Where to Buy Local Norfolk Food: Farm Shops, Markets and Delis
Updated: Sep 2
Published by Willow Cottages Norfolk
One of the great pleasures of staying in a self-catering cottage in North Norfolk is the quality of what you can put on the table.
This is one of England’s finest food counties — extraordinary seafood from the coast, exceptional cheeses made on local farms, artisan breads, game from local estates, samphire from the salt marshes, asparagus in spring, and a growing community of producers making everything from Norfolk wine and smoked salmon to handcrafted charcuterie.
The farm shops, delis and markets of North Norfolk are destinations in their own right. A morning spent browsing a good one can provide everything you need for a memorable supper, picnic or lazy holiday lunch.
Here is our guide to some of our favourites, all within easy reach of our cottages in Wighton, Binham and Little Walsingham.
Mrs Temple's Cheese, Wighton
On the Doorstep | Award-Winning | Farmhouse Cheesemaking at its Best
We begin very close to home, because guests staying at Willow Cottage have one of North Norfolk’s best-known cheesemakers almost on their doorstep.
Catherine Temple produces her award-winning cheeses at Copys Green Farm in Wighton, using milk from the farm’s own dairy herd — milk that travels metres, rather than miles, from cow to dairy.
The range is a wonderful introduction to Norfolk cheesemaking.
Binham Blue is perhaps the best known: creamy, mellow and full-flavoured without being overpowering. Copys Cloud is a soft, Brie-style cheese with a gentle buttery character, while Wells Alpine is firm, nutty and reminiscent of traditional European mountain cheeses.
There is also Wighton, a semi-soft cheese named after the village itself, Gurney’s Gold, a characterful washed-rind cheese, and Walsingham, a mature hard cheese particularly appropriate to enjoy when staying just a few miles from the village that gave it its name.
Mrs Temple’s cheeses can be found in excellent delis and farm shops throughout North Norfolk, including several in this guide, but there is something particularly satisfying about eating cheese made in the very countryside you are staying in.
Location: Copys Green Farm, Wighton, Wells-next-the-Sea NR23 1NY
Website: cmt361.wixsite.com/mrstemplescheese1
Walsingham Farm Shop, Little Walsingham
Named One of the UK’s 8 Best Farm Shops by Tatler | On the Doorstep of Robin Hood Cottage
Guests at Robin Hood Cottage could hardly be better placed for their holiday provisions.
Walsingham Farm Shop, set in a converted historic grain store in the heart of Little Walsingham, was named by Tatleras one of the UK’s eight best farm shops — and it remains one of our favourite places to shop locally.
The butchery counter includes well-hung Walsingham beef alongside locally sourced pork and lamb, homemade sausages, home-cured bacon and poultry.
There is also an open kitchen producing ready meals, soups, cakes and desserts, while the deli counter is difficult to walk past without buying something: homemade pies, sausage rolls, Scotch eggs and other savouries are ideal for an easy cottage lunch.
The cheese counter showcases some of Norfolk’s finest artisan producers, including Mrs Temple’s cheeses, while elsewhere you’ll find local breads, vegetables, preserves, Norfolk beers, wines, gins and spirits.
This is a genuine farm shop with a strong commitment to provenance and local producers — and for guests staying at Robin Hood Cottage, it is only a short walk away.
Location: Guild Street, Little Walsingham, NR22 6BU
Website: walsingham.co
Byfords, Holt
Holt Institution | All-Day Café, Deli & Boutique Stay
Byfords has become something of a North Norfolk institution.
Occupying a characterful collection of historic buildings in the centre of Holt, it combines an all-day café and restaurant with a deli and boutique accommodation.
It is the sort of place where you can go in intending to have a quick coffee and emerge considerably later after breakfast, lunch, cake or a browse through the food displays.
The deli offers a thoughtful selection of local and artisan produce including Norfolk cheeses, baked goods, preserves and larder staples, alongside wines, beers and other treats.
