Where and how to buy tasty fruit and vegetables

[HobblingHelen]

I find a lot of the fruit and vegetables I buy from supermarkets in the UK to be quite bland and I've heard various reasons for this (e.g. supermarkets choosing varieties that look good and travel well/last longer rather than ones that taste the best). Does anyone have any tips on buying tastier fruit and vegetables?

Does fruit/veg that is actually in season taste better or does that not make a difference? Should I look for UK grown fruit/veg? Are there any varieties that you can recommend that taste better? Does organic taste better?

Do you find that local independent shops tend to stock better tasting fruit and veg? Unfortunately, there aren't any regular farmers' markets near me.

For fruit Sainsbury's always excels for me. Lidl for veg

As far as I can I try and just buy British fruit & veg and so that means eating according to the seasons - it isn't always possible (e.g. when you crave strawberries in January!) but every little helps!

I don't find that organic necessarily means that it tastes better

Buy in season and fruit that is as local as possible (ie uk/then Europe/then far away) travel time is one of main factors in how presented and natural it is rather than pick chill freeze chill present

I moved to Australia last year, to a small rural town. Some friends from England arrived a few days ago to visit us and they have commented a lot on the fruit and veg.

It's all seasonal here as we don't live near a supermarket...so we visit the farmer's market weekly. It's the start of Autumn here so there are a lot of apples, plums, grapes, late tomatoes etc and lots more.

They've commented on how strong the tomatoes taste and how uneven and bumpy the apples are but also how delicious they all are.

It really makes a difference. Grow what you can yourself and if you can, shop at the farmer's market.

We are fortunate to have an excellent farm shop nearby. They stock a lot of locally grown produce and I think even the imported stuff benefits from not being kept in an overchilled environment.

We grow lots of fruit ourselves (strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, rhubarb) all low maintenance stuff and easily frozen.

Local greengrocers if you can, or markets, if not then the finest versions from supermarkets.

Try to get an allotment. Just the right time to get a decent crop going for this year.

Until you've had sweet corn straight from the plot or tomatoes from your greenhouse, you haven't lived!

Thanks for the suggestions.

Have you looked into veg boxes? We use Riverford and really enjoy the fruit and veg we get. There may be veg box providers local to you as well as the national ones.

Buy in season and buy British is the best bet. I find farm shops a bit hit and miss to be honest. Unless the farm grows the veg themselves then try have to buy it from somewhere and there's one near me that sources a lot of their veg from the same producers as the supermarkets yet they charge more for it.

I usually shop at aldi and can't complain about the stuff. But do find M and S is far fresher and tastier than any of the other supermarkets.

I actually find local greengrocers disappointing. Most of the stuff looks older and tireder than supermarkets.

I get most of mine from my local market. So much cheaper and I get the bloke to put it all in together so no packaging.

In season.
Grow your own.

We have an allotment and even my half arsed fruit and veg tastes better than the shops.

In season and local. The greengrocers in our town labels by village, and some of the farm shops you can see things growing outside. We are lucky to live in the 'fruit basket of England' and the local fruit and veg is amazing

Would second veg box idea - veg is definitely tastier and fresher though you get less choice.