An excellent local butchers with a good range of products. Simon, Tom and Carol are always happy to chat and recommend something new. If they haven't got it out they nearly always get it in for you.

It's surprising how many times I hear people in the shop saying "This is my first time here, you were recommended by a friend...". Word of mouth is a great thing, it means great shops like Country Farm Meats build a reputation based around their excellent products and friendly staff.

I recommend their excellent bacon and sausages. The Black Back Bacon is superb as are the Barton Bangers and those spicy Spanish sausages which I can never pronounce...!

Good points: Great staff, excellent produce, wide range of products.

Bad points: None I can think of!

I rate Country Farm Meats as Excellent.

I tend to buy my St Peters Ale from the stall at the Jimmy's Farm Farmers Market. Their ale is excellent and they're always happy to let you try their products before buying a case or two at good prices (currently 12 bottles for £20). Every now and again you'll get an un-labelled test ale which always gives you a feeling of being a "ale pioneer" (!). A recent test batch of an un-labelled and un-named organic ale was excellent.

Great produce, found in a lot of supermarkets these days but if you can, visit one of their stalls or even brewery to sample their huge range.

I've been visiting Jimmy's Farm almost since he started. That alone must say that the place isn't bad. Well, it isn't... but it's not great either.

The butchery seems to turn over a lot of staff and the quality of the meat/produce varies. For example, their Suffolk Beer Sausages used to be my favourite by a country mile. Recently the last couple of batches I've bought have been disappointingly poor. Considering the price (the whole range of products in the Jimmy's farm Shop are expensive), it's very disappointing to have such a change in quality.

The range of products in the shop seems to change quite frequently as well (or it could be down to low stock levels?). One week you may find something great (like McLarens Pure and Natural Carrot Cake, yum!) but then not see it again for a couple of months (or not at all).

The main draw for us is the Farmers Market, but possibly not for long. A couple of years ago it was a busy well attended market with a good selection of producers. I tend to think of it as a "deli" market as there is rarely more than one type of producer. The farm then chose to charge £1 a car for parking (to cover parking attendant costs apparently) and that resulted in an immediate drop in customers and producers. This decision has recently been rescinded but the number of producers and customers still remains very low. If it wasn't for the excellent St Peters Ale stall I doubt I'd make the trip. There is an excellent Deli food hall about 10 minutes away from the farm which is more likely to get my business.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love Jimmy's farm to succeed. I like where Jimmy is coming from and the local area lacks decent farmers markets. The staff are friendly and whilst Jimmy himself is rarely seen Michaela, his fiancée, is always happy to help with a smile.

Good points: Good idea and they're trying hard and could do with more local support.

Bad points: Expensive, quality varies, Farmers Market a shadow of it's former self.

Overall I'd rate Jimmy's Farm as Average. Don't get blinded by the "celebrity" label, it's an okay supplier but needs to pick up it's game a bit to become a "must visit" destination.

I discovered The Suffolk Food Hall about 18 months ago. I had previously seen the company mentioned on a particular BBC 2 program about a competing local pig farm (you know the one)...! Some of you may also have seen it on "Come Dine with Me" on Channel 4 when one of their butchers was a contestant in the Ipswich show.

The Suffolk Food Hall is a large deli style shop with a cafe/restaurant and garden centre attached. The range of local produce is excellent with many products stating their "food miles". This really helps show the amazing produce available in Suffolk and surrounding counties.

There are well stocked cheese, cold meats, fish and butcher counters. I especially like their freshly cooked ham hocks, still warm from cooking. There are usually lots of things to taste (normally in generous portions) which you can wash down with a coffee (or more) at the small but nice cafe area. The attached garden centre and shop is small but well stocked.

I found the prices slightly high, some deli items I know I can get much cheaper in local deli's. The sheer choice available at the Food Hall keeps me returning though as it's great to have so much under one roof.

Good points: lots of good quality local produce; nicely stocked fresh food counters; decent cup of coffee!

Bad points: some items overpriced.

Overall: I rate The Suffolk Food Hall as Good.

I've been using River Nene (now called "Riverford on Sacrewell Farm") for almost 4 years now. The veg boxes are good quality and relatively good value. Like most veg box schemes you have to get used to the seasonal nature of the contents (i.e. lots of roots in autumn and winter, etc) but once you get the hang of it you find that adjust your recipes to match the weekly contents. I'd like the option to have a "hates" list whereby my least favourite items are excluded from a box but I understand this adds quite a high administration overhead.

The Customer Service from Kate and Bruce is excellent and any problems are dealt with in a fast and friendly manner. Any issues I've had have always been dealt with quickly and efficiently. Top marks.

Good points: Good range of excellent products, decent variety between boxes, excellent personal customer service.

Niggles (rather than bad points): Delivery seems a little less personal since taking on new staff; no option to exclude a particular product (i.e. I can't stand the Chinese leaf salad!); the odd drop in quality, i.e. potatoes recently are very bruised (although Kate has said they'll replace any bad ones no problem).

Overall I rate Riverford on Sacrewell Farm as Good. The odd niggle stops me from rating them Excellent but they're worth trying for the excellent personal service Kate and Bruce give alone.