Your Guide to Buying Fresh Produce Straight from British Farmers
Visiting the greengrocers for our fruits and vegetables, chatting with the butcher about the best cuts of meat, and stopping by the bakery for a loaf of bread still warm from the oven - that used to be the world as we knew it.
But times change, and with them, our shopping habits. Convenience became king and, although that has brought its fair share of benefits, it’s also led to a disconnect between us and the food on our plates.
There's this mind barrier in place, isn't there? We think that we have to go trawling the countryside and knock on farmers' doors to get that truly fresh, farm-to-table experience. Or worse, we believe it's just not possible to buy straight from the source these days. But guess what? We're here today to bust that myth wide open.
Forget about logging onto a supermarket delivery service. Instead, imagine logging onto a farm's website and ordering directly. It's as easy as that. No trawling, no knocking, just a few clicks and you're on your way to the freshest food around.
So, if you're ready to ditch the supermarket aisles and rediscover the joy of truly good food, stick with us. We’ve got an extensive list of fantastic online farm shops selling meats, dairy, fruits and veggies, and we’re going to show you just how simple it is to buy farm-fresh food directly from the folks who grow it.
Why it's Important to Buy from Farmers Directly
The Holland family comes from a long line of farmers, so supporting our local growers is something that’s always been important to us.
There are many reasons why buying from farmers directly is the best choice and we’ve outlined a few key points below:
- Supporting British Farmers: Behind every cut of beef, every apple, every carrot, and bottle of milk is a hardworking farmer. By buying directly, you're providing them with a fair price for their goods and helping them sustain their livelihoods. This connection ensures that farmers receive a larger share of the profits, allowing them to invest in their farms, their families, and their communities.
- Preserving Agricultural Heritage: Family farms are the backbone of rural Britain, passed down from generation to generation. When you buy directly from these farms, you're not just getting fresh, high-quality food—you're preserving a way of life. By supporting farmers, you're helping to maintain biodiversity, protect traditional farming methods, and safeguard the cultural heritage of rural communities.
- Transparency and Traceability: With concerns about food safety and transparency on the rise, knowing where your food comes from is more important than ever. When you buy directly from farmers, you know exactly how your food was grown, harvested, and handled, giving you peace of mind and confidence in your purchases.
- Reducing Environmental Impact: Do you know how far your food travels before it lands on your plate? Spoiler alert: it's often thousands of miles. But when you buy locally, you're cutting down on those emissions and supporting sustainable farming practices.
In some of our previous blog posts, we’ve shared information about why British farmers need our support, particularly with challenges faced in modern times, so we encourage you to have a read if you’d like to learn more.
How Easy Is It to Buy Directly from Farmers?
Now that we've covered why it's so important to support our local farmers, let's talk about how easy it is to actually do so.
Buying farm-fresh food has never been easier, thanks to the wonders of modern technology. All you need is a computer or smartphone and an internet connection. If you can read this article, you can buy from a farm!
So many UK farms are now setting up shop online, offering you the convenience of buying fresh, British produce, but from the comfort of your own home. Everything gets delivered straight to your doorstep, and some places even offer subscription services, so you can have a regular supply of fresh seasonal food delivered automatically. Set it and forget it—no need to worry about placing orders each week.
What’s more is that some farmers have gone a step further and use social media, such as TikTok shop, to sell directly to consumers.
So, if you've been hesitant to dip your toes into the world of farm-fresh food because you thought it was too complicated or time-consuming, think again.
Where You Can Buy Farm Fresh Food Online
Now, it’s time for the best part - where you can get your goodies!
We’ve spotlighted a few online stores below, but check out our comprehensive list further on for more options and websites to check out.
Lancashire Lamb Boxes
@british_shepherdess Lots of orders going out today, thank you all so much for your orders! #packingorders #packing #meat #food #tiktokshop ♬ Make Your Move - H33RA
Lancashire Lamb Boxes is run by John and Eden, and you may have spotted them on TikTok, where they have over 117K followers.
Not only do they sell their meat boxes from their website, but they also sell them on TikTok Shop. So while you are doing your daily scrolling, you can do some meat shopping at the same time! Talk about making it super easy.
All meat is sourced from their farm (or local neighbouring farms if necessary) in Sussex, and there are lamb, beef, and pork boxes available, plus individual cuts if you'd prefer. They offer a "Build Your Own Box" service and also do an exciting Monthly Meat Raffle.
