Friday 9 March 2012

Shop Local!

The last few days have brought it home to me - just how lucky we are to have a 'village store'. I've been so busy I just didn't have time to go to town, park and shop. So it was a real pleasure to be able to get my whole week-end's provisions at the Amberley stores literally a five minute walk away. For a while we thought we were going to lose this little gem when Jean retired, but Kevin stepped up and lo, we're back in business. Now the store stocks organic bread from Sunshine, fresh fruit and veg from World Foods, local meat from Taylors in Minchinhampton, plus gorgeous speciality breads like focaccia and fougasse (made locally in Minch). Kevin also has a range of small independent producer's goods such as delicious honeycomb, glorious gooey cheeses from Woefuldane and Kitchen Garden and Selsley preserves. The focaccias disappear almost as soon as they're delivered, so, if you're keen to try something different, it's a good idea to order these. Taking into account the cost of driving to Stroud or Nailsworth, never mind the impulse shopping involved with going to a supermarket, I reckon I came out squids ahead.

3 comments:

  1. Obviously you support the shopkeeper he has the same name as you,are you related? where I agree it is nice to have a village shop- the post office is much more important though.
    However compared to Jean's shop the prices seem so much dearer, there again she did run it on her own.

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  2. I agree - a Post Office is vital in a small community, as it is a lifeline for a great many people. I support the Amberley store as it happens to be my 'local', but I also support local village shops in Horsley, Avening, Woodchester, Minch and Chalford - in fact any of our local independent stores. Of course, where a community shop is run by volunteers and nobody is paid and nobody makes a profit from it, prices will reflect this. I also find that many of the shopkeepers respond to requests for organic, free-range or gluten-free products (a service I don't find in supermarkets). If you click on this link you'll find Jo's (Horsley Community Shop) price comparison - really useful.

    http://www.horsleyparish.co.uk/Village_Shop/Compare.asp

    For me, shopping locally is a no-brainer

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