Britain's Farm Shops

Do you read Country Living - the British edition? Yes, it's expensive if you are lucky enough to find it in the magazine rack at a chain book store, however you can save a little and receive it early if you subscribe. (I'll be happy to share info. on this if you're interested).

This publication is very different from the US Country Living, also a great shelter magazine. For one thing it's format is larger and printed on really good heavy stock, and the photography is fabulous. The UK Country Living is just that, real down to earth 'country living' in the old-fashioned sense. Of course I know I may be a little prejudiced here, being English, but even after 45+ years of living in the US I still find solace in this wonderful magazine each month, and no, I'm not a shareholder in the company.

If you love the countryside, no matter where, this is for you. Regular columns include Country Companion and My Country Memories (always a famous person sharing childhood memories of the countryside ~ such as Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones in the July 2007 issue, Michael Bond, creator of Paddington Bear in June 2008). Beautiful country homes are featured - not always posh, sometimes tiny cottages by the sea, or in a village where thatched roofs are the norm. Gardens are exquisite, and the recipes shared by the best cookery people in the UK are amazing.

But I digress. While planning to post on farm shops in the UK, these small businesses which are often showcased in print articles made Country Living come to mind. This magazine hunts for these often small, tucked out of the way shops, and shares the beautiful harvest of the surrounding fields, eggs, cheese and dairy products from local farms, and splendid baking from their ovens.

Powderham Castle, Devon, England

I visited a large farm shop last Autumn while in England. This was on the estate of the beautiful 600 year old Powderham Castle near Exeter.

The shelves were bulging with good things to use in baking..........
........................plenty of rice for puddings and risotto..........porridge oats, and some of my favorite staples (being vegetarian) lentils and cous cous.

Even the chips looked healthy.........some being made from parsnips, yum!

A Seedy Windmill homemade loaf

...............and delicious Cheese Bread
................and to wash it all down, how about some real West Country (Somerset is the county next to Devon) ale - love the Nature inspired labels.

If, like me, you'd prefer a glass of wine, these certainly look different and have to be healthy made from such wonderful plants and trees like gooseberry, elderflower and plum...and the stoneware jars are keepers.

Our last sip would have to be one of these liqueurs........whiskey and ginger may have a kick......and what a lovely gift package this would be to present to a special friend when you return to the thatched cottage.

Edited 6-27-08 4:00 PM

Several people have e-mailed me regarding how to subscribe to UK Country Living. I have used Express Mag in Quebec, Canada since 2003 and find them excellent to deal with. Their web site is www.expressmag.com and their toll free number is 1-877-323-1310. They have a subscription service offering over 2000 magazines. The current price per year (12 wonderful issues) of UK Country Living is $74.00 delivered by mail several weeks before appearing in book stores. This is a savings of around $30.00 compared to buying individual issues.