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How do consumers in the UK buy

Regional food in the UK

Farmers Markets

Farm shops

How do consumers in the UK buy

Consumers in the U.K. generally have less time today than as recently as 20 years ago. They are generally much more aware and demanding of the goods they buy than in the past. As a result of shortages of time and in the search for something that little bit different many consumers buy direct either from the Internet or from catalogues. Everything from clothes, computers and greenhouses are available to buy on line and people do. As a consequence the number of carrier companies in the U.K has increased in the last few years as has the business they do to meet this demand.

Out of town shopping areas are increasingly popular for furniture carpets and other household goods as well as for discount designer clothes. Some out of town shopping areas also have large supermarkets, which are very popular and stock everything from food to value clothes and electrical goods..

Most consumers in the U.K. buy their food at supermarkets. Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s are the big boys, with Waitrose and Marks and Spencer’s food attracting a more up market consumer. The day of local high street food shops in the U.K. has largely gone from the cities in the past 20 to 30 years and local butcher’s shops have all but vanished. There is however still some place for speciality food shops in smaller market towns which often do well. These vary from local bakers to delicatessens selling everything from local cheeses to olives and wine.

More recently farmers markets have taken hold and can be found throughout the country. They specialise in local quality food which varies from cheeses to meats and fresh and smoked fish. The farmers markets are really a throwback to the ancient markets of the U.K. which were held weekly in villages and towns across the country. Farmers markets are held generally less frequently and are found in more rural locations usually but not always out of the towns. The food is not cheap but the quality and variety of food found here is excellent and the markets are very popular. Everything from the local farmer to a small holding specialising in tomatoes can be found here.  

There have been farm shops in the U.K. for many years. These were generally the local farmer selling off extra produce or producing eggs to bring in extra income. In the fruit growing areas of the country apples and pears were sold direct from the grower in the summer months. More recently a different sort of farm shop has developed in the U.K. and they are now springing up all around the country. Most try to sell local produce and many actually grow their own fruit and vegetables which you can pick or buy freshly pickled daily. The produce is seasonal and has brought a new and growing trend of seasonal cooking to the country. These up market farm shops also usually offer small cafes which provide simple good quality food using local ingredients and fruit and vegetables grown on site. Also available from these shops is local meat and fish in more coastal areas. The shops by the nature of their existence are found in rural locations often off the beaten track and once established survive by ongoing local support and by word of mouth recommendation.

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Summ it up Marketing

June 2006

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Regional Food in the UK

Outside the UK British regional food is not that well known. But it exists and more than that it thrives, is generally of excellent quality and truly reflects the regions it comes from.

Perhaps the most well know regional foods are those that come from Scotland closely followed by Northern Ireland and Wales. However England has historical regional food which continues to thrive and develop. English regional food is not as well known because it is not promoted as much as for the countries that make up the UK. This is changing within the UK with the advent of Farmers Markets and the good quality farmer’s shops now springing up across the British Isles.

From Scotland come many different varieties of excellent quality whisky. The smoked food of Scotland is also well known and ranges from different types of smoked salmons and Arbroath Smokies, which are smoked haddock. Both these products are exported all over the world by many different producers. Scotland produces excellent quality beef and two types of venison from the hills. Roe deer venison has a delicate flavour while Red deer venison has a more gamey flavour. The very buttery Scottish shortbread biscuit in many different forms is exported across the world.

Wales is traditionally known for its lamb and its salt marsh lamb is reputed to be the best in the British Isles.  Wales also has a tradition of dried fruit cakes such Bara Brith.

Northern Ireland is famous for its fish and seafood ranging from Salmon, trout and eels to lobsters, prawns, oysters and mussels. Prawns from this region in particular are exported in large quantities to Europe.

Yorkshire is well known in the UK for regional food and regional dishes. The most widely know of its products are its cheeses which originate from the milk produced on the pastures of the dales. Cheeses such as Wensleydale, a hard crumbly moist cheese with its origins in the12^th century, Coverdale is mild and buttery and Swaledale is slightly softer than Wensleydale. More recently Yorkshire Blue, a soft and creamy blue cheese, was developed.  On a more localised basis within Yorkshire are a wide variety of soft and hard goat’s cheeses of excellent quality.  Yorkshire also produces original and excellent quality cakes and biscuits such as ‘Fat Rascals’ a sort of teacake made in the region since at least the 19^th century and available from various different specialist family run bakers.

The county of Yorkshire has also a tradition of producing kippers which are smoked herrings and these have been produced in coastal regions of Yorkshire sine the 19^th century. Among the Less well know produce of Yorkshire is Rhubarb grown in the west of the county in the ‘Rhubarb triangle’ and forced to produce a delicate tasting pale pink early crop used in pies, crumbles and fools. Strangely liquorice also has a long association with West Yorkshire used to produce sticky sweets which have been made here since mediaeval times. Both Yorkshire and Lancashire have a tradition of black (blood) pudding making. To the east of Yorkshire one of the more unusual products is spring water from the Yorkshire Wolds, with its distinctly coloured blue bottles, which is now exported across the world.

