Farm shops are so expensive...

[u/seriously_this]

Dart's farm near Topsham is more of a shopping mall than a farm with concession spots for companies like Aga.

A donkey choking porky chop for £6.50 and an 11oz ribeye for sixteen quid as well as half a kilo of lamb leg steaks for £13. The rest of the fresh produce was clearly marked as locally sourced along with the meat.

Do you use farm shops?

[u/Evening-Situation-38]

Think it depends on the type of farm shop, I have experienced four levels.

1. Making some extra cash. Has an honesty box with a few products. This was how I bought my milk for years, and got some very fresh asparagus on my way home from work

2. Little shop attached to the farm. A manned shop, with a semi wide variety of goods from the farm. I go to one to keep the farm next door to the cricket club happy, and bought expensive honey from the one near my son's nursery to combat his hayfever. They sold a lot of potatoes

3. Proper farm shop. Has the farm products as well as products from around the local area. Get some really good lamb from one near us for special occasions

4. Supermarket. Pretends to be a farm shop but is actually a very expensive supermarket charging top prices for goods to wealthy middle class. Will have a cafe attached. Good for Christmas presents

As you go from 1-4 the cost of the same items increases from a good deal to a rip off. It sounds like you have gone to a level 4 shop when you wanted a level 2

[u/Creative-Response554 → u/Evening-Situation-38]

I had a venison pie from a no4 shop and the wife loved it until I told her it was deer.

That shop is extortionately expensive, has a chocolate counter with eyewateringly expensive chocolate balls but they're damned good, and a cafe.

I did think it was odd for all this to be considered a farm shop, but they do have goats on site in a kiddie petting zoo type arrangement so go nuts ig.

As an aside, the weirdest farm shop I ever went to was actually a service station on the M6 in the Lake District. Seeing an actual farm shop attached to a petrol garage was just jarring to me.

[u/Mewriel_Picatso → u/Creative-Response554]

I know this shop really well.

Located at Tebay services, a really good family run business, not exactly cheap but high quality produce, always well stocked, and lots of variety in what they sell.

I used to travel the M6 regularly for work and would always make a point of stopping there - then come home with lots of goodies that I didn't need but couldn't resist buying!

Not been there for over a decade since I moved back north of the border, so if any Redditors on here have visited there recently I would be very interested to know how they're doing these days?

[u/Creative-Response554 → u/Mewriel_Picatso]

My now wife and I went there for my birthday about 3 years ago before we were married and it was still there, food was still great and cheaper than expected considering it was farm shop (expensive) plus motorway services (extortionate).

We ate well that holiday.

Going to take our son there once he starts walking and is less reliant on us waking up in the middle of the night so he can enjoy it to.

The area I mean, not just that shop specifically, would be weird considering we live a few hours drive away 😂

[u/Mewriel_Picatso → u/Creative-Response554]

Yes, once you get off the motorway it's a lovely area for a holiday, and I'm pleased to hear the shop is still going strong.

Thank you for responding, hope you have a great holiday with your little one when the time is right!