Parbold Fruit & Veg

It’s moved since the last review and is now nearer the station so don’t follow the map too precisely! Great selection of veg and some nice assorted health food supplies and meat and cheese and dairy. Ended up buying a lot more than was on my list — couldn’t resist the opportunity whilst passing through Parbold on the canal.

Parbold Fruit & Veg is a greengrocers owned and managed by the Italian-​English Patitucci family. I highly recommend this place — I buy most of my fresh produce from here. Delivery is free of charge within a five mile radius, or you can visit the shop. The ‘shop’ is a ‘no-​frills’ affair, a double garage at the rear of the Patitucci family home. So you can rest assured that you are not paying through the nose for expensive premises — no, sir!
Their produce is of four grades — Regular, Local, Organic and Paolo’s. ‘Paolo’s’ denotes produce grown in the greenhouses and market gardens to the rear of the garage — as far as I know, I would consider it a sort of ‘uncertified organic’ as my information is that Paolo does not use chemical pesticides, etc. Paolo is the grandfather of the family, who moved from southern Italy to Lancashire in 1955, and is as devoted a market gardener as you could hope to find. Here is an article I found about Paolo Patitucci in the local newspaper
So basically, all the fruit and vegetables are at least good quality, with a lot of it winning extra brownie points for being local and fresh. Plus, with Paolo’s characterful vegetables and herbs, and additional organic market produce, the super-​healthy niche market is well catered for. They also stock a nice selection of organic delicatessen items, plus homemade jams, etc.
The business side of things is now run by Paolo’s son Vince, who is another fantastic gentleman. From what I’ve seen of him, I would say Vince is a bit of a dude. Such as — when it was still glass milk bottles — carrying two crates of milk in each hand. Without braggadocio. Lastly, they are totally fair and honest, which is a boon when buying fresh produce.