Lancashire like Yorkshire and with similar lush pastures has made its distinctive crumbly, creamy cheese for centuries. A blue cheese is a more recent introduction.

The Midlands produces specialist meats and has a long standing traditional of making raised pork pies made dating back to the 19^th century, but based on a much older tradition. Individual butchers have their own recipes and never say the British are not passionate about their own food. There is a pork pie appreciation society devoted to the pies and maintaining the standard. The area is also famous for its well regulated and consistent quality blue Stilton cheese produced here since the early 18^th century. Less well known outside the UK is the distinctively coloured Red Leicester.

The North West produces Cumberland sausage which is long and coiled and some butchers now produce a Cumberland sausage made from rare breed pork.

The West Country famous for its cider also produces well known cheddar cheese and the rich buttery double Gloucester. A more unusual product is Elderflower cordial made from the delicately flavoured flowers of the Elder tree.

East Anglia supplies specialist turkeys, seafood and fish and renowned crabs. The Channel Islands are famous for their dairy products as well as the distinctively flavoured Jersey potatoes.

The South East produces the delicately flavoured English wines and with fruit juices made from different varieties of apple and pear.

The state of regional food in the UK is a healthy one as new products such as wild boar sausages, now available in the West country and Yorkshire, are developed. Also of growing interest is food produced by Ethnic groups such as the specialist chutney producers of the North West. The UK has many food festivals promoting food in general and UK regional food in particular and there are many local and national awarded to food producers.

Many small food producers across the UK now have a growing export market around the world for their products, via mail order and web sites

The government of the UK in the form of DEFRA (Department for Environment food and rural Affairs) support and promote regional food in the UK, using events such as meetings of EU ministers to serve British regional produce. Printer Friendly Version

FARMERS MARKETS

Farmers markets as we know them in the UK have been around for less than a decade. The first was held in Bath in the autumn of 1997, after the local council saw the markets as a way of stimulating rural enterprises. Markets and fairs however have been around in the UK since the 12^th century, when they became a well established way of trading. They were used to trade a variety of goods and services from cattle and poultry to fish and vegetables. By the 20^th century the markets were in decline and they further fell in popularity with the advent of supermarkets. These traditional markets still exist in most small towns and cities and you can still find them selling fresh goods such as fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, although it is more often the case that the fresh food is not locally sourced. Many of these markets have evolved and also sell a range of discounted goods from clothing, greetings cards, music CD’s and DVD’s.

Farmers markets have, as part of their reason for being, to sell local produce direct from the grower to the consumer. As the markets have evolved they have become a focus for local communities and act as a away of bringing communities together, encouraged by local authorities. Local authorities and countryside agencies see farmers markets as a way of revitalising local trade and they have undoubtedly served as a way for local producers to sell direct to the public something that was previously difficult for them to do. The markets have a traditional country feel and atmosphere to them and you can often find producers offering their produce to try before you buy. Most but not all of the markets are set in rural locations. Producers sell a diverse range of local produce and the main attractions of the markets are the excellent quality and freshness of the produce they sell. Expect to see small scale growers selling seasonal produce from the back of their vans and cars.

So what can you buy and is it worth it. Well if you are looking for cheap food you can sometimes find it here, but that is not the point. The food at farmers markets is local, fresh and generally of excellent quality. In Cornwall expect to find clotted cream, fresh butter and milk together with pasties made to local traditional recipes and filled with meat and vegetables. The Thames Valley markets, which also visit sites in London, offer apple juices, turkeys at Christmas, venison and wild boar, honey, organic vegetables and local wine and mead. Further north in Durham and Northumberland you will find seasonal moorland lamb, venison and game, local traditional Cotherstone cheese and goats cheese, cured bacon and soft fruit in season. In Yorkshire look out for a range of traditional cheeses from Wensleydale to goats cheeses and Yorkshire blue cheese. Also available are excellent quality pork products and cured bacon from Cruckley farm who sell their traditionally reared produce from mainly Berkshire pigs uniquely at the farmers market in Driffield, East Yorkshire. Yorkshire also offers fresh and smoked fish, raised game and pork pies, soft fruit in season and bread made in traditional stone ovens.

Scottish markets, generally held monthly, offer beef, venison, game, fresh and smoked trout, real ale and liqueurs and seasonal organic vegetables.  Wales has award winning cheeses, hand made chocolates, welsh lamb and fresh caught fish while at markets in Northern Ireland you will find speciality cheeses, fresh fish and local delicacies such as crubeens (pigs feet).

The locations and times of the markets can be difficult to find, but most local authorities have details of markets in their area, for the most detailed and comprehensive list of farmers markets in the UK look at thefoody.com.

www.scottishfarmersmarkets.co.uk

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FARM SHOPS

Unlike farmers markets farm shops have been around in the UK for a long time. Until relatively recently you would find them at farm gates. The shops varied from covered benches, wheelbarrows full of produce (with a jar for the money) and temporary buildings selling seasonal produce.  The goods on offer ranged from potatoes, carrots, apples and eggs

In the last ten years farm shops have increased in number and in the variety and quality of the produce they have on offer. With the help of farmers markets, with food and cookery programmes appearing regularly on radio and television and with various food scares demand for farm fresh locally sourced produce has increased.

