The Real Food Store

50% off all bulk and shelved goods for the rest of today and tomorrow!

As we have three days left of trading, it’s time to look back on our time at Queen Street. We moved to Queen Street in 2017, you can see below what the space looked like before, and what we turned it into! In this shop we experienced wonderful things and also faced the hardest most unpredictable challenges. We wanted to thank all our colleagues, volunteers, members, suppliers and board team who have all worked so hard through this. Generating new ideas, new ways of working, and putting our heads together (at a distance) to figure out how we could continue to best serve our community. A big thank you to our customers who continued to shop with us during 2020/21, weather that was in store, click and collect, or local delivery by bike!
The staff team are very sad to not be able to see our customers, regulars and friends every day, please stop by in the last few days so we can see you one last time!
If you wish to be kept up to date with anything that Exeter Local Food (The Real Food Store) may do in the future, then sign up to our mailing list here http://eepurl.com/hF7L2X

So here we go.. our last week trading. And what better way to start it off than a crisp morning delivery of Emma's Bread from the Boatyard Cafe & Bakery
Emma and her team have always been a big part of the Real Food Store, providing fresh local bread to brilliantly complement our offer of fresh local produce! Thank you for working so closely with us over the past ten years!
We will have our usual bread delivery Monday -Thursday this week so do pop by and get some! And after we close you can still get Emma's Bread at the following places to continue to support our local producers:
Seasons- Well Street, Exeter
St Leonard's Bakery- Magdalen Road
Ari's Healthy Life-Sidwell Street (Monday - Wednesday)
Boatyard Bakery & Café- Haven Road (the home of Emma's Bread)
Shillingford Organics vegetable box scheme: www.ooooby.org/shillingfordorganics
Good Sixty Exeter: www.goodsixty.co.uk/search/in-exeter
Sandford Community Stores, Sandford near Crediton (Thursday only by order)

The Boatyard Bakery offers a home delivery service on Tuesdays and Fridays or 'Click & Collect' Monday to Saturday. Orders can be placed and paid for via our website: www.boatyardbakery.co.uk

We have a great range of seeds from Vital Seeds including rhubarb chard, cherry belle radish and perfektion fennel

As well as sweet banana and hot bhut jolokia pepper seeds from South Devon Chilli Farm

They come with very helpful information on when and how to grow so no previous experience is required

Become a little more self-sufficient and share with your friends 🌻

They are included in the 25% off closing down sale so pick some up whilst stocks last!

With one week left of trading, we are looking back at the original home of The Real Food Store. From March 2011- June 2017 our first shop was located in Paris Street, along with Boatyard Cafe & Bakery and our café. This space was a hub of local activity, idea sharing, and community connection. We hosted events in the space too, such as a performance from local band, Wildwood Kin. We have dipped into our archives and found these phots.
Do you have fond memories of our first space? Were you here from the start? Perhaps you shared an important conversation over a coffee in our café? Or met someone in the que for the till? Were you on the mini bus that Les drove to the National Exhibition centre, when we were shortlisted for Best Local shop in the BBC food and Farming awards? Please share this with us below.
Thank you to everyone who shared ideas, put in energy, made things happen, and have been a part of The Real Food Store journey in any way.

Lovely local project that's worth supporting!
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/lovefoodcic

Bringing communities together through food Our project aims to bring local people together through food, reduce food waste, increase access to healthy food and promote vegan cooking.

One of our previous colleagues, Veronica, had the wonderful idea to create a display that proudly shows where our products come from. She hand painted this sign that we had planned to put up on the wall in the shop.
As other things took priority, it lived in the back of the shop for a while. Now we have empty shelf space the wonderful artwork has made its debut, three weeks before we close! Along with photos of our suppliers and some awards we have collected over the past ten years.
Thank you Veronica for painting the lovely artwork! And thank you to the customers who continue to come in over these last few weeks to get their fresh local fruit veg and dairy.
What would you like to see us do on our last week of trading?

Our 25% off sale on shelved goods continues in store! We will continue to have fresh local bread, fruit and veg up until we close on the 30th of september. Come and stock up on your favorites while you can

UK apples!!! We were so excited to see the delivery waiting for us this morning, the first crop of UK grown apples from Riverford 😍
Real Food has always encouraged seasonal eating where possible. As the UK sees a wonderful local apple crop this time of year, we choose not to buy apples from Europe during the spring and early summer. It makes it all the more special when we see the first crop come in, eating with the seasons can be so rewarding in this way 🍎🍏
Come and try some for yourself, open 9-5

Here is a list of where alternative stockists for our suppliers. Please continue to support them once we are gone!
If you have any questions about any of the suppliers or products then send us an email at [email protected] or ask us in the shop, we will try our best to find out for you.
Thank you to everyone who has been into the shop over the past few days and purchased something from our 25% off sale, still on!

25% off all dry and shelved goods. All items on the grey shelves in our store are 25%. Come and stock up on your favourite things before we close on the 30th of September.
All fresh goods at the front of the store and in the white fridges will continue to be the same price.

You may be wondering 'where will I be able to find my favourite products from local producers once the Real Food Store closes?'

We are making sure we can help our suppliers and customers as much as possible in our last month of trading. Around the shop you will find brown cards detailing information about our suppliers. Including the closest location to the shop you will be able to find their products.

