| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Penny |
Farmers or Food MarketsWe often discuss Farmer's Markets, but I wondered how often they were held around the country and if they thrived more, where they were held more often?Who decide the frequency of the markets? I know the one here tends to be sold out towards the end of the day, which may suggest there is room for more than fortnightly events, but it may be the local council blocking it, I have no idea. What happens in other areas? |
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| gil |
Borderway, Carlisle : 2nd Sat of the month, largely sold out by lunchtime. | ||||
| 2steps |
we have one here I think once a month but it's quite expensive really and not very big at all, maybe 10 stalls. there is one selling ostritch meat and eggs - there enourmous!  and they sell burgers cooked too. the cheese stall has some nice things but the way my lot eat cheese it's to expensive for us other than a little treat
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| Pilsbury |
Apparently the on in Romford is there every sunday but is biggest on the 1st or 2nd sunday , sorry cant remember exactly | ||||
| cab |
The Cambridge one had been on Sundays for ages now. Fits in well with the normal market being on weekdays. Its grown in a rather surprising direction, with the craft market that used to exist only in the run up to Christmas slowly becoming an all year thing, with the farmers market stalls still at one end.
But the line between the normal market and the farmers market is getting more and more blurred. Some stallholders are there on Sunday and some weekdays, and the greengrocers there every day sell a good deal of excellent local stuff. Theres a new organic produce stall this week, 'origin8' they call themselves, with good looking lamb and other produce from just up the way in Suffolk. Theres a speciality cheese stall, probably the second best place for buying cheese in Cambridge (behind only the excellent Cambridge cheese company), a WI stall, a caribbean cake stall, all sorts of good stuff. Thats where I hope the future for 'farmers markets' lies; the distinction between farmers market produce and crafts, home goods and suchlike is a pretty fine one. When that happens, you get a place where you can buy nearly everything you need, and its cheaper, better and friendlier than going into a supermarket. |
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| alisjs |
they are monthly in Conwy, tend to be over by lunchtime.....and as they are held midweek that means a lot of people who work can`t get there I suppose. They are also quite small, as in not many stalls. Don`t know why this apparent lack of interest from potential stall holders , but I'm sure they'd be busier at the weekend. | ||||
| Northern_Lad |
1st Saturday : Penwortham; in a school hall, good selection of almost all food item.
1st Sunday : Helmshore; in a car-park, good selection, and some excelent sauces. 2nd Saturday : Orton; said to be the best in the North, never got that far. 2nd Sunday : Settle; very small, not a great selection, but it is in Yokshre. 2nd Sunday : Ramsbottom; good size and good range 3rd Saturday : Erm, somewhere I can't remember, new one. 3rd Sunday : Hoghton; very large, excelent range, most sold out at the end. 4th Saturday : Hmm, can't remember. 4th Sunday : Bolton; fairly new but a good range. All the markets (aside from Settle) are almost exclusivly food and are all relly popular. Very few sell out mid market, but a lot are very short on produce by the end of the day (generally 1 or 2 pm). |
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| mochyn |
Welshpool: 1st Friday of the month. Several producers, reasonably local, including Country Market. Most good stuff gone by lunch time. | ||||
| hedgewitch |
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| hedgewitch |
Buxton is my nearest. Held once a month on Thursday between 11 and 3. Oddly, given the convenient time, I've never been able to make it (Think it's the third Thursday of the month.)
But I'm sure the time makes sense for the organisers 
Once I did take time off to go, and it had been cancelled. No-one in the tourist info could tell me why, and if the next one would be run. I've seen adverts since, but can't confirm that it is actually taking place
Bakewelll do a better one - last Saturday in the month. It's further away, but has more stuff as long as you don't want fresh veg which is very, very tired and over-priced. Vegetables in general seem a problem round here (Peak District). I should try Cheshire, maybe instead. I'm not far from Macclesfield. Might be better for veg. But the landscape is soooo dull
I don't tend to buy much as a lot of things seem to be novelty/luxury and not really my thing. For example, I like a good cheese but want this to be good quality milk and production, not any old cheese with an odd extra shoved in it, (raisins, cranberries, pineapple etc) to justify a higher price. Nice salamis and excellent farmed mushrooms sometimes, though. |
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| judith |
Ooh. Don't get me started on that one. 
