Discover farm shops, pick-your-own farms and other places to buy local food across Europe with Farms Around. Choose a country below or search the map. You can also go straight to one of the regional guides or lists of places to visit.
Explore by country
- Netherlands — Browse the regional guides and find places to buy local food.
- Germany — Read about buying directly from farms in Germany.
- France — Learn about local food and buying directly from producers in France.
Go straight to a region or list
Several regional guides are already available for the Netherlands. Choose a region or go straight to one of the lists below.
Regions in the Netherlands
Places to buy local food in the Netherlands
- Farm vending machines in North Brabant
- Farm shops near Rotterdam
- Farm shops in Gelderland
- Farm cheese in South Holland
- Fruit from the farm in South Holland
- Meat from the farm in South Holland
About the different places to buy
Find out how the different places work and what you can buy there.
- Farm shops and regional food shops — Shops selling products from the farm or from local producers.
- Farm vending machines — Choose and pay for products yourself, often outside normal shop opening hours.
- Milk taps — Places where you can dispense milk straight from the farm.
- Pick-your-own farms — Gardens and orchards where you can pick your own fruit, vegetables or flowers.
- Roadside stands — Small stands selling products such as vegetables, fruit or eggs.
- Wineries — Find out more about buying wine directly from the producer.
- Cheese farms — Read about buying cheese and dairy products at the farm.
We’re gradually adding more country and regional guides. On the map, you can also filter by farming method and facilities, for example to find an organic farm or somewhere with a café.
We enjoy sharing our discoveries and experiences of buying local. Read more in our tips and stories.
Buying local in Europe
We love visiting farms and discovering regional specialities on our travels. It’s a wonderful way to get to know a country or region. Below, you can read about the places and products you might come across in different countries. Coverage on the Farms Around map varies by country and region; we’re gradually expanding both the map and the guides.
The Netherlands and Belgium
Filling a bottle at a milk tap, buying farmhouse cheese at the farm or pulling over at a roadside stall with strawberries: in the Netherlands and Belgium there are many ways to buy local. Farm shops and vending machines offer dairy, eggs and potatoes, for example. Along the road the range changes with the season, from asparagus to pumpkins. In Flanders, farm shops are often called hoevewinkels. There you will find farmhouse ice cream, dairy and meat from the farm itself.
Germany and Austria
In Germany and Austria, look out for the signs Hofladen and Ab-Hof-Verkauf: this is where you buy directly from the farmer. The range runs from dairy and honey to meat and sausage. In Austria you can also discover mountain cheese, Speck and regional fruit drinks. At a Milchtankstelle you tap the milk yourself; at farm vending machines and self-service points you choose and pay without shop staff. During the harvest season you will come across stalls with asparagus or seasonal fruit.
France
In France you will often see vente directe on a sign at the farm: the producer sells straight to visitors. Producer markets and magasins de producteurs also bring together products from local farmers and makers. At a cueillette you can harvest fruit and vegetables yourself. France has a wide variety of regional products. Think of goat’s cheese and charcuterie, cider and apple juice from Normandy and Brittany, olive oil, lavender honey and melons from the south, and wine from its many wine regions.
Switzerland
In Switzerland you will come across small sales huts with cheese, eggs or potatoes. At self-service points you take what you need and pay according to the instructions on the spot. In the mountains you will find alpine cheese. It is made only in summer up on the alp, with milk from the animals grazing there. Honey, dried meat and other regional products are part of the picture too.
Italy
In Italy, buying local has a different character in every region. Visit a dairy for Parmigiano Reggiano in Emilia-Romagna, discover pecorino in Sardinia or buy olive oil from a producer in Tuscany or Puglia. In the south you will find citrus fruit, almonds and tomatoes. Direct selling is called vendita diretta. Italy also has many wine regions, and around Modena you will come across aceto balsamico. Would you like to stay on a farm for longer? An agriturismo can combine a visit with a meal or an overnight stay.
Spain
In Spain you will find local products at markets, at farming cooperatives and directly from producers. An almazara is an oil mill, where you can sometimes buy olive oil as well. At a bodega you can discover wine from the region. Other products include sheep’s cheese, jamón and embutidos: Spanish ham and cured sausage. In the fruit-growing areas you will also come across citrus fruit, almonds and honey.
United Kingdom
A visit to a British farm shop often goes well with a cup of tea or lunch: some shops also have a café, a bakery or their own butcher. On the shelves you will find cheddar, meat, jam and chutney, and in the south-west cider and apple juice from the area. Along country lanes there are small stalls with an honesty box: you take a product and pay for it yourself. Prefer to harvest your own? At pick-your-own farms the season runs from summer strawberries to pumpkins in autumn.
Scandinavia
In Denmark, Sweden and Norway you will find farm shops and small self-service stalls along the road. Look out for the name gårdbutik in Denmark, gårdsbutik in Sweden and gårdsbutikk in Norway. The range follows the season: strawberries and new potatoes in summer, for example, and apples and root vegetables in autumn. Honey, cheese and smoked fish can be part of the local offer as well. With pick-your-own, the place and the weather decide what is ripe. Further north in particular, the harvest season is short.
Poland, Czechia and Hungary
Markets, orchards and farms offer plenty of ways to discover regional products in Poland, Czechia and Hungary. In Poland you can buy apples, sour cherries and honey directly from growers and beekeepers. In the mountain areas in the south you will also find smoked sheep’s cheese. In Czechia, orchards are a place to buy fruit and apple juice. Hungary has specialities of its own, such as paprika powder, honey and wine from Tokaj.
Frequently asked questions
Can I search in a country without a regional guide?
Yes. Open the map and go to the area you want to explore. Use the filters for products and types of places. The results depend on which places have already been added to Farms Around.
Can I add a place myself?
Yes. Know a farm shop, milk tap or another place to buy local food that’s missing? Use ‘Add location’ on the map. You’ll need to create an account or log in.