An independent report commissioned by the Regional Food Group for Yorkshire and Humber (RFG) has found that farm shops in Yorkshire are better value on average than the major supermarkets for staple items including vegetables.

The research was conducted by an independent auditor over the course of three months, comparing items from 20 Yorkshire farm shops and major supermarkets in the region, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and online supermarket Ocado.

The results found that farm shops were considerably cheaper on a number of staple items, including 18 per cent cheaper on leeks.

RFG chief executive Jonathan Knight said: “This is great news - if every family bought their meat, vegetables and eggs from their local farm shop, it would be a real boost to the regional economy and would help show support for our local, quality producers.

“As well as being comparable on price, farm shops and farmers' markets have the added benefit of offering food provenance and traceability, lower food miles, handmade and specialist products and enable small farms to bypass supermarkets and reap the rewards of their bumper harvest this year.

“Farm shops are now much more than roadside sellers. They should be seen as part of the community and have an important educational role to play. Children are able to link food back to how it’s grown on the farm and understand seasonality, which is fantastic.”

Victoria Robertshaw of Keelham Hall Farm Shop in Bradford said: “Through this new project, we have, in effect, taken price comparison schemes one step further. In addition, we regularly do our own random basket shop comparisons, where we are consistently more than 20 per cent cheaper than supermarkets and other Yorkshire Farm Shops. We also offer a unique customer experience through our in-store tastings, animal petting area and special events such as our unique ‘Santa in the Barn experience’ this Christmas.”

A recent report by FARMA, the National Farmers' Retail and Markets Association, also reported that farm shop sales have boomed, due to a growing appetite for local food.

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