The Farm Boy Thread [Ontario] [Ottawa] [Toronto] [London, Ontario]

I agree, the cheese selection is excellent.

Out of the Farm Boy branded cheeses, the Farm Boy gruyère, made in St Mary’s ON, is good, as well as the Farm Boy organic Cheddars.

I was happy with the Farm Boy brand barrel-aged sheep & goat milk feta this week. It’s imported from Greece.

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We occasionally go to the FB at Yonge St south of Eglinton in Toronto. They have much nicer produce than the local Metro and I’m impressed with FB’s meat counter.

We went yesterday because I was craving their Alabama short ribs from the meat counter. Bought them, and also noticed their beef sirloin kebabs are on sale for $10.99 per pound, which is not a bad price.

I’ll have to go back soon and try out some of the FB items suggested here, like the salsa verde and double smoked bacon.

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I haven’t had the salsa yet but I’ve had the smoked bacon and it’s awesome. The best smoked bacon I’ve ever had was at a deli in Ottawa (where I live) but is now closed since the owner retired. The only smoked bacon that came in a close second is the FB one.

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Metzger’s bacon is also delicious. I prefer it to Farm Boy’s double smoked.I can find Metzger’s bacon at Sobeys.

There’s a beef bacon at FarmBoy that’s from Simcoe that’s good for a beef bacon.

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Yesterday I bought a salmon steak at Farm Boy for last night’s dinner and I was really impressed with the quality of the salmon - it was very tasty. I buy mostly fruit and veggies at Farm Boy and the Bekings Farms eggs I like are a bit cheaper than the other shops nearby. I would like to try their fish and meats now. It’s a 15 minute walk from home to Farm Boy - I am so lucky to have one close by.

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The produce specials are amazing. Pineapple is often $3.99 each when Loblaws is charging $6. Cilantro and other herbs are often 2 or 3 for $5. The cilantro and dill are usually in better shape, and in bigger bunches, than at other nearby stores.

While Farm Boy is owned by Sobey’s, my local Farm Boy’s produce is often cheaper than Sobey’s produce, 1 km away.

New products I’ve tried this past month: the organic tahini, the spinach artichoke cream cheese spread, and the Muesli bread from the Bakery.

Would purchase them again.

I tried their breakfast sandwich and burger from the Hot Table near the Salad Bar. Not that good.

The refrigerated samosas are quite good.

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Purchased a small beef sirloin roast the other day from them. Good quality and good flavour.

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I bought some Brome Lake duck confit legs that I reheated. We liked them a lot.

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Tried their tomato basil spaghetti sauce, and Italian style meatballs (cook at home), and English biscuit assortment today (includes Nice biscuits, which Peek Freans Canada stopped making)


Also, the Swiss Farmer’s bread from the bakery (on special for $3.99 at my location today), and orange juice. Pineapples have been $2.99 the past week.

FB Marmalade and other FB jams were on sale 2 for $7.

Will purchase these things again.

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Happy with both of these:

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Ilchester Advent Calendar, available at my local FarmBoy. Around $37.

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Toum seems to have replaced Tzatziki in the refrigerated section near the hummus. The toum is good, too.

Have been buying the roasted tomato bisque lately.

The pasteis de natas are quite good, maybe not quite as good as the best Portuguese bakeries in TO, but better than some Portuguese bakeries in TO, and certainly worth it if you live more than a 20 minute drive from a good Portuguese bakery. $7.49 for 6, so a good deal, too.

Tried the box of assorted Cruffins: 2 each of lemon, vanilla and chocolate. Tasty. Croissant dough baked in a muffin tin, dusted with sugar, filled with pudding.

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I recently enjoyed Farm Boy’s sausage patties.

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Boneless skinless thighs at FarmBoy, when Loblaws is charging $$$$.

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Though most items I get from FarmBoy range from acceptable to very good (and good value), the FarmBoy hot mustard is, in my view, a dud. No hot zing at all. Closer to standard-issue mustard than actual hot mustard.

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Good to know.

I don’t go through much mustard, so I haven’t tried it.

I think I’ve used one jar of FarmBoy Dijon mustard over the past 3 years. I don’t know much about mustards, so can’t really compare it to other Dijon.

I find the Farm Boy products hit or miss. I still like their salad dressings but I tried their kimchi a couple of years ago and it was more like sauerkraut. The cabbage was pickled but there was no heat I am spoiled having two Korean grocery stores near home and one near work so I have access to good kimchi.

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I like most FarmBoy products.

The ones that have disappointed me most are the mayo, a frozen pork dumpling they no longer sell and a Peruvian spice blend.

I don’t like kimchi much so I haven’t bought any FarmBoy kimchi or Korean kimchi. (I discard the kimchi that comes with my Korean take-out LOL)

I don’t like the look of their fish, and ran into issues with some oysters, so I buy my fish and refrigerated shellfish at 2 independent stores instead.

I’m happy enough with FarmBoy brand smoked salmon, frozen shrimp and frozen lobster.

You should try the frozen Argentinian shrimp that they sell, which is better than their own brand, but do buy the unshelled ones. They frequently have them on sale. It’s unfortunate that we can only get frozen shrimp.

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I have tried some frozen Argentinian shrimp, I think they were Argentinian pink shrimp, over the years from various stores, as I was trying to avoid farmed shrimp from SE Asia /China/ India because of the environmental issues related to shrimp farming. Sometimes the texture and taste is a little different than the tiger shrimp, a somewhat stronger flavour than possibly more sustainable organic shrimp from South America or the small Atlantic shrimp, so I hadn’t been choosing the Argentinian ones based on my experiences.

I used to buy a more sustainable shrimp farmed in South America that weren’t Argentinian wild shrimp, from Loblaws, Superstore or Toronto’s Fiesta Farms, but I haven’t seen that brand the last few years.

I will try them if I see the Argentinian shrimp at my local FarmBoy.

I was happy to see the frozen shrimp in the blue bag that I used yesterday don’t contain phosphates or other preservatives, just shrimp. I’m sensitive to phosphates and sulphites so I usually have to rinse my frozen shrimp and scallops a few times before cooking with them.