Launeden
Food Ashford

Where we do our grocery shopping – buying local

Most food retailers are struggling to keep their shelves stocked and have had to put a few restrictions in place in order to prevent hoarding. If, like me, you have been struggling to shop for essential groceries – like eggs or milk, I hope this article comes to your rescue.

The current uncertainty and fear of the unknown are truly scary. Coronavirus will have a catastrophic impact on independently-run businesses, even with the government’s support. It’s at this point we need to help each other more than ever, so consider buying more local produce (if you can) during the lockdown.

Firstly, give your local shop a call and ask if they deliver or run a pick-up service. A lot of food and drink companies are setting up e-commerce channels specifically to tackle the current challenges.

If you are not familiar with your local farm shops, you can find a large variety of food shops near you on farminguk.com.

We have been stocking up on essential groceries with a little (read big) help from Kent Food Hubs (they deliver in Ashford and Folkestone) – we got the most delicious fresh pasta from Il Pakkero, filled our pantry with beans, rice, spices, and cereals from Bare Bazaar and finally got some milk for our morning granola from Plurenden Manor Farm.

Macknade is also delivering twice per week to Ashford and they have also set up a call and collect service every Saturday from Elwick Place. For more information, give them a buzz or visit their website.

We also have a weekly food subscription with HelloFresh – so far they haven’t had any delays in delivering our food boxes to us, but I have noticed an increase in price on my latest invoice.

For those of you unfamiliar with HelloFresh, they deliver food boxes to your door with all the ingredients and recipes to prepare delicious meals at home. The only downside is that you can’t pick your preferred recipes (I think it varies depending on what plan you decide to buy), meaning that sometimes I have to cook something else for our little one, Noah (although he loves to try various foods, I try to stick to classic recipes for now).

If you live in London, you can also try…

Borough Market – they are currently only delivering to postcodes within a 3.5-mile radius of Borough Market, but they are working to release more collection and delivery slots.

New Covent Garden Market – are offering home delivery to households with a London postcode, most with delivery costs included.

Daylesford Farm – if you live in London and would like groceries delivered to your house, or packed ready for you to collect, call your local farm shop to make all the necessary arrangements. They also have an online shop and a retail range available on Deliveroo.

Magnificent Marrow – they are a family-run business delivery service bringing you the freshest food and flowers to your doorstep. Due to popular demand, they have expanded their delivery area, they currently deliver to various boroughs in London including Southwark, Croydon, Camden, Islington or Hackney. Check their website for more details.

I hope this helps – stay safe, #stayhome!
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