What to look for in a wholesale veg supplier in London
Switching supplier is one of the least glamorous jobs in a kitchen, and one of the most consequential. The right wholesale partner quietly makes service easier every morning; the wrong one turns prep into a scramble. Here's what actually matters when you're choosing.
Market-fresh, not warehouse-old
Produce loses quality by the hour. A supplier working out of a wholesale market can hand-pick stock the same morning it's delivered, rather than shipping from a depot that bought days earlier. We buy at New Covent Garden Market each morning and deliver before your service — so what lands at your door is chosen that day, not cleared from a cold store.
A cut-off you can actually work with
The useful question isn't "what time do you deliver?" — it's "how late can I order?" A late cut-off lets you order once you know your covers and your gaps. Ours is midnight, by phone, WhatsApp or email, with fresh produce picked from the early hours and delivered before you open.
Range that covers the whole order
Splitting an order across three suppliers means three deliveries, three invoices, and three things to chase. Look for one partner who can cover the bulk of your list — chefs' staples, fresh produce, herbs and leaves, dairy, dry goods and provisions, and the speciality lines that don't always show up elsewhere. If it's not on the list, ask.
Delivery where you actually are
Coverage matters more than a headline postcode. We run morning rounds across London and the South East — including Kent and the wider South East — out of the market every day.
People who pick up the phone
When a delivery is short or a menu changes, you want a person, not a portal. A supplier that's family-run and has been trading since 2007 tends to answer, because the relationship is the business.
If you're weighing up a new supplier, the fastest way to judge one is a trial week. Call, WhatsApp or email us with your postcode and a rough idea of what you order, and we'll take it from there.