance writer, consumer of fine foods, and [most importantly] a Worcester Woman. Her features on healthy eating, organic food and supermarket savvy have been published in a variety of magazines and newspapers including The Guardian and My Weekly. You can find her website at: http://abbyviz-will.tripod.com
© Abby Williams, 2008
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