This weekend my fiance, housemate and I took a trip to the Allington Farm Shop (https://www.allingtonfarmshop.co.uk/) to take a look at some other food options and things to try. This is probably my favourite farm shop in north wiltshire. They have a huge selection of products, including a butchers and fresh produce, definitely on the pricey side but it’s usually worth the cost. The have a cafe too however I’m yet to try it, but their menu looks nice and it’s always busy which is probably a good sign (I’m sure I’ll try it one of these days!).
The very first thing I did had absolutely nothing to do with healthy eating and trying new foods… I picked up a donut! If this was a place I could afford to shop at on a regular basis I’d probably have been a bit more sensible, but these particular donuts I had been looking at for about a year so I decided it was finally time to give one a go. I had no regrets with this one when I got home. It was a fairly plain looking filled donut, but filled with chocolate mousse instead of jam, with a light dusting of cocoa powder over the traditional sugared outside. It was the best donut I’ve had in a long time, and I’m quite glad I don’t go there too often as I’d probably derail myself from trying to be healthy! 10/10 for taste, 0/10 for my healthy eating!
Next I moved onto the fruit and veg section to actually do what I went there for in the first place. Unfortunately I think I picked the wrong day for this; I was there on a sunday morning and I suspect they had sold a lot the day before as the choice was a bit limited. From the veg section I picked out a yellow courgette, in the past this is a vegetable that I’ve hated but my fiance assured me he has a nice way to cook it (I picked a yellow one instead of the normal green ones as it looked a little bit less intimidating). I was hoping to get some leafy veg too, but it looked a bit wilted and I suspect the good stuff had been bought on saturday. I was also hoping to get a nice looking apple from the fruit section but the variety I wanted only had a handful of bruised ones left, they did have other varieties but I realised they were the same ones the supermarket sell so I decided to save that for another day. I did however pick up a nice looking grapefruit! I don’t recall every trying fresh grapefruit before so this was probably a better choice anyway. I also picked up a very small portion of frozen cherries from this section. I wouldn’t usually buy the frozen items here, but they’re sold loose so I was able to get a tasting portion rather than committing to buying a whole bag at our normal shop.
I tried the grapefruit pretty much as soon as I got home. I did what my housemate suggested and cut it in half and sprinkled a little bit of sugar on it. I have to say I don’t think I was a fan. I think this is one of the foods I would be happy enough eating if it was part of a dish, but I’m unlikely to eat on its own again. I also found it incredibly difficult to eat! it was so juicy I found myself accidentally spraying bits all over the table. I had to laugh at myself as in that moment I definitely felt like a child trying food for the first time, making a proper mess of it! I persevered and finished half of it, but the second half I let my housemate finish.
Next we went into the butchers. They have so many delicious looking meats and fresh pies, quiches, scotch eggs and more, but I had to remember why I was there. I looked at some of their lamb items, but I felt like that was a step too far at the moment. Lamb is one of those meats that I haven’t touched since I was 18 (and the day I did that, I almost threw it up again). I’m known for absolutely hating it so I’ll save that for another day. I did however spot a counter in the corner with different speciality meats. I found Jamaican Jerk goat burgers, and buffalo burgers. I haven’t tried either of those meats before, so after checking if my housemate would eat them just incase I don’t I picked up a packet of each. It feels much easier to try a food I’ve never considered before than it is to try something I think I don’t like. The fact they’re burgers also makes it easier as a burger is familiar, even if the meat they’re made from isn’t.
After the butchers we had a browse around the rest of the shop. they have a huge amount of sauces and preserves, as well as things like speciality flours, pastas and alcohol. As much all of those things looked amazing, they aren’t really what I’m aiming for at the moment, but I’m sure I’ll be back again in the future.
The very last thing we did is pop back to the freezer and pick up a small pot of dog ice cream. With Gracie being such a small breed we don’t often give her food treats, so the opportunity for dog ice cream once or twice a year is usually taken!