Yes, in retrospect, perhaps I should have phrased that one better.
Both would be valid categories for this poll.
I think your 'too expensive' was fine.
I suspect that in the current recession, the price of produce sold at farmers markets is beyond many people's budgets for 'everyday' food (as opposed to occasional 'treats').
Doesn't mean it's necessarily a rip-off.
dpack
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factors that put me off the york one
i get better meat than they sell for a better price
the game is not traceable to my standards
the idea of buying un refrigerated pies ,fingered cheese etc isnt pretty
we make cakes and get staff discount at betty's
prices are high for stalls which means prices are high in respect of quality ,volume sales low and some stalls are grumpy ,grubby,dull or rather specialist in a nonlocal way (bushmeat,olives etc )
the rent is such that selling spuds or leeks would be a financial disaster so folk dont try
i do get veg from the permanant stalls of local market gardeners and the local veg shop
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ninat
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I tend to go direct to our local small farm for our meat. i have a budget about every 2-3 months then put in an order - sometimes have to wait a bit but having a chest freezer helps.
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Fee
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Our nearest main one is over 15 miles away and on random 2nd Tuesday of every other month or something equally as ridiculous.
I think it is more the lack of regularity rather than the distance that puts me off, can never remember when they are!
That said, I'll go and check because it's been a while.
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Shan
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Most Farmers markets fall on the wrong day, so the only one I tend to go to is the Usk Farmers market as it falls on a Saturday. I would prefer it if it were every Saturday because I have been guilty of forgetting which Saturday it is... although I am lucky that Tom (the man who sells chickens) is flexible enough for me to collect my chicken from him.
I would prefer is there was more variety at the Usk market but I would say that I always buy my chicken there as it is excellent and I have seen the farm they are raised on. I do occasionally purchase plants from the chap there. His roses are quite good.
The veg looks ok but it is quite expensive. The trealy farm stall sells very good produce and when I feel like a treat we do purchase a few bits from him.
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jema
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The veg looks ok but it is quite expensive. The trealy farm stall sells very good produce and when I feel like a treat we do purchase a few bits from him. |
The veg is the saving grace of our one, in that there is a range and freshness that you don't see in the Supermarket, there is no greengrocers around here at all
I don't think the prices on veg are too scary, and that also helps.
But then veg is only fresh when you buy it for the greens, so a once a week farmers market can't really be the main port of call for veg.
Shan
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I must admit we tend to do well through most of the year because we grow our own - it's only this time of the year that everything we eat seems to be leeks, kale, cabbage carrots & parsnips. I really must make more of an effort with growing squashes!
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evie2
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We don't have one near, all the ones I know about are 20 plus miles away and often on weekdays. Our local market, a mile away was taken over by cheep clothing stalls and the producers moved out. Tesco came in and stuffed the market up even more. I really didn't think it had survived but recently I saw a banners up for a farmers market so I'll try it out. We do use a farm shop, 3 miles away, a bit limited but good quality.
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NorthernMonkeyGirl
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There seems to be two kinds of Farmers' Market - one with lots of treats, home made venison pie, barrels of olives, hand made soaps... The other a new version of what I would just call "a market" - fresh local veg and meat primarily. More raw ingredients than prepared foods.
Sad, seeing as the old markets were left to die off and are now full of cheap clothes and mobile phone unlockers
At the minute, the first type I can only window shop at, the second I would love to have and use regularly.
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spuds
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well i never ,
i manage a farmers/produce market which is open every tuesday and friday with up to 16 stalls
can i get any true farmers! can i heck
yes i do think some goods are over priced
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Mistress Rose
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We are stall holders at some Farmers Markets, and I would like to reply to one or two of the comments made.
In Hampshire, Hampshire Farmers Markets (HFM) have markets, usually the same Saturday or Sunday each month at various places around the county. If you had a market each week in the same place stallholders would not be able to get to more than 1 or 2 ever, so some would die out. There are leaflets, a website giving dates, and you can even get a reminder e-mail about your local one.
For some small farmers this is their main outlet. It is not always possible, for access, planning and siting reasons to sell through your own farm. At other times the farmers will be working on their farm but because of the markets can get their produce to people all over the county.
We have tried a farmers market tacked on to an ordinary market. We do firewood, hand turned and carved items, bean sticks and other woodland and coppice products. Most people at that market prefered to buy the plastic alternative at the other part of the market, even though it may have been more expensive. We often didn't make our stall cost, so gave up with it.
We try to keep our prices reasonable, but the stall cost has to be taken into account, and this does mean we make very little profit some months.
If I do see a farmers market, I will look round and may or may not buy depending on whether I want something. I do buy from other stall holders at the markets we sell at.
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Cathryn
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My impression is that the Farmers Market in Winchester does okay. There is always a general market on at the weekend as well. Is this one of the ones you use Rose?
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chez
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Thank you, Rose, that's interesting stuff. Especially the reminder email thing.
Spuds, where are you looking for your producers and how much do you charge for a pitch?
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gardening-girl
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Hello Spuds.
We used to live near NA,and still visit the Smallholders Market/Market hall.Really good butcher that sells proper Hogs pudding.