The café is open throughout the day, from breakfast and brunch through to afternoon tea and dinner, with menus making good use of seasonal ingredients.
Byfords is also perfectly placed for exploring Holt’s excellent independent shops, making it an ideal stop during a morning or afternoon in town.
Location: 1-3 Shirehall Plain, Holt, NR25 6BG
Website: byfords.org.uk
Humble Pie, Burnham Market
Since 1980 | One of Norfolk's Finest Cheese Selections | Picnic Perfection
If you are planning a North Norfolk picnic, Humble Pie is one of the best places to start.
A fixture in Burnham Market since 1980, this wonderfully traditional deli offers a counter filled with homemade quiches and pies, olives, local cheeses, breads, fruit tarts, cakes and all manner of things you suddenly realise you need.
Its cheese selection is particularly impressive, with a broad range of local, British and continental cheeses.
A cheeseboard assembled at Humble Pie, accompanied by good bread and a bottle of wine, makes for a very easy holiday supper.
Humble Pie sits above Gurney’s Fish Shop on Market Place, meaning two of Burnham Market’s best food stops can be visited without moving more than a few yards.
Location: Market Place, Burnham Market, PE31 8HF
Gurney's Fish Shop, Burnham Market
Locally Landed | Legendary Fishcakes | The Freshest Seafood on the Coast
Directly beneath Humble Pie sits another Burnham Market institution: Gurney’s Fish Shop.
The counter offers smoked fish, shellfish and wet fish, much of it landed locally, with the selection changing according to season and availability.
Look out for dressed local crab, lobster when available, mackerel, sea bass and traditionally smoked fish.
And then there are the Gurney fishcakes.
They have acquired something of a cult following among regular North Norfolk visitors and are an excellent option for an easy lunch or supper back at the cottage.
Buy a couple, add a salad and some local bread, and dinner is very nearly done.
Location: Market Place, Burnham Market, PE31 8HF
Website: gurneysfishshop.co.uk
Picnic Fayre, Cley-next-the-Sea
Award-Winning Deli | Artisan Cheese and Charcuterie | Bigger Than It Looks
In the beautiful coastal village of Cley-next-the-Sea, Picnic Fayre is exactly the sort of independent deli every village deserves.
Set inside the Old Forge on the High Street, it is deceptively spacious and packed with local and artisan food.
Its cheese and charcuterie selection is particularly good, including Mrs Temple’s cheeses and other excellent Norfolk producers alongside carefully chosen British and continental additions.
There are homemade cakes, pastries and savouries, local preserves and condiments, wines, beers and Norfolk spirits.
The Scotch eggs, cakes and savouries make particularly good picnic provisions if you are heading afterwards towards Cley’s salt marshes, coastal paths or shingle beach.
Location: Old Forge, High Street, Cley-next-the-Sea, NR25 7AP
Website: picnic-fayre.co.uk
Jarrolds Letheringsett
Farm Shop | Local Butchery | Café & Countryside Setting
Many regular visitors to North Norfolk will remember this lovely site as Back to the Garden.
In 2025 it became Jarrolds Letheringsett, bringing one of Norfolk’s best-known independent names to this beautiful rural location in the Glaven Valley.
The farm shop remains focused on high-quality local and seasonal produce.
Its butchery showcases grass-fed meat from local farms, with lamb raised directly on the surrounding Astley Estate, alongside a well-stocked deli, cheeses, vegetables, wines, spirits and other Norfolk produce.
There is also a café and restaurant, making this somewhere you can happily combine food shopping with breakfast or lunch.
The converted farm buildings and countryside setting make it feel completely different from Jarrolds’ famous Norwich department store, and it pairs very well with a visit to nearby Holt.
