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Original poster

Phoney supermarket farm 'Rosedene' - TESCO aarrrgh!!!!

163 replies

Tonty · 07/03/2026 11:23

I am fed up with the awful fruit that is from 'Rosedene Farm'. Absolutely atrocious. I've just has some of their blueberries (they were the only ones left on the shelves). Each one is either hard &sour, or fluffy mushy nonsense, they taste like coagulated fat. Their strawberries are awful too.

I haven't bought this brand for yrs because i tried their oranges before and they were equally awful, but yesterday i was desperate for blueberries with my morning yogurt. What a disappointment! I just looked this farm up and to my amazement discovered its a fictitious farm used to sell Tesco Value products!! Does everybody know this already and I'm just late to the party? apparently all the supermarkets are in on it too. Had i known they were 'Value' fruit, I'd never have bought them. There are many great 'value' products, but fruit is not one of them.

OP posts:
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LoseAllOfYourMoney · 07/03/2026 15:05

JacquesHarlow · 07/03/2026 12:11

Not really @CraftyNavySeal - plenty of people on here praising ALDI etc for their pricing and quality.

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Most fruit at Aldi is rubbish. It doesn’t last.

Blueberries can be very hit and miss so I tend to buy frozen as they’re always nice.

Somersetbaker · 07/03/2026 15:00

BunnyLake · 07/03/2026 13:34

To be fair that name sounds pretty low market anyway, like it’s been lifted from Eastenders.

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Stamford St in London is where Sainsbury's were originally based.

CheeseCakeSunflowers · 07/03/2026 14:58

Surely its obvious that one farm is not going to produce enough of any product to supply the whole of Tesco and its just a brand name The fruit will have grown on a farm somewhere before moving through the supply chain and ending up on supermarket shelves but its not going to be good quality if its sold cheap.

Zov · 07/03/2026 14:23

I have never heard of them, but then I don't frequent Tesco much. I will avoid their 'fresh' stuff though! So they are using a fake farm?! Where is the stuff actually coming from then?

34feeling54 · 07/03/2026 14:20

Pricesandvices · 07/03/2026 12:11

Other supermarkets use fake farm names too.

Frozen blueberries are almost always better than fresh.

Yep and many meat/dairy/egg products are market with whimsical sounding farm names and are actually just caged hen factories for example.

LovingLimePeer · 07/03/2026 14:18

Tesco fruit and veg regardless of sub brand has always been a bit crap. I stopped shopping there as a student after getting odd woody bits in all my avocados.

WildMintPanda · 07/03/2026 14:14

I thought everyone knew that or could figure it out.

Why did you think it was so cheap?

An altruistic farm?

tinyspiny · 07/03/2026 14:10

rc22 · 07/03/2026 14:02

Tescos say they did it to remove the stigma attached to buying the value brand which is understandable. But I would say it makes life easier to make choices when you're shopping if things are clearly labelled a value product.

Surely the prices on the different packs will be enough of a clue .

dubbie · 07/03/2026 14:09

piscofrisco · 07/03/2026 12:57

Unless grown in a warmed poly tunnel maybe?

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I've been buying Dyson strawberries from Ocado over the past few months. They're grown in the UK year round. Absolutely delicious.

OP posts:
StephensLass1977 · 07/03/2026 14:04

I also thought they were a real farm, but I just Googled it and yes it does seem it's a Tesco brand. They are extremely cheap, about £1.50 for a box of blueberries or raspberries. As a pp said, I haven't had any more problems than I've had with pricier fruit. But yes the boxes are tiny. Just received my Tesco order as it happens, and the two Rosedene boxes look fine.

HauntedBungalow · 07/03/2026 14:04

I agree it's good to share this kind of information - thanks OP.

I've found a handy guide to seasonal food here:

https://www.bda.uk.com/food-health/your-health/sustainable-diets/seasonal-fruit-and-veg-a-handy-guide.html

It's common not to know this stuff now that supermarkets stock everything year round. Most people don't grow their own fruit and veg and even those who do can't grow everything.

Which fruit and veg are in season in the UK?

In Britain we're lucky enough to grow some fantastic fruit and vegetables, but do you know what’s in season this month?

https://www.bda.uk.com/food-health/your-health/sustainable-diets/seasonal-fruit-and-veg-a-handy-guide.html

rc22 · 07/03/2026 14:02

Tescos say they did it to remove the stigma attached to buying the value brand which is understandable. But I would say it makes life easier to make choices when you're shopping if things are clearly labelled a value product.

quantumbutterfly · 07/03/2026 14:02

HauntedBungalow · 07/03/2026 13:54

Rather a lot of 'honey' is not actually honey ( the price is a clue).