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spuds
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to answer the two questions
do not have any one selling meats so it would be good to have someone come along with that,do not need any one with cakes/bread
had a guy doing shellfish for a few weeks would like that back
costs £24.00 per day we supply the stalls and tables
you can do just one day or both (Tuesday/Friday) every week
you must have public liabilty insurance
its no good just once a month,you the trader can't build a buiness
public need to know your going to be there each week
thank you for the good word about our butcher i will pass it on to him (bakers the Butcher)
contact markets@teignbridge.gov.uk
tel;01626215426
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chez
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We have spent quite a while getting someone to do meat on a regular basis. I will keep an ear open for you.
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gil
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There are differences in regional / national patterns of agriculture that affect FMs.
Here in southern Scotland, we never had a problem getting enough 'proper farmer' meat sellers for our farmers markets. Too many livestock farmers wanting stalls, if anything.
The main problem was finding fresh fruit and veg sellers, of locally grown produce. A climate thing : farming here is dairy, meat and arable for livestock feed. Not fruit/veg.
Horticulture wasn't viable for local smallholders to earn a living - one couple I knew, he went off working on Xmas tree plantations in the autumn/winter, and she made soup and preserves, to make ends barely meet.
Agree about the increased emphasis at FMs on 'treat' food rather than everyday / basics - it would have been hard for many small producers not to go with the pressure from national enterprise agencies towards the holy grail of 'value added' - i.e. more processed - foodstuffs. Even though the agency was at pains to point out that the producers and the product in themselves ('farmhouse-fresh' 'local', etc) were sufficient 'value-added'.
I think that needs to be balanced out against effects of recession on consumer behaviour (spending less and buying more basic food), and the possible negative associations of 'ready meals' with 'junk food', as not the kind of thing FMs should be selling.
And don't get me started on what appeared to be a franchise for marinated olives, right down to seeing the same products, containers, and stall layout whichever market I went to.
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Rob R
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There are differences in regional / national patterns of agriculture that affect FMs.
Here in southern Scotland, we never had a problem getting enough 'proper farmer' meat sellers for our farmers markets. Too many livestock farmers wanting stalls, if anything.
The main problem was finding fresh fruit and veg sellers, of locally grown produce. A climate thing : farming here is dairy, meat and arable for livestock feed. Not fruit/veg.
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That's another reason I opted never to do FMs.
chez
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And don't get me started on what appeared to be a franchise for marinated olives, right down to seeing the same products, containers, and stall layout whichever market I went to. |
We don't do that sort of thing - it doesn't fit in our stallholder criteria, thankfully.
If people are doing 'value added' stuff, then they have to get a certain amount of their ingredients locally. So the lady who does pies and savouries, for example, buys her meat by the animal, from the farm next to her on Exmoor.
Reading back through the thread, I think we, as a market, are suffering a bit from negatives that may apply to other markets but don't apply to us; the bought in stuff and 'treats only' stuff being good examples.
We want to be the sort of place the people can come every week and do most of their food shopping for their family; as well as offering 'treat' stuff as well. A viable alternative to the supermarket.
It's not going to be cheaper than supermarket own-brand stuff, obviously. But the quality will be better, the food traceability and the food miles will be better, for the money that customers spend.
ETA: Gil, we have fantastic veg down here, but have had a heck of a job getting meat
robkb
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interesting stuff. Especially the reminder email thing. |
This definitely helps. Our local market at Blackheath is part of the London Farmer's Market group (www.lfm.org.uk) and they email subscribers a newsletter specific to their market listing any special events eg plant fairs, carol singing, and also details of new or specialist traders.
Nick
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Then, let's concentrate on the good stuff. what will bring you to a fm?
Parking is true, but it's unlikely we can influence that for chez. Or can we?
If its pay and display, what level of spend would you like to see before you paid two quid towards their parking ticket?
For me, samples, samples, samples. I buy more food to eat on the spot than I take home. But, I have my meat from the freezer, and veg delivered. Eggs, bread, cheese, and cakes would be my shopping list I think. I rarely go, becaus I have a job on Tuesday's. I do use a lot of far shops as I pass them, however, which is kind of half way.
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chez
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I buy more food to eat on the spot than I take home. |
That is a very typical 'bloke' thing, apparently. There has been some money put in to studying shopping patterns at markets in Devon and Somerset and one of the big things that stood out is that men like to buy stuff to eat on the hoof.
Our juice chap was selling mulled and spiced apple juice last week in the cold and it was going down a treat. We are kicking around the idea of other stuff.
Financial incentives - money off type stuff - is going to be quite hard to set up, I think, because to make it fair, we would need to spread the cost across all of us and someone would have to administrate it.
Looking at the poll results, it's the perception that it's too expensive and the 'not the right time' things that are the two killers, so if we could start to address those somehow, that would do a lot of good.
jamanda
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I also still think it would be worth you doing the opposite thread, why do you shop at a farmers market?. Just as you have found negatives which don't apply to you, you might find positives that don't apply to you - yet.
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Nick
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It probably is a bloke thing.
For us, I tend to buy food I can eat now, like, within the next three minutes, or food that I can use to cook. She buys things in packets. She spends far more than I do, and yet I produce the food we can eat at mealtimes. I do not factor in buying tractors, or diesel, or freezers, or slaughterers because that way lies madness.
Anyway, I shan't derail the thread.
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chez
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I don't think that IS derailing the thread, it's all good insights in to marketing.
Jamanda, I will do that now, then!
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Nick
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I only meant because that's all our shopping, not just fm.
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chez
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Ah, right. Different kind of farmer's market
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