If you have any questions about any of the suppliers or products then send us an email at [email protected] or ask us in the shop, we will try our best to find out for you.

Thank you to our wonderful customers and community for continuing to support us!

Sweetcorn is lovely for the barbeque on days like today

They can be grilled naked to give a smoky flavour or, for more juiciness, keep them in their husk (provided they're soaked for 20 minutes first) or wrapped in foil

Alternatively you can boil or steam them for 4-10 minutes

They also work well in fresh salads, fritters, and quesadillas

You can maximise their use as the cobs can be used as stock for sweetcorn soup (2 cobs per litre)

In season July to October and best eaten fresh so pick some up while you can in their natural packaging!

Shillingford Organics

Thank you so much to all of our customers who have spoken to us in store, or left lovely messages on our recent post about the closure of the shop. Its hearwarming to know how much our shop meant to the community of Exeter.

If you wish to receive an email copy of where you can find products we stock once we close, then please sign up to our mailing list via the link below. This will also be the best way to find out about anything that Exeter Local Food may do in the future.
http://eepurl.com/hF7L2X

The Real Food Store The Real Food Store Email Forms

Dear Real Food Customers

We sadly announced last week that the store will be closing at the end of September. We want to wholeheartedly thank our members, customers, volunteers, suppliers, board, staff and friends for the support you have given this community owned business over the past ten years. We hope that our ethos and vision of easily accessible and affordable local food will have a lasting impact on the community. We also hope that something will continue to grow from what we have achieved and set out to do.

We are planning to close our doors at the end of September. We could do with all your support up until that date, so please continue to shop with us in the coming weeks.

Please continue to support the local suppliers we stock in any way that you can. We will be sharing a list of alternative places you can find much loved products over the next few weeks.

We are finding ways to celebrate our successes over the past ten years of trading, so please keep an eye out for this.

With thanks, The Real Food Store Team
Rob, Summer, Laura, Will, Aslihan, Abbi and Izzy
And the ELF Board, David, Les, Emma, Jeremy and Laura

Cucumbers are in season June-October in the UK and we have some fresh from right here in Exeter - talking food metres instead of miles!

They are most commonly eaten raw but are also pretty versatile and can be braised, fried, steamed, grilled or baked

Cucumbers work well with herbs like basil, chives, dill, or mint as well as feta cheese, watermelon, oily fish, tomatoes, yoghurt and cream

For more recipes and tips check out Riverford's recipe page: https://www.riverford.co.uk/recipes

Riverford]

Thrilled to be offering these delicious cardamom-cinnamon buns lovingly baked fresh by the St Sidwell's Community Bakery

You can pick them up vegan on Wednesdays and Thursdays and containing dairy on Fridays and Saturdays

Delighted to announce I am now a co-manager of The Real Food Store!

Owned by the community and with ethicality at its heart, the store supports local & organic produce and minimises waste & environmental impact

Please give us a visit and support your local, ethical independents 🥕

Your chance to join our team! You have until the 3rd of June to get your applications in. Want to know more? Head to https://buff.ly/2NHHvU3

Join the Real Food Store team and enjoy:
- a real living wage
- being part of a flat-structure and becoming a key member of the team from day 1
- liaising with and supporting suppliers
- getting to know our lovely community of customers

Have you ever tried sprouting seeds at home?

It's super fun, super nutritious, and with one of these beauties in your kitchen it's SUPER easy!

If you've never tried it pop in-store and ask us how to get started 😊

Today is , a time to reflect on our relationship with the planet and promote more sustainable ways of living.

Whether buying organic, cutting waste or supporting local supply chains, there are many small things we can do to make a difference 💪💚🌎

Did someone say vegan chease? 😍

Love the planet? Love tea??

Buy two boxes of Yogi Tea and get a free beeswax food wrap!

🐝

Have you tried these delicious salad bags from Shillingford Organics
yet?

Organic and locally-sourced 💚

Walking Around Exeter is a new book revealing the hidden walking routes around Exeter. 🚶🌳

Get your copy for £5 from the Real Food Store 😊

Where are the best places to see near ?

In this blog we list our team's top 5: https://buff.ly/3mSUyin

Where are your favourite spots to visit?

We are hiring!

We're looking for passionate individuals who care about the planet, supporting local suppliers and being part of the Exeter community.

No experience required - just be caring and willing to learn 😊

Find out more: https://buff.ly/2NHHvU3

Looking for a role that makes a difference?

Join the Real Food Store team and enjoy:
- a real living wage
- being part of a flat-structure and becoming a key member of the team from day 1
- liaising with and supporting suppliers
- getting to know our lovely community of customers

Want to know more? Head to https://buff.ly/2NHHvU3

It's easy to overlook great products like this: frozen peas which are organic and plastic-free.

Frozen peas are a great source of vitamin C and are super easy to cook with, but often come wrapped in so much plastic.

Here's a way to enjoy their benefits without costing the earth. 🌍

There's loads of other groovy planet-friendly products in-store. Pop in and have a look for yourself 😊

We're open Mon-Sat 9 -5

Asapragus, broad beans, spring onions - on a barbecue? 😎

As the weather warms up, check out this article by on How to BBQ spring veg:

How to BBQ spring veg Spring is the time of year when the first new-season crops are ready to harvest, while the first warm sunshine days are just around the corner. Combine the two with these top tips for barbecuing all your favourite Spring vegetables: