The Goods Shed in Canterbury... A cathedral of food

Situated away from Canterbury’s famed tourist attractions, The Goods Shed is a favourite among food lovers.

Located opposite Canterbury West’s Train Station, The Goods Shed is a hidden gem which offers a variety of home grown, friendly reared and organic food.

Once a goods shed for housing carriages used for the railway station, the building now still contains rustic decor. Opening in 2002 as a farmers market, its gradual success has led it to expand to accommodate an onsite restaurant and an impressive food hall stocking a selection of goods from the Kent area.

The Goods Shed is renowned for stocking a wide range of food including preserves, ciders and cheese to name but a few. Having fought off stiff competition from supermarket giants, The Goods Shed has earned various accolades including BBC Radio 4’s Best Farmers market 2009.

The Bottle Shop stocks over 250 beers and is the largest beer stocker outside of London. A selection accommodating beer from Belgium, UK and USA are a sensation amongst the experienced beer lovers and inexperienced.

Managing director Andrew Morgan said: “People come here who are looking for quality at a good price. More and more people are now buying from the real source instead of buying from supermarkets.”

Mr Morgan also offers beer tasting sessions every fortnight giving punters expert advice and opinions on the best beer for their pallet.

“It’s a cathedral of food here, everyone who comes here instantly love it. When people visit my stall they gain a personal service, whilst gaining knowledge on the produce.”

For hungry shoppers, the restaurant boasts a large seating area and offers a wide range of choice using produce from the market stalls. Hot and cold meals are available and range from soup, tarlets and broths. ‘Larder lunches’ are also much loved among keen shoppers offering a platter of sandwiches.

George Ward from Cheesemakers of Canterbury said: “There are many foreigners who come here, they can’t take back much but they can shop. Many people like to come here and sample up to three or four cheeses before they buy.”

Cheese makers of Canterbury, have over time built up a large base of regular shoppers. Offering cheese from Kent and from around the UK.

“We are now sending our cheese to Kuala Lumpur to use in their bakery for a filling for their sandwiches. It’s great that our cheese is getting such recognition. ”

For more information on The Goods Shed click here