Good farm shops produce much of what they sell and the remainder of produce for sale will be locally sourced (generally within a radius of 50 miles). Many also offer home grown and locally sourced organic produce and many of the shops have introduced cafes which generally provide light lunches, cakes and afternoon teas. The better shops use their own and other local produce to make the dishes and cakes on offer. You can also expect to find children’s play areas and small animal farms or pet’s corner.

A good farm shop will have fields or area of cultivation around the shop where you can clearly see the produce growing. Growers use poly tunnels to extend the growing season and to make picking easier for some crops. Many of the farm shops have developed from ‘pick your own’ sites and still offer this. Expect to see people picking everything from strawberries and raspberries to potatoes and carrots growing in neat rows next to the shops. Also expect to find blackboards giving details of what fruit and vegetables have been picked that morning, what you can pick yourself, what is going out of season and what is coming into season.

Finding farm shops is not easy and it is often a question of simply coming across them or by recommendation and word of mouth. However, now many of the larger country houses and stately homes, that are open to the public, have introduced farm shops and these are well advertised in promotional literature and on web sites. Usually these shops remain open throughout the year even though the houses close for the winter season. Even the smaller stately homes now have small farm shops e.g. Burton Agnes in East Yorkshire.

Excellent examples are Castle Howard in Yorkshire and Chatsworth in Derbyshire. The houses and gardens themselves are well worth a visit but the farm shops offer something different and provide excellent quality produce from the estates and from other sources locally.  Castle Howard’s award winning farm shop is in the Stable courtyard where you can have lunch in the courtyard café and also visit the chocolate shop. Chatsworth House in Derbyshire has a bakery, butchery, dairy and delicatessen as part of its farm shop. The shop provides excellent quality, fresh produce from the Chatsworth estates which includes beef and venison. Salads are prepared on site and the bakery offers speciality breads. Other locally sourced produce includes water buffalo steaks and cheeses. Both houses have excellent cafes. Chatsworth House also allows you to buy hampers full of produce from the shop available on line.

It is surprising where you can find farm shops, some garden centres have now given over space to in store shops selling local produce. To find farm shops check at farmers markets, many of the producers will have a farm shop. Also check with local tourist information offices and with local councils.

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Farmers Market Diary

Cheshire

Cleveland

Durham

East Riding of Yorkshire

Lincolnshire

Merseyside

North Yorkshire

Northumberland

Nottinghamshire

South Yorkshire

Tyneside

West Yorkshire

Locations marked with C indicate certified markets

Cheshire

Cleveland

Cumbria

Durham

East Riding of Yorkshire

Lincolnshire

Merseyside

North Yorkshire

Northumberland

 

Alnwick C	Market Place	Last Friday	9.00a.m. to 2.00p.m.
Amble	Town Square	Third Friday
Berwick	The Maltings	Last Sunday	9.30a.m. to 2.00p.m.
Blyth	Market Place	2nd Tuesday
Hadrians Wall	Greenhead	2nd Sunday	9.30a.m. to 1.00p.m.
Hexham  C	Auction Mart	2nd Saturday	9.00a.m. to 1.30p.m.
Hexham Brocksbushes	Brocksbushes Farm Corbridge	3rd Friday	10.00a.m. to 4.00p.m.
Lindisfarne	May to September only	3rd Sunday
Morpeth  C	Town Hall	1st Sunday	9.00a.m. to 12.30p.m.
Newcastle	Grey's Monument	1st Friday
Ponteland C	Memorial Hall	4th Saturday	9.00a.m. to 12.30p.m.
Rothbury	The Church	3rd Sunday	9.30a.m. to 2.00p.m.

Nottinghamshire

 

Worksop		2nd Friday

South Yorkshire

 

Askern	Lakeside	3rd Thursday	09.00a.m. to 1.00p.m.
Doncaster	Goose Hill	1st & 3rd Wednesday	10.00.a.m. to 4.00.p.m.
Rotherham	Effingham Street	1st Wednesday
Sheffield	Barkers Pool	4th Sunday
Thorne		1st Sunday

Tyne & Wear

 

Chester-le-Street	Market Place	1st Tuesday	9.00a.m. to 3.00p.m.
Newcastle C	Grey's Monument	1st Friday	9.30am to 2.30p.m.
South Shields		1st and 3rd Wednesday Easter to Christmas
Tynemouth	Metro Station	3rd Saturday	9.00a.m. to 1.00 p.m.

West Yorkshire

 

Bingley	Chapel Lane Market	4th Saturday	9.00a.m. to 1.00p.m.
Holmfirth	Market Hall Huddersfield Road	3rd Sunday	9.00a.m. to 3.00p.m.
Huddersfield		2nd Sunday	9.00a.m. to 1.00p.m.
Leeds	Kirkgate Market	1st & 3rd Sunday	8.30.a.m  to 12noon
Pontefract	Town Centre	Last Friday	8.30.a.m  to 12noon
Pudsey		last Thursday
Wetherby	Market Place	2nd Sunday

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