News

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...

The Exeter and District Ramblers have produced a collection of hand-picked trails to encourage Exeter residents to get outside and discover a new side to their city. The collection has been published as a book called Walking Around Exeter, and is available for £5 from the Real Food Store. The 16 routes in the collection range from 2.5 to 7 miles in length, and are suitable for all ages and abilities. Les Bright, a member of Exeter Ramblers who has overseen the project, said: “Many people have rediscovered the joy of walking during lockdown, and trips to nearby beauty spots are now...

It comes quickly, doesn’t it? One minute you’re plunged in the depths of winter, and then the clocks change, the evenings draw out and every hedge in Devon seems to clatter to the tune of a chiffchaff. It’s a beautiful time of year indeed, but perhaps the most wonderful sight is the carpet of blue that bedecks the woods, valleys and meadows around Exeter as the bluebells emerge. We asked the team at The Real Food Store to recommend their favourite places to see these magical flowers - here are their top 5 recommendations.   5 - Stoke Woods Located just...

Customers at Exeter’s community-owned Real Food Store have raised almost £100 for Exeter Foodbank in just one month, by ‘rounding up’ their shopping bills to support the charity. The funds have been raised as part of a new partnership between the Real Food Store and Exeter Foodbank, to support vulnerable and low-income Exeter residents to access high quality, local produce. Launched in early February, the ‘Round It Up’ scheme gives Real Food Store customers the option of rounding up their receipt to the nearest pound, with the proceeds being used to provide vouchers to be distributed by Exeter Foodbank. The...

Spring is here, the birds are starting to sing and the woods of Devon are beginning to smell delightfully of garlic. Wild garlic is easy to identify, super healthy and grows in abundance. As with any wild food, do your research and take extra care to make sure you know what you're picking. Be especially careful to avoid picking the leaves of lords-and-ladies, which often grows together with wild garlic but can be dangerous if consumed. This video is a useful guide, and remember: if in doubt, don't pick it!   Ingredients: Several handfuls of wild garlic leaves A bunch of raw kale...