Deer Box
Deer Box is the vision of Chef, Restaurateur, and Deer Manager Mike Robinson, and one of his principal deer managers, Ben Heath. Their vision is to change how venison is perceived and to make it more accessible to you.
With Deer Box, you can order a huge range of high-quality, ethically sourced venison cuts, from steaks and roasts to burgers and sausages, alongside their handy Meat Boxes. You can also buy wild boar, pedigree beef and pork, bacon, gammon, and charcuterie.
I can personally vouch for the quality and freshness of a Deer Box delivery - I've ordered from there many times myself!
Haye Farm
Nestled in the heart of East Devon, Haye Farm is a haven of organic, high-welfare farming run by Harry Boglione and Emily Perry.
There is plenty to choose from in their online shop. Beef brisket, steaks, dry cured bacon, sausages, lamb cutlets, and whole chickens to name just a few, alongside organic butter and craft beer. They also do speciality boxes, like the Steak Box, and have fresh free-range eggs available for collection only.
The Organic Butchery
You may know the Organic Butchery as Coombe Farm Organic, and they approach butchery with a whole-carcass perspective and don’t believe in wasting anything.
Their online shop is a meat-eater's heaven, with everything from pork and apple burgers and shoulders of lamb to wild pheasant and oxtail. They also do broths and sustainably caught fish. Plus, their bestselling Meat Boxes are brilliant for barbeques or the classic Sunday roast.
The Meat Box Company
The Meat Box Company, situated at Elston Farm in Copplestone, Crediton, Devon, source all their meats as locally as possible from the southwest of England, ensuring freshness and supporting local farmers.
You can buy lamb, pork, beef, poultry, and game, alongside brilliant bundles like the sizzling BBQ bundle, turkey and gammon bundle, game bundle, chicken breast fillet bundle, and more.
For added convenience, The Meat Box Company offers 1, 2, 3, or 4 weekly subscriptions for their top 12 selling items.
Grasmere Farm
With three butcher shops, one deli, and an online store, Grasmere Farm offers a diverse range of products, all raised, butchered, and prepared on the farm itself. They also source other top quality meat from reputable sources, including Lincoln Red Beef, chicken from the Southeast, and Lincolnshire Lamb.
Enjoy their famous Lincolnshire Sausage seasoned with sage and the multi-award-winning Smoked Rutland sausages, alongside cuts of beef, chicken, and duck, their cheeses and condiments, plus their huge selection of pies. They do Meat Boxes, like the Classic Picnic Pack and Big Banquette BBQ Pack, as well as lots of special offers.
Graig Farm
Graig Farm is nestled in the Mochdre, Montgomeryshire and has been in the Rees family since the 1940s.
Their online shop provides access to their award-winning farm-fresh organic produce and you can really stock up your fridges, freezer, and cupboards here. There are beef mince and roasting joints, sausages and burgers, game meats, fish, eggs, organic fruit and veg, sauces and condiments, preserves, tea and coffee - the list goes on!
Bramblebee Farm
The Days family runs this brilliant farm in Wisbech, and they raise their native breeds of cattle, alongside the famous Bramblee Old Spot pigs.
Their online store is absolutely packed with a wide range of incredible produce, from meats like sausages, venison, and chicken breasts to lots of fresh seasonal fruit and veggies. You can also buy farmhouse pies and honey, pick up a meat box or meal box for easy dinners, and get milk deliveries.
Pipers Farm
Pipers Farm is a 52-acre, all-grass farm run by the Greig family in Exeter, Devon.
There is an impressive range of fresh meats, such as grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and duck, native breed pork, wild venison, plus sustainable seafood. You can also stock up on milk, yoghurt, cream, cheeses, and butter, and there are lots of pantry staples too. Plus, you can build your own cheese hamper and treat yourself to one of their meat or seafood boxes.
Fen Farm Dairy
Run by the Crickmore family, Fen Farm Dairy in Suffolk is all about beautiful cheese and dairy produce straight to your doorstep. They are a third-generation innovative family farm that wants to set the standard for dairy sustainability.
In their online shop, you can buy fresh cheeses, butter and ghee, yoghurt, cream, and raw milk. The Baron Bigod cheese is definitely a winner - it has been known to frequently grace the tables of royalty! Plus, there are a couple of subscription offers available that are worth checking out.
