Reg the Veg

Reg the Veg is a greengrocer at 6 Boyce's Avenue in Clifton Village, Bristol, a shop that has traded from the same address for half a century. Reginald Meek, known as Reg, opened it in 1977. Evacuated from London to Bristol as a child during the Second World War, he stayed, married Heather and raised a family that worked the shop with him. After a decade Reg sold the business to his daughter Helen, who sold it on to an entrepreneur in 2001. In 2009 Tom Hagon took over, and he now runs it full time with his partner Beth Swingler. Both grew up working on Boyce's Avenue as teenagers. The stock comes from the Bristol Fruit Market in St Philip's Marsh, where Tom buys each morning, with local produce whenever the season allows. Seasonal fruit and vegetables fill the pavement display alongside flowers, and the shop supplies veg boxes for home delivery across Bristol, a service that began during the Covid-19 pandemic. Around 80 per cent of customers call in daily for a few items rather than a weekly shop. Regulars include Derren Brown, who praised the shop on the Off Menu podcast, and Carol Vorderman. Bristol24/7 profiled the greengrocer and its owners in 2025.