Producer story · 15 Apr 2026
Three generations in the Cotswold cheese cellar
A morning with Margot Whitfield, who has run the Cotswold Creamery cellar for 31 years and shows no sign of slowing down.
Guide
Supporting local producers
Behind every stall on Parish Larder is a person: a third-generation cheesemaker, a baker who mills their own flour, a smokehouse working through a Devon morning. Buying from them directly isn’t charity — it’s simply the better deal, for fresher food and a fairer price on both sides.
These reads introduce some of the makers, show the real numbers behind running a stall, and explain why direct so often costs less than people expect. If it leaves you wanting to find the producers near you, that’s the idea.
Producer story · 28 Feb 2026
A morning at Tamar Charcuterie
Free-range pigs, salt cellars and hams hanging from the rafters. Notes from a long afternoon in west Devon.
Producer story · 22 Mar 2026
The Dales bakery that mills its own flour
Most bakeries buy their flour. Dales Bakery, on the edge of Hawes, buys its wheat — and grinds it the night before each bake.
More producer stories and the economics of direct
Food prices · 27 Jul 2026
Why buying direct from local producers often costs less than you think
The idea that farm-gate food is a luxury doesn’t survive contact with a calculator. Where direct really is dearer, where it’s cheaper, and how to make the comparison fairly.
Food prices · 6 May 2026
The real cost of supermarket bread
A £1.50 supermarket sliced loaf is 18% cheaper than two years ago. A £4 artisan sourdough is 12% more expensive. The headline is wrong — and the per-meal maths is closer than you’d think.
Merchant experience · 2 May 2026
Year one running a stall: the real numbers
Will Pritchard at Dales Bakery shares the actual P&L from his first twelve months on Parish Larder. The lessons aren’t what you’d expect.
Put it to use
Meet the makers near you.
The directory lists local producers by what they make and where they are. Start with whatever you eat most of — there’s probably someone nearby who makes it well.