I grew up in the Greater Lawrence Area, Thwaites always was and still is a great place to shop…read more Their pork pies and their tomato sausage pies are the best! (The other varieties are notable too!) The butcher shop has the freshest and best cuts of meat. All around a winner. As for ambiance, Thwaites is like a warm hug. It's a "Mom and Pop" store in the best sense. My only regret is that now I have over an hours drive to get there but it's still worth it! Patricia D.

I got meat pies for an English friend and he loved them. He said that they were authentic!read more

Been going here ever since I was little…read more The farm is fantastic, each time they let you pick your own fruit you can guarantee a great experience. Their barn items are insanely cheap for fresh bakery goods in this economy, and their fruit picking prices are fair. I haven't ever had a bad experience with service, and the ambiance is all wooden, cool, and overall just a great experience. It's literally THE place to go for a family trip or something fun to do.

Didn't know I'd have the opportunity to go to a "pumpkin patch" before this trip but so grateful…read morethat I did. Supposedly this is the #1 ranked fall farm by Newsweek last year...I haven't been to any of the other ranked locations or a large number of non-ranked spots so can't validly compare - but from what I experienced I'd say this is top notch. It's definitely goes beyond a regular "pumpkin patch" and has things to see and do or taste for all members of the family. People of all ages find joy in apple picking, fighting the honeybees, playing with goats, and riding in a wagon. Older adults can enjoy photo worthy moments in the sunflower fields too! Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to taste other products from the farm store but I'm sure they're wonderful.

Wonderful to support local farms instead of big corporations. Prices are comparable to Whole Foods…read morebut items on sale (example $1.75 for raspberry) are a steal. Did you try a sample of cider donuts on the way in? And did you buy a bag or two on the way out? They make fresh and yummy cider donuts there. Produce are fresh and there are many varieties of plants (hanging plants, herbs, etc). Make sure to grab your plants first before entering the store as the registers are inside. They have own parking lot.

Important update for Calareso's Farm Stand shoppers: the farm stand now sells the insanely…read moredelicious Wrap City Potato Chips!!!

I recently visited Barker's farm-stand. I was overwhelmed as I looked over the many and unique…read moreproducts they offer for sale. Items including beauty products, food, sauces,preserves, Jams, chocolates and much more! They feature a deli and will make you a sandwich on the spot with some of the freshest ingredients I have ever tasted. The delightful and friendly woman who made my sandwich thanked me for my business and asked me to come again. It was nice to see gratitude for my patronage of their business, nice touch. I live in Hamilton, so I usually go to my local farm-stand but I would certainly make the drive to North Andover to visit Barker's farm-stand again!

Since I wrote two reviews on farms already (Smolak and Turkey Hill) I figured I should write one on…read moreBarker's as it's the one that has been nearest and dearest to my heart--oh childhood memories. Growing up, this farm was steps from my backyard and I would always walk over with the neighborhood hooligans to poke the animals and inhale some tasty fudge (fat kid). Barker's is one of, if not the oldest farm in town, dating back to 1642 (NA was established in 1646) and has been run by 10 generations of the Barker family. There's a cute little farmstand with fresh vegetables (corn!), baked goods (fudge!), fruit (apples!), flowers, plants, and whatever else. There is also an area around the back of the barn where you can go look at the variety of animals they have and take in a deep breath of fresh animal stench. Barker's also offers your seasonal needs such as pumpkins, Christmas trees, etc. In comparison, Smolak Farm in North Andover is your 5-star place to go, but Barker's will always have that special place in my heart and that's why I love it.

Pretty small Whole Foods store that is lacking in quality and variety…read more The quality of the produce at this store 50/50. Sometimes I even see mold growing on the refrigerated fruits and vegetables (especially the strawberries and Napa cabbage) so that's pretty gross. In terms of the staff, they're ok. There is one guy who works at the Meat department who is probably the grumpiest person I've ever dealt with. The reason why I give this place 3 stars is because I really do love the Bakery section, and I always buy their cakes and tarts for birthdays, Mother's Day, etc. A big thank you to the kind man (I apologize I did not get the name) who helped me with my cake issue this morning at around 8am. He went above and beyond, which was very much appreciated.

Sad that customer service is not helpful at this location. I went to get some sour milk exchanged…read moretoday and they claimed it was not possible. This was my only time to get to the store and they couldn't just honor the exchange. Things get really muddy with the whole Amazon of it all. I miss when people made exceptions for things, based off trusting humans.