Your Lincolnshire loose fruit and veg champion crowned

The team at J Shaw & Son, who have sold fresh fruit and vegetables to the people of Lincolnshire since 1902, were presented with a special certificate at their Alvingham shop.

It comes after the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership supported Food Waste Action Week, which this year highlighted the benefits of shopping savvy and buying loose fruit and vegetables where possible to cut waste.

The partnership wanted to celebrate Lincolnshire’s role as one of the country’s leading food producers, and give recognition to the businesses that make it easier for us to buy loose fruit and veg.

Hundreds of residents took the time to vote for their champion, with more than 20 brilliant businesses nominated across the length and breadth of the county.

In their vote for the winning business, one resident said:

“J. Shaw & Son is an amazing village shop. Far more than just a shop. A community resource, meeting place, recipe ideas, with a fabulous variety of fresh local produce as well as a wider range of goodies, and collaboration with other local small businesses - it's the absolute heart of our community. They are a very special team.”

As well as specialising in potatoes, vegetables, fruit and salad, the shop also stocks many products from other local independent businesses. Bestsellers include coffee roasted at “the next farm along”, local honey from “just down the road”, and even handmade Alvingham pottery.

Cat Shaw, co-owner at J. Shaw & Son, said: “To read comments describing us as ‘the soul of the village’ are really humbling.

We are proud to serve our community and to stock so many fantastic products, many of which are produced just a few miles from the shop. We try to source the fresh produce as locally as we can when in season, British where we can and internationally to give variety when needed.

“We are also passionate about loose fruit and vegetables; we all need to do our bit to protect the environment and by helping our customers to buy just what they need – a few apples here, half a dozen potatoes there - we can help prevent perfectly good food from ending up in the bin.

“I’d like to thank each and every one of our customers who nominated us for this award, we are so grateful.”

The others who made up the top three, but narrowly missed out, were:

· Nick Harper Produce – Coningsby and Woodhall Spa

· AK Quality Fruit & Veg – Lincoln

For more top tips on recycling and cutting the amount of waste your family produces, visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/waste, where you can also sign up for the Right Thing, Right Bin newsletter.