Christmas pudding cheese, anyone? |
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| hedgewitch |
Aaggghhhh! You just reminded me of that I knew there was a deeply, deeply irritating one I'd seen recently -- that was it
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| jocorless |
The Christmas Markets in Manchester start today Thursday 16th November through to Wednesday 20th December - I've never been to them having just been told about them today
They look like a fantastic experience - Has anyone been ? http://www.manchester.gov.uk/markets/specialist/christmas.htm |
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| judith |
When OH was still working in Mcr, he used to bring back piles of goodies from the Christmas market. There is one stall that does Austrian speck - almost totally pure lard, highly seasoned and very smoked. Sounds awful but it is really addictive.
You can (or could) get some good aged Dutch cheeses too. Not exactly local, but great for a treat. |
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| Northern_Lad |
Not recently. There's the usual kind of stuff there from memory, but there will be Savin Hill in Albert Square - excellent burgers, and I think they might be doing the sausages too. Don't try to get one at lunchtime though as the queues are huge. |
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| jocorless |
Does it sound really bad of me if I say - Oh Savin Hill - can get that anywhere? |
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| jema |
We have a couple around here, but they are small and unless you have a wallet of infinite depth, they are not somewhere you'd want to go for a weekly family shop 
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| Northern_Lad |
Not at all, 'cause I know they do most of the markets around, and are based about 15 minutes North of you.
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| hedgewitch |
Ooooh yes! But not for a couple of years 
The one in Albert Square was pretty good (excellent salami -- think there's a pattern to my purchases?!). Also, I happened on one late in the day during the summer when I was in Manchester for the day, and there were some beer sellers (their own brew) who deeply impressed mr hedgewitch with the array of bottles I took home for him. I've been told that some traders from the farmers market now have stalls in the Arndale Centre somewhere. Can't remember where exactly - I think it was through the entrance at the top of Market Street. I was tipped off that another excellent micro-brewery was in selling in there, but haven't been back yet. |
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| Pilsbury |
Can someone in the know please take all the mentioned markets and times ie 1st sunday of the month and put them all into a list or diary that can be accessed from the front page, would make a really useful resorce for people traveling or joining the site. | ||||
| tahir |
Blinking 'eck Pils, that's not easy, especially when a lot of people don't update their details. Just been looking at a few sites and a lot of the markets they say they sell at either no longer exist or have moved.... | ||||
| Pilsbury |
well could we just have a list with links to the site for the markets then, that way if i was, say, going to blackpool i could have a look on the list and then check the links to see if they were still going | ||||
| tahir |
I'll start a sticky in seasonal shopping | ||||
| Pilsbury |
ok thanks | ||||
| RichardW |
Do you know that there is one in Bae Colwyn every Thursday. Justme PS not very big but it is there. Used to do it but to far for too little trade. |
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| Northern_Lad |
Blackpool? Well, after handing in your will to live as you enter the place, it's Poulton-le-Fylde on, IIRC, the fourth Sunday. Not especially large, but just next to the railway station.
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| LynneA |
Crews Hill, Enfield (North London). Third Friday of every month in the car park of Woldens nursery. Starts 9am till about noon. Get their early 'cos it takes place on pension day and once the Saga Louts arrive with their money they lay into the stalls like a plague of locusts
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| Armchair |
Winchester - 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month, plus various locations around Hampshire at other times. Great food, reasonable prices.
www.hampshirefarmersmarkets.co.uk |
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| toggle |
Chiswick or west ealing, every Saturday morning.
I prefer the west ealing one, 2 good size chickens for a tenner, apples and pears from £1 a kilo, and enough veg to feed a family of 4 for a fiver. get some game sometimes as well. There are stalls selling bread, cheese and other meat for very high prices, but i can't afford anything from them apart from an occasional treat. |
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| Kayte |
Farmers or food marketsTher's a farmers market in Chesterfield the second Thursday of the month. |
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| btp |
if you go to www.thefoody.com then click on farmers markets it lists all markets in the country
hope this helps might be worth checking the ones you want to visit ie- times by ringing before |