Buying from farm shops

A farm shop sells produce straight from a farm. Some also sell groceries, drinks and deli food made by other local producers. Farm shops have an association of their own, the Farm Retail Association.

This site is not a directory of farm shops. It has no connection with any farm shop, or with the Your Farm Shop directory that used to be at this address.

Fruit through the seasons

The British apple season begins in August. Pears start in August too, with Williams from the middle of the month, Conference from September and Comice and Concorde from October. British Apples & Pears, the growers' association, says many British apples, and some pears, stay on sale all year thanks to modern storage.

What a label has to show

All packed food has to carry a label with certain information. It usually has to show a best before or use by date. Food gets a use by date when eating it later would be a safety risk, and selling food after that date is a criminal offence.

A label has to say where the food comes from if the words or pictures could mislead. Food in a tartan wrapper that was not made in Scotland is one example. Fresh, chilled and frozen meat, including beef, pork, lamb and poultry, has to show its country of origin, or where it was reared and slaughtered.

Food sold loose still has to come with its name and information on whether it contains any of the 14 allergens the law names. The shop can give this in writing, or it can point customers to where they can ask, such as a member of staff.

Claims such as local

In a check reported in December 2025, Heart of the South West Trading Standards found that only two of 15 butchers and farm shops in Devon, Somerset and Torbay met the rules.

Some imported meat was on sale as local or free range, which is illegal. Trading Standards warns that misleading or unclear labelling is a criminal offence.

If a seller uses a vague phrase such as locally sourced, ask what it means. The meat may have come from a local wholesaler but been imported from abroad. In England and Wales, anyone who thinks a label is misleading can tell Trading Standards. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, people contact their local food safety team.

Hygiene ratings

A council food safety officer inspects places that sell food, and in England, Wales and Northern Ireland each one gets a hygiene rating from 5 down to 0. The rating appears on a sticker at the premises and online. It shows what the officer found on the day of the inspection.

Raw milk

Most milk drunk in the UK is heat treated to kill harmful bacteria, the Food Standards Agency says. Raw milk goes from the animal to the bottle with no treatment.

Its advice is that raw milk and cream may contain harmful bacteria that cause food poisoning. People aged 65 or over, pregnant women, infants and small children, and anyone whose immune system is weakened should not drink it.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, raw cow's milk can only be sold directly to the customer. The seller has to be a registered farm, at the farm gate or online, or a milk round. Sales of raw milk and raw cream are banned in Scotland.

Visiting a working farm

Animals naturally carry germs. The Health and Safety Executive warns that some of those germs can pass to people. Two examples are E. coli O157 and Cryptosporidium, and young children and older people are most at risk.

Farms that invite visitors should provide running water, soap and paper towels. Gels and wipes are no substitute for washing hands on a farm, and visitors shouldn't be allowed to eat where animals can be touched.

Under the Countryside Code in England and Wales, visitors leave gates as they find them and park without blocking gateways. They follow the farmer's directions when animals are being moved, and keep dogs under control and in sight.

Useful links