Green grocers and local markets

[sammysam]

We're on a tight budget and that coupled with the fact that I hate Tesco I want to buy at least all our fruit and veg from somewhere else. Which is cheapest-supermarket, greengrocer or local market?
And which produce is the better quality?
.....then I just need to organise myself

Supermarket is the most expensive. It is difficult to tell whether greengrocer or market would be best as it depends on the quality as well as the price. My local greengrocer costs half that of the supermarket and some of the produce is much more local than it would be from the supermarket - I don't like them either!

Could you look for a nearby farm that does veg/fruit box delivery schemes? That's what we do and it is SO much better quality, all organic and cheaper than Tescos.

I use a bit of everything.

Big bags of bananas and apples for £1 from street market. Plus odds and sods that are cheap that week.

Some locally grown things from the farmers market. Big bag of carrots and bunches of leeks for £1 seems cheap to me.

For the rest I use my local green grocer, whom I like and want to keep in business.

Good for a natter too.

It is a shame that 'time poor' families are tied to buying their fruit and vegetables in the supermarket, especially if trying to keep to a budget. As already said, markets and greengrocers are much cheaper. In fact most other fresh food is cheaper at independent shops - especially the butchers.

We have a fruit and veg van that comes to our village. Its often cheaper than supermarket, you can taste the produce and they can order anything in special you need. When we were snowed in, they took orders and walked them round to us.

Normally, they park outside my house, so I can either leave the DC indoors or they can come out and have a natter too.

I buy virtually no fruit and veg from the supermarket now.

We only used to have the choice of extremely expensive farm shop or supermarket. In the last year however, a smallholder has moved into some vacant land near us - seasonal local fruit+veg only of course; and a fantastic traditional greengrocer has opened in a nearby town. We don't buy any fruit+veg from the supermarket any more.

In my experience, fruit+veg from the greengrocers or market is much cheaper and usually better quality - fruit is usually much riper too, no rock-hard avocados or peaches. This is because it hasn't all been kept in a massive chiller. The downside is you can't expect to buy soft fruit or toms and expect them to still be edible a week later like you can with supermarket produce.

i buy as much fruit and veg from my local market as possible

I find it far cheaper, the quality so much better and seasonal veg are ALWAYS local, many from farms in there 5 year converting to organic period, so almost organic just cant be labeled as such yet.

i FILL one of the small (as opposed to giant)Tesco blue reusable bags, AND have a seperate bag of potatoes that i carry.
Also includes half a dozen (delciose huge local free range) eggs, and normally get change from a tenner.

We eat loads and loads of fruit and veg, at least 20 pieces per week in our lunch boxes before we start.
I normLLY get something large, like a pineapple or melon and a punnet of berries in that tenner too, + all our veg and salad