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Manchester's
Co-operative
Grocery

Sourced by people who know their onions

Tasty, Wholesome & Affordable Produce

Winner of the BBC Food & Farming Awards
'Best Food Retailer'
2017

A worker-
owned
business

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Manchester's
co-operative grocery

Tasty, wholesome & affordable produce

Sourced by people who know their onions
(and are always happy to talk about them)

A worker-owned business

Winners of the BBC Food & Farming Awards
'Best Food Retailer' 2017

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Our Produce

A stunning selection of affordable, wholesome food, ecological household goods & lots more.
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We’re located in the heart of Chorlton, South Manchester. Come and see us or drop us a line!
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Our Co-op

A thriving worker-owned grocery, named Best Food Retailer at the 2017 BBC Food & Farming Awards.
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We’ve got an unbeatable range of fresh organic fruit & veg, and our buyers really do know their onions.
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We aim to provide a realistic alternative to the supermarkets, so affordability is key.

Featured Supplier

Small & marginal tribal farmers grow our Araku coffee, part of our ‘Recommended’ range.

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Big news, events, and a run-down of what’s especially hot in the veg aisles.

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Veg News 21st January

The first big event in the 2020 food calendar takes place this Saturday in the form on Burns Night. For those with Scottish connections looking to serve traditional neeps & tatties (and maybe a veggie haggis), we‘ve stocked up on Lincolnshire swede and Yorkshire turnips. They aren’t the most glamourous of vegetables, but they have a rich and long history.

Both are members of the brassica family, along with all cabbages, cress, rocket and radishes. And although their names become intertwined as you move north, they are pretty different. Turnips came first by a long way (prehistoric!) and by the 19th century more than 50 varieties existed, though you will have to look long and hard to find that many now. They actually come in all shapes, sizes and colours, from black to purple to yellow.

Swedes appeared around 1600 in southern Germany and did not reach Britain until the mid-18th century, via Holland. They were originally grown as animal fodder and eaten only as a last resort by the rural poor. The name is an abbreviation of 'Swedish turnip' and in fact it is thought to be a cross between a cabbage and a turnip.

Ending with some news from Europe: snow in France & Spain has led to motorway closures on the continent. We have placed our orders, but now we have to wait for them to turn up. Fingers crossed!

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Veg news 14th January.

The first direct pallet from Univert in Provence, France, is due this Friday. We always get a bit excited about their produce. For one, because they’re a co-operative of small growers, and secondly, because they specialise in luscious leafy greens, like fresh herbs, spinach & lettuces. By trading directly with them, we manage to reduce the time it takes to get from the field to our display (and your fork!) Spanish growers experienced their first frost last week. Most of Europe relies on Spanish ratatouille vegetables at this time of year, so when the frost hits, these crops quickly become scarce. First to be affected are cucumbers, courgettes and aubergines. Peppers are fine for now. In fact, they are looking and tasting particularly great at the moment.

The UK offer of brassicas (aka: cruciferous vegetables) remains strong, despite the low availability of kale. Kalettes, sprouts, leafy and hard cabbages make for a wide range. Francis Sampson, who is our winter cauliflower supplier in Cornwall, is sending a pallet to us on Thursday. He says purple sprouting broccoli is about to get to a good size, so that’s something to look forward to.

Finally, Seville oranges are now in their prime. There is nothing like making your own marmalade, especially on these rainy days. And for those feeling adventurous: a bergamot lemon gives it an unusual and delicious twist!
#unicorngrocery #eatorganic #marmalade #eatyourgreens #eattheseasons

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Veg news 7th January

Now the festive dust has settled, we can look forward to a week of abundance on the fruit & veg displays.

On the veg side we’re particularly impressed with French lettuces and spinach. Spanish avocados are excellent value and Duncan Gielty’s Lancashire Savoy cabbages are picture perfect.

Kale varieties usually start dwindling at this time of the year, but at the minute it is particularly hard to get hold of. We’re expecting a big delivery from Home Farm Nacton in Suffolk on Wednesday, but there may be a few gaps. That said, there will be plenty of cavolo nero to go round and an early start to the Kalette season will help too! Kalettes are becoming more of a household name. It’s now a decade since this cross between kale and Brussels sprouts was introduced in the UK, but the crop is not widely cultivated organically, so we are pleased to be able to offer them from Wass in North Yorkshire.
Glebelands’ salad leaves are on 2 week break. Some years they are able to grow them year round in their market garden in Sale and second site in Stockport, but this year the plants are in need of some time to regrow after December pickings. There are some lovely offerings out of France instead: lamb’s lettuce, baby leaf spinach and rocket, all coming in every day.

Fruity highlights include navel oranges, bursting with flavour, from Spain and Agrico-op in Sicily (with the blood orange season also getting underway) and juicy conference pears from Paul Ward’s orchard in Kent.
#unicorngrocery #eatyourgreens #eatorganic

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