Hill Farm
The Aidley family run Hill Farm and they are all about real food. They have a mix of traditional cattle breeds, such as Normande, Friesian, Jersey, and Ayrshire, and they are carefully bred on a natural diet of 100% grass pasture.
Shop for your fresh milk and kefir, broths, fats, and whey, plus all your beef and poultry. There are also eggs available, but these are for collection only.
It’s worth noting that the webshop inventory is updated every Friday afternoon, so it’s usually best to check back after then to see what’s currently available.
Cotteswold Dairy
Cotteswold Dairy is perfect for doorstep delivery of fresh, sustainably sourced dairy and daily essentials. All their farmers are required to have Red Tractor Certification as well as other certifications (where applicable).
There is an array of fresh produce sourced directly from British farms, including milk, cream, butter, cheese, eggs, and fresh bread.
Delivery is conducted from their main depots in Cheltenham, Shropshire, North Wales, and Hereford, using sustainable methods like electric milk floats.
Use their postcode checker on their website to see if they deliver where you live. If they don't, they advise getting in touch anyway as they are associated with lots of independent rounds that may service your area.
Oddbox
Oddbox rescues surplus fruits and vegetables directly from farms that would otherwise go to waste due to being the wrong shape, size, or simply surplus to demand. These perfectly good, wonky, and delicious seasonal produce items are then carefully curated into boxes and delivered straight to your door.
With Oddbox, you'll receive a variety of fruits and veggies - all while helping to fight food waste and support local farmers. You can choose the size of your box and whether you want it every week or every other week.
The deliveries happen overnight, so you wake up to fresh fruit and veg first thing in the morning! Perfect for a healthy breakfast or packing a quick fruit snack in the kids’ lunchboxes.
Dorset Meat Company
Winner of Online Butcher of the Year 2023, Dorset Meat Company works exclusively with small, family-run farms that follow regenerative, traditional farming methods.
There is plenty of fresh meat available for purchase - beef, poultry, lamb, duck, goat, venison, and more! You can also get sustainable, responsibly-caught fresh fish, cheeses, and lots of deli items like oils and vinegars.
Alongside their Meat Boxes, they also do "Build Your Own Boxes" where you can add all your favourites (meat, cheese, and deli items) and set up a regular delivery to arrive every one, two, or four weeks.
List of Online Farm Shops UK
- Lancashire Lamb Boxes
- Deer Box
- Haye Farm
- The Organic Butchery
- The Meat Box Company
- Grasmere Farm
- Graig Farm
- Farm Wilder
- Bramblebee Farm
- Pipers Farm
- Fen Farm Dairy
- Hill Farm
- Cotteswold Dairy
- Oddbox
- Nature Way Farm
- Swaledale Butchers
- Dorset Meat Company
- Jurassic Coast Farm Shop
- Franklins Farm Butchers
- Wenlock Edge Farm
- Blackwells Farm Shop
- The Farmers Box
- Purton House Organics
- The Buffalo Farm
- Essington Farm
- Kenniford Farm
Summary
Where you choose to buy your food makes a difference—both for yourself and for the wider community.
When you buy from a corporation, you're just a number—a transaction in a sea of countless others. But when you buy from a local farmer, you're a valued customer. You're supporting a small family-run business, putting money directly into the pockets of hardworking individuals who pour their hearts into what they do.
And the fantastic range of products you can buy directly from farmers is astounding. From meats and seasonal vegetables and fruits to milk, cheeses, loaves of bread, and pantry staples, there's something for everyone.
We were deeply inspired by something Gareth Wyn Jones, a Welsh farmer, said in one of his YouTube videos: "You need a farmer three times a day." It's a simple yet profound truth. We all need to eat, which means we all need our farming communities. By standing behind our British farmers, we can ensure that they have the support they need to continue feeding us for generations to come.
Together, let's make a difference—one purchase at a time. Support our farmers and enjoy the benefits of fresh, delicious food straight from the source.
About the Author
Matthew Holland is passionate about sharing tips on how to enjoy the British countryside, whether it’s through family-friendly activities or connecting with nature. Living and working in the beautiful Cheshire countryside, Matthew is a proud advocate for our British farmers and the importance of eating local, seasonal food. He combines his love for rural life with practical advice, helping others make the most of the seasons and embrace the beauty of country living.