Location: Fakenham Road Letheringsett Holt NR25 7JJ
Website: jarrolds.co.uk
Frary's Shellfish Stall, Wells-next-the-Sea
Since 1957 | Quayside Institution | Dressed Crabs and Shellfish
No guide to North Norfolk food would be complete without a proper shellfish stall.
A&M Frary has been a fixture on Wells Quay since 1957 and is one of those small businesses that has become part of the character of the town itself.
Depending on season and availability, you’ll find freshly dressed crab and lobster alongside pots of cockles, mussels, prawns and other shellfish.
There is something wonderfully simple about buying a dressed Wells crab from the quay and taking it back to the cottage with good bread, butter, salad and a bottle of chilled wine.
Few meals feel more North Norfolk.
Location: The Quay, Wells-next-the-Sea
Creake Abbey Farmers’ Market
First Saturday of the Month | More Than 60 Stalls | A Celebration of Norfolk Produce
If you are staying with us on the first weekend of the month, Creake Abbey Farmers’ Market is well worth putting in the diary.
Held on the first Saturday of every month except January, it brings together more than 60 traders and is one of the best opportunities to discover Norfolk producers in one place.
Depending on the season, stalls include locally reared meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, artisan breads, cheeses, cakes, pies, chutneys, preserves, ales, wines and other locally produced food and drink.
Part of the pleasure is simply browsing and talking to the producers themselves.
Creake Abbey is also a lovely destination in its own right, with independent shops, a café and the atmospheric ruins of the medieval Augustinian abbey.
If you want to stock the cottage kitchen at the beginning of a stay, this is difficult to beat.
Location: Creake Abbey, North Creake, Fakenham, NR21 9LF
A Norfolk Larder Shopping List
One of the joys of eating locally is that what appears on the shelves changes through the year.
Here are a few things particularly worth looking out for.
Spring
Norfolk asparagus is one of the highlights of the season, traditionally appearing from late April until around midsummer.
Also look out for early strawberries and the beginning of the local crab season.
Summer
This is a glorious time for the Norfolk larder.
Look for marsh samphire from the North Norfolk salt marshes, particularly from June into August, along with dressed crab, lobster, locally grown strawberries and raspberries, new potatoes and other fresh seasonal produce.
Fresh samphire needs very little treatment — a quick cook and some butter is often all it needs alongside grilled fish.
Autumn
Autumn brings game from Norfolk estates and shoots, including pheasant, partridge and venison, as well as pumpkins, squash, apples and other orchard fruit.
It is also a wonderful season for local apple juice, cider and preserves.
Winter
Look out for Brancaster mussels, traditionally harvested during the colder months, along with root vegetables, winter game, mature Norfolk cheeses and the excellent pies and comfort food appearing in local farm shops.
Year-Round
Some Norfolk favourites thankfully require no waiting at all.
Mrs Temple’s cheeses, locally smoked fish and salmon, artisan bread, Norfolk ales, wines, gins, preserves and locally produced meat can be found throughout the year.
A Few of Our Perfect Norfolk Food Days
If food is part of your holiday — as it usually is for us — some of these shops combine beautifully into a day out.
For Wells and Holkham, stop at Frary’s on Wells Quay for crab or shellfish, explore Wells, then head towards Holkham for a beach walk.
For Holt and the Glaven Valley, combine Byfords with Jarrolds Letheringsett before driving towards Cley and calling into Picnic Fayre.
For Burnham Market, visit Humble Pie and Gurney’s, browse the village’s independent shops and finish with a walk somewhere along the coast.
And if your visit coincides with the first Saturday of the month, make time for Creake Abbey Farmers’ Market.
Where to Stay in North Norfolk
Our three luxury holiday cottages in Wighton, Binham and Little Walsingham put you right at the heart of the North Norfolk food scene — Mrs Temple's Cheese is just up the hill from Willow Cottage, Walsingham Farm Shop is a short walk from Robin Hood Cottage, and Gurney's, Humble Pie, Picnic Fayre and Byfords are all within an easy drive of every property.