I didn't know this but I do know that most "wasabi" is coloured horseradish.

https://localhoney.uk/how-to-spot-real-honey/

Spices and olive oil have been prone to fraud too. (Expensive products).
The scuttlebutt is that more manuka honey is sold than is actually produced.

How to Spot Real Honey | Tell If Honey Is Genuine in the UK

Learn how to spot real honey with simple checks on labels, crystallisation, taste, and provenance. Avoid fake honey and buy genuine UK honey with confidence.

https://localhoney.uk/how-to-spot-real-honey

Ally886 · 07/03/2026 13:59

TheDandyLion · 07/03/2026 12:19

It's almost as if they're not in season.

What's the blueberry season then? Certainly not UK, some of the worst fruit on the market

HeadDeskHeadDesk · 07/03/2026 13:58

BunnyLake · 07/03/2026 13:37

That must be why the blueberries I bought are sour as hell. I really should make a list of what is in and out seasonly.

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Blueberries out of season are always either like sour little bullets or tasteless, woolly mush. Same as apricots. The UK rarely has decent ones.

Ally886 · 07/03/2026 13:57

"Rosedene" replaced Tesco value. All the farms used are real farm references from one of their salad producers.

On the blueberries it's class 2 fruit. Grade out, simple as that hence the retail. They're designed as an ingredient but the core 150g is not much more expensive for a far better product

BunnyLake · 07/03/2026 13:57

Tonty · 07/03/2026 13:55

@nomdegrrr1 Thanks very much. I'm glad to see the thead is educational as well as entertaining. I'm off to buy some frozen fruit as we speak. Will definitely make a mental note of what's in season and what isn't. 'Fake farm gate' completely missed me.

I really like frozen mango but I have found frozen berries to be a bit tart (I am very sensitive to sour tastes though).

quantumbutterfly · 07/03/2026 13:56

Psychosislotus · 07/03/2026 13:47

Haha this is so inappropriate but first thing which strikes me about this image are where are all the trousers 😂

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On Ilkley moor?

Poobs2022 · 07/03/2026 13:55

Tonty · 07/03/2026 12:24

Thanks for your comments. A few of you have recommended frozen fruit, I do prefer fresh but I might try that next time. There are a few grocers nearby, one has nice fruit, the other tastes as bad as Rosedene.

Frozen raspberries are great if you let them defrost. A bit sharp like they should be, not all these super sweet nonsense fresh ones that have no flavour.

Original poster
Tonty · 07/03/2026 13:55

@nomdegrrr1 Thanks very much. I'm glad to see the thead is educational as well as entertaining. I'm off to buy some frozen fruit as we speak. Will definitely make a mental note of what's in season and what isn't. 'Fake farm gate' completely missed me.

OP posts:
HauntedBungalow · 07/03/2026 13:54

Rather a lot of 'honey' is not actually honey ( the price is a clue).

I didn't know this but I do know that most "wasabi" is coloured horseradish.

itsthetea · 07/03/2026 13:54

Buying out of season fruit and expecting it to taste good without paying a premium for imported by plane?

HauntedBungalow · 07/03/2026 13:53

BunnyLake · 07/03/2026 13:34

To be fair that name sounds pretty low market anyway, like it’s been lifted from Eastenders.

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Makes me think of KCL accommodation, which is next to Waterloo Bridge/South Bank Centre, so fairly classy. As I understand it, Sainsbury's head office used to be there.

But yeah anyway it's clearly not a farm.

quantumbutterfly · 07/03/2026 13:50

user64788643122 · 07/03/2026 13:36

I don’t shop at Tesco and I knew this, because of a programme on Radio 4. Actual farmers are up in arms about this because it’s just marketing, and it impacts sales of actual specific farm produce, and also damages people’s perception of higher quality farm specific produce. I can’t believe the shops that do this get away with it from an advertising perspective.

Food authenticity is a bigger issue, an imaginary producer name for a gullible public is the least of your worries.
Rather a lot of 'honey' is not actually honey ( the price is a clue).
Ingredients and country of origin are useful and legal information to check in the packaged foods.
Farmers markets are a bit of a scam, I asked a local one where he got asparagus at this time of year and he said it was from Peru, because they're farmers too...which is kind of missing the point of a local farmers market.

www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/packaging-and-labelling

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