The WFJ's Directory of Local Provisions: Part I [WFJ #63]

What food and drink products are 'good', and where you can find them in Frome

My first thought when putting together a Frome food directory was to list (at least what I consider) the best primary producers in the immediate area, and where you can buy their goods. 

It turns out that even if a product is local and made to a high standard, that doesn’t necessarily mean you can, such as with Ivy House’s butter, conveniently find it in town.

My second thought was to broaden the scope a bit, but still stick to food produced within 20 miles of Frome. Trouble was, this left out some exceptional foods one can easily get their hands on by pottering to the shops, even if said produce comes from as far away as South Wales.

In a sense, I’ve gone for something in between – a list that largely includes local producers but, for the sake of seeking the best available, isn’t exclusive to them. 

In any case, this is in no way the perfect solution. Who, for example, decides what’s ‘good’? And what relevance does it have to locality? Usually quality, though of course subjective, boils down to how something’s produced – not where.

And, speaking of ‘where’, there’s often no simple answer. Where and when, say, Westcombe cheddar can be found in town is a bit messy – on some days, it’s in three different locations. On others, it’s none. 

For that reason, this list isn’t intended to be static, and will be updated when appropriate with additional categories or producers. Paid subs can have their own say by using the comment function at the foot of this post, and where reasonable I will update accordingly.

On reflection, this little exercise has reminded me of a few things. Like the apparent lack of locally-procured fruit, even in a county like Somerset. Or that, oh yes, from one corner of its largest fridge, Palmer Street Bottle randomly sells Bath Soft Cheese.

Starting with a focus on primary (raw) producers, plus a couple other categories for the hell of it, I give you part one of what will eventually become a comprehensive catalogue of what’s loosely produced in the area and, without leaving town, where it can be found.

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By the way, as well as write about food, I mentor people on how to write about food. Or more specifically, how to Get Paid and Published as a Food Writer.

A course of mine on exactly that went live recently, with a £100 discount for new enrollees in May. If that should interest you, follow this link.

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Fruit & veg

Veg

42 Acres (SFM at The Frome Independent), Cam Valley Growers (Frome Wholefoods), Radford Mill (SFM at Boyle Cross), Root Connections (delivery & SFM at The Frome Independent), Vallis Veg (delivery), Vallis Farm (delivery), Wild Garden (The Shop Next Door)

Photo by Holly Wulff Petersen

Mushrooms

Bristol Fungarium (SFM at The Frome Independent, Mendip’s Frome Weekly Market)

Apple juice

Dowdings (SFM at Boyle Cross, The Shop Next Door)

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Meat, fish, & eggs

Beef

Meadowsweet (SFM at Boyle Cross, pick-up at Holt Farm BA11 5HL, direct delivery), Parson’s Nose (Mendip’s Frome Weekly Market), Redwoods Farm (SFM at The Frome Independent)

Lamb / Hogget / Mutton

Black Sheep Meat Co (delivery), Fernhill Farm (delivery), Redwoods Farm (SFM at The Frome Independent)

Pork

Gothelney Farm (SFM at Boyle Cross), Parson’s Nose (Mendip’s Frome Weekly Market), Penleigh (delivery), Redwoods Farm (SFM at The Frome Independent), Sosij (SFM at The Frome Independent)

Poultry

Beech Ridge (SFM at Boyle Cross), Castlemead (H.E. Williams butcher), Creedy Carver (H.E. Williams butcher), Redwoods Farm (SFM at The Frome Independent)

Castlemead’s chickens

Venison

Robert Hawker (SFM at The Frome Independent), Sharpham Park (delivery via Coombe Farm Organics)

Fish

Mere Fish Farm (SFM at Boyle Cross)

Goat meat

Lallybroch Boer Goats (SFM at Boyle Cross, seasonally)

Cured meat

Somerset Charcuterie (The Frome Independent), Somer Valley (SFM at Boyle Cross)

Eggs

Castlemead (H.E. Williams butcher), Haresfield Farm (The Shop Next Door, Wholefoods), Redwoods Farm (SFM at The Frome Independent)

Bread

Benoit Clavet (from his home at no.16 Catherine St, ‘most Saturdays’), Hobbs House (The Shop Next Door, Frome Wholefoods), Rye Bakery (bakery at the Station Approach, cafe on Whittox Lane, The Frome Independent, SFM at Boyle Cross), The Old Bakehouse (no.15 Cheap Street)

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Dairy

Butter

Yeo Valley (The Shop Next Door, Frome Wholefoods)

Cow’s Milk

Bruton Organic Dairy (Frome Wholefoods, Portway Post Office), Ivy House (The Shop Next Door, Frome Wholefoods)

Cream

Hurdlebrook (delivery)

Cheese

Bath Soft Cheese (Palmer Street Bottle, SFM at Boyle Cross, The Frome Independent), Godminster (The Somerset Deli), Homewood Cheeses (The Frome Independent, The Shop Next Door), Westcombe (Palmer Street Bottle, The Frome Independent), White Lake (SFM at The Frome Independent, SFM at Boyle Cross)

Yoghurt

Yeo Valley (The Shop Next Door, Frome Wholefoods)

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Honey

Black Bee (Denude), Louise Bees (The Frome Independent, Portway Post Office), Wainwrights (SFM at The Frome Independent, SFM at Boyle Cross)

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Alcohol

Beer

Electric Bear (delivery, Palmer Street Bottle), Frome Brewing Company (delivery, SFM at The Frome Independent), Left Handed Giant (delivery, Palmer Street Bottle), Lost and Grounded (delivery, Palmer Street Bottle), Wiper & True (delivery, Palmer Street Bottle), Yonder (delivery, Palmer Street Bottle)

Cider

Dowdings (SFM at Boyle Cross, Lo Rapitenc, The Shop Next Door), Honey’s Cider (SFM at The Frome Independent), Pilton (Eight Stony Street), Rich’s (The Lamb & Fountain), Wilkins (Just Ales), Worleys (The Frome Independent)

Wine

Wraxall Vineyard (delivery)

Note: a lot of this is subject to abrupt change (e.g. farmer’s 4x4s break down on their way to the market, and shops run out of stock), but will stay updated periodically.

Last updated: July 2023

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Suggestions about who to add to this list are open to paid subscribers

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Market and shop guide:

Denude

Refill shop at 4 Bath Street, BA11 1DH

H.E. Williams

Butcher’s shop at 8 Baker St, BA11 3BL

Lo Rapitenc

Spanish tapas restaurant and deli, 21 Cheap Street, BA11 1BN

Mendip’s Frome Weekly Market

Every Wednesday and Saturday, Cheese & Grain car park

Palmer Street Bottle

Bottle shop at 11 Palmer Street, BA11 1DS

SFM at Boyle Cross

Somerset Farmers Markets appears at Boyle Cross in the town centre every second Saturday of the month

The Frome Independent

Frome’s largest market taking place every first Sunday of the month

SFM at The Frome Independent

Somerset Farmers Market section of TFI at Boyle Cross

The Somerset Deli

Large cheese stall that sets up at Mendip’s Weekly Market, and in Westway during The Frome Independent R.I.P

The Shop Next Door

Organic grocers and deli-cafe at 17 Stony Street, BA11 1BU

Frome Wholefoods

Organic grocers at 8 Cheap Street, BA11 1BN

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Further reading