Copplestone Farm Shop

Once a month I have to go to a farm between Crediton and Tiverton. On my way I pass two farm shops. One of these is Copplestone Farm Shop, located on a main road and with a large carpark, so no excuses really for not popping in............ I've only been in once before - last summer.

Well one month I fly past in the afternoon and am always running late so can't stop off. Sounds like an excuse? Yes, you're right, it is! I should leave earlier!

This month it was a morning trip So on my way back I paid it a visit.

As I was waiting to turn in I saw the sign advertising English yellow tomatoes and Jersey Royal potatoes ........... I'd made the right decision.

Before I'd even got in the door I was clutching yellow tomatoes, spring cabbage and cauliflower.
Inside I picked up a basket and soon filled it with purple sprouting broccoli, celariac, Jersey royal potatoes and lots more ....... see for yourself!

It was so good to be able to touch and feel everything to make sure it was fresh and ripe.


Also there are blackboards up inside the shop with everything priced and smaller tickets for the outside displays. Also all the English produce is flagged up.


And of course I had a lovely chat with Mrs. CFS.


Now for those of you taking note .............. I'm sure you'll point out that I've just bought a lot of fruit and veg for £17.21 on this months budget ...........................yes you're right...........


However it was  too good an opportunity to miss, as tomorrow Chris is at a market and I've got errands in Holsworthy. Also I want decent fruit and veg for a change!


Soooooooooooooooo I'm bending the rules and this is actually going to come out of next months budget. (its only a day after all!)


Incidentally this last month we have spent £234.88 out of our new £240 budget!

Melongate

So the last you heard we were going to give the new fruit and veg supplier at Ye Olde Village Shoppe another chance.


On Friday I went to collect my order from the shop and discovered that they had sold my melon. How this could happen I don't know as my order comes in a separate box with my name on it, but it did.


Anyway I'll give the shop assistant, who lives in the village her due as she popped home and came back with a melon! Of course it was a from a supermarket but I have to accept that it was a damage limitation exercise and I wanted a melon! (and I guess if I hadn't turned up when I had, I would be non the wiser).


How was this weeks produce then???


One very manky onion and six seriously bruised kiwi fruit with inedible cores. (that's a new one on me)


On Saturday we were at the fabulous Ruby Country Market www.rubycountrymarket.co.uk and bought  some lovely purple sprouting broccoli and a huge cauliflower from Hallwood Veg www.hallwoodfreshveg.co.uk  They have a shop in Okehampton but unfortunately we rarely have the need to go in that direction.


Yesterday I was in Holsworthy for a haircut so popped into Mr. Dynamic for gram flour and turmeric ...... oh yes, did I tell you that last week when I went in for yeast (the very yeast that he ordered in for me at the start ) had sold out and he hadn't noticed! aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
So back to yesterday, I then went to the fruit and veg shop ......... where there are no prices displayed and always strange people congregating in it, for a melon.


'Can I help you?'


'Yes have you any melons?'


'They're very expensive and not ripe'


'What is very expensive?'


He didn't reply but got a melon out from under a cloth and fondled it before declaring 'its not ripe' and covered it up again.


Now this isn't the first time he's told me something is expensive ........... a while back I picked up some leeks from his outdoor display, walked the gauntlet of strange men commenting on the size of the leeks, to the till for him to tell me that they were very expensive.
Well £2.55 was a bargain as far as I was concerned.


Back to yesterday ....... I then homed in on the kiwi fruit .......


'you need to pick the ones on the left, the others aren't very good'


Now I know why we gave up using this shop 17 years ago when we moved here...................


How can you run a business like that?


.....................and please let me decide what is expensive!


So I now need to work on where to get our fruit and veg this week ..............


Where's Baldrick when you need a cunning plan???

Seriously not impressed .....

What's the latest in parish news I hear you ask?


Well, the village shop have changed fruit and veg suppliers.


Their reason? (not necessarily in this order)  daily delivery, fresher, cheaper and some items pre packed compared to their previous supplier. Can't argue with that.


We've been very happy with our fruit and veg order via the village shop since we started this challenge and apart from a couple of things being left off the order and a very manky garlic during the three months we've been doing it we haven't any complaints and as I've mentioned before we've liked the freshness and variety of it.




Fan fare new supplier ....................


So far we've had three orders and to be honest I'm not impressed......


On the first one the beansprouts were missing and the first red onion I picked up to cook with was completely rotten and mouldy .......  you didn't need to peel it to find out.


.................... and the white onions ........


Well, I'll ask you. If you ordered a kilo of white onions, what would you expect?


Yes, like me small to medium.


Nope ........ four huge buggers at 250g each. That's all well and good if you're a catering establishment but not for two of us despite our love of cooking. Yes we cut them in half and wrapped in cling film but...............


My kiwi fruit felt soft in places but not overall and when peeled were actually bruised not ripe.


The pears which I ordered as NOT conference pears were delivered as conference pears ...... ok it may have been lost in translation. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.


The clementines were fabulous though, the best we've had all season.


Next order ...........


Another manky red onion......


Four large white onions = 1kg


Pak choi ... two of which had bolted and I'm surprised hadn't been composted and two of a different variety which were very fresh.


1 kg tomatoes ....... they were soft, sqidgy and battered. Trying to find good ones to serve for lunch on a cheese making course two days later was seriously difficult as although I didn't count them ... (there must have been about sixteen) nine were bad. (Chris and I ate the bad ones after I cut the mouldy tops off )


Fabulous grapes and clementines though.


So to todays delivery ......


This evenings meal was vegetable stir fry ....... well it was until .....no pak choi or beansprouts in the box.


One of the clementines was completely rotten and the NOT conference pears were conference pears.


We did get 1 kg of replacement tomatoes.


Now, Keith is very happy with his deliveries from Edds and looking at the fruit and veg he has on display I have to agree it looks lovely and fresh, however comparing what we've been sent by Edds it looks like we're getting completely different stock....... the second rate stuff.


Against our better judgement we are giving them one more chance ........ if Edds leave stuff off or send us rubbish next week we're out.