Local Producer Interview: Cornish Prepared Vegetables

Contact: Oliver Bromley

What vegetables do you grow? Depending on each season.

We don’t just grow for prepared veg market, we grow a lot of potatoes for Walker’s crisps. That’s our main job through the summer. Our main crops are potatoes, cauliflour and cabbage which we grow for the supermarkets. 

The prepared veg part is our small business, preparing veg for local pubs and restaurants. We also grow carrots, parsnips, caillibrise broccoli, leeks.


How locally do you sell?

As locally as I can. I don’t want to drive the van too far! Penryn, Falmouth, Truro. Really, a 10 miles radius from the farm.


Are the supermarkets you supply local?

No, Lincolnshire and Leicester. Because the product goes to central distribution. So, for Asda, it’s Lincolnshire Field Products, which is a big base. All the Cornish stuff has to be dragged to
Lincolnshire to be QCed and then dragged all the way back to Falmouth, Truro. So, all their food miles are ridiculous. It’s a farce really! They play lip service, the supermarkets do. They’re pacifying the public.


What are the issues with selling your produce locally?

There are issues. You wouldn’t believe how many chefs say they like regional produce and they source locally and all this ‘hype’. But they don’t care really, as long as it’s cheap! But there are some real good chefs out there who love local produce.





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