Whether you are on holiday abroad, or just having a short staycation, there is nothing more exciting than trying some of the local specialities and buying a souvenir or two to bring back home!
North Cotswold’s market towns like Stow-in-the-Wold and popular tourist villages like Bourton-on-the-Water host an array of independent grocery shops, boutique-style homeware and clothing shops, selling local produce as well as goods manufactured by local artisans.
If you are happy to spend most of your day leisurely browsing shop windows, strolling from one to another, soaking up the atmosphere, nipping into a café or a tea room en-route, then you should go to Stow-on-the-Wold, or Moreton-in-Marsh, or Bourton-on-the-Water, or indeed Broadway!
However, if this is not the case and all you need is a quick stock-up and – maybe! – a pit stop for lunch or just a cuppa, then we have another suggestion for you.
Try one of the many local farm shops. We have quite a few within a short drive from Graziers you will not be disappointed with.
"The Cotswolds Guy" in Guiting Power, just 10 min drive from Graziers, is a small but very popular farm shop selling carefully selected fresh produce which comes predominately from local Cotswolds farms (eggs, dairy, meat, poultry, vegetables). Bread and pastries are freshly baked by artisan bakers on a daily basis and normally fly off the shelves by lunchtime. Fresh trout is delivered from Bibury Trout Farm and cooked on-site.
The star of the show are the prepared meals ready to be cooked in the oven or on a barbecue. Meals are made from the best quality products and meet the highest standards.
All stock can be ordered online and delivered or collected in-store.
At the moment, the shop has no café as such, but they sell barista-style coffee to take away.
More info and order online at: https://www.thecotswoldguy.co.uk/
If you are heading towards Mickleton to visit Hidcote Manor of Kiftsgate Court Gardens, Pages Farm Shop is just outside Mickleton, where you can buy logs and kindling, local milk, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and dairy products, artisan baked bread, condiments, cakes and sweets. They also sell a small range of gifts. There’s no café by the shop but you can purchase hot coffee from the coffee machine inside.
More info on: https://www.pagesfarmshop.com/
Just a couple of miles from Chipping Campden, there’s another farm shop called “Vegetable Matters”. This shop sells vegetables grown on the farm next door, owned by the same family. Fruit, eggs, dairy products, jams and condiments are sourced from various Cotswold artisan producers. This means that you are buying the freshest possible food which travelled zero miles or within a very short distance. You can also purchase logs and kindling here for our fireplace (in stock all year round).
Next door to “Vegetable Matters” is located “Fresh Meat Matters”, a traditional butchery selling local meat, pies and cheese.
When shopping is done, visitors can enjoy hot drinks, home-made cakes or freshly prepared sandwiches from the shop’s terrace café with wonderful views over the Cotswold countryside.
Opening times and shop news on: https://www.facebook.com/VegMatters1/
If you are on the lookout for souvenirs, "Cotswold Barn" is definitely worth a visit. Located on A424 near Longborough, it is easily accessible, surrounded by beautiful countryside and has a large car park.
The shop stocks Cotswold-themed tea towels, aprons, oven gloves, tea cosies, tea cups and mugs, cuddly toys, skincare products and more. Here you can also buy some fresh local produce: milk, butter, eggs, cheeses, sausages, ales, cakes and biscuits etc. Logs and kindling are for sale all year around.
Fancy a cuppa or lunch? The café serves homemade sandwiches, soups, quiches and pies, salads and a nice selection of cakes. The open terrace has plenty of seating and overlooks rolling Cotswold hills.
Opening times and menu on: https://www.cotswoldbarn.com/
Please consider shopping for your groceries in our local farm shops whilst visiting the Cotswolds. You will certainly have much better quality food and an overall shopping experience than at chain supermarkets. But it is not just about that. You will also help a lot of local small businesses stay afloat. At the end of the day, they make our economy so rich and diverse and our shopping so interesting.
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