If there's one area where our modest size really works to everyone's advantage, it's with our selection of fruit and vegetables.
Because we don't buy in huge volumes, we're ideal for small-scale growers. That's why you'll find the likes of Cheshire apples from the Winsor's farm at Willington, Lancashire strawberries from the Gore-Phillips' farm at Hesketh Bank or Yorkshire rhubarb from the Westwood's farm near Lofthouse in our stores.
Freshness, for fruit and vegetables, is crucial for taste. Take our 'dug today' new potatoes. Our buyer first suggested it to Graham, our distributor, and Sean, our grower, over a quiet pint in Tarleton. Happy to give it a go, Sean harvested them at 1am and Graham collected them at 3am. The potatoes were in all our stores when their doors opened at 8.30 am and were a winner with all our customers.
We also present our fresh produce from our customers' point of view. Many told us they prefer buying loose so they can pick the exact amounts they like while avoiding excess packaging.