So, why should you care about a Co-op in a tiny village? Because it’s more than a shop. It’s a community hub. It’s where you buy your emergency bottle of wine after the kids have had a meltdown on the beach. It’s where you grab that crucial pack of plasters after a rogue oyster shell. And it’s where you can buy a surprisingly good pot of tea for a quid.
In a world of soulless mega-supermarkets, the East of England Co-op in Walberswick is a rebel with a cause. It’s small, it’s crowded, and it occasionally runs out of baguettes by 10 AM. But it’s also warm, welcoming, and inexplicably stocked with hand cream. Visit it, enjoy it, and for heaven’s sake, bring cash for the car park meter. You’ll need it for the pilgrimage to the shop that proves big things really do come in small, crab-infested packages.
