As you will see if you read any of my other recent post I have become addicted to Winchester Farmers Market. But what a wonderful event it is. The market is open every second and last Sunday of the month but a full list can be found on the website above. Trading starts at 9am and goes on till 2pm. The market begins where Middle Brook Streen meets St Georges Street at the bottom of the above map and continues up to the parking lot across Friarsgate. After having visited a variety of other farmers markets I must admit that Winchester stands shining on top of the list.
The London Borough Market has much to offer in terms of exciting foods, great coffee and plenty of tasters. That is of course if you come just when the market opens. If you come an hour later you will not get any tasters and you will be pushed and shoved through the very narrow market ailes.
In comparison to this I would say that Winchester is about the same size – maybe a bit bigger. The ailes are much wider allowing people to actually walk from stall to stall. The tasters are more plentyfull throughout the day and the prices are also a bit friendlier for your wallet.
Recently, I have also been to a small farmers market and easter fair at Guy’s Thatched Hamlet just outside Preston. The place is nice enough although the fair was a bit too commercial with bouncy castles and loud music. The food at the farmers market was very reasonably priced and the tasters where in abundance. But there didn’t really seem to be very much sold. Seems like people mostly came to eat some tasters while their childen had a go on the bouncy castle and then they where of to Tesco to buy dinner.
In comparison again Winchester seems to attract people who are looking to buy good homemade locally produced foods. There is no need for bouncy castles to attract children and the tasters are there to help you choose what food you want to buy not as an attraction in themselves. And because the food is fairly cheep compared with supermarket prices you actually end up buying it for your dinner instead of filling up on tasters and running to Tesco afterwards.
All in all it is not difficult to see that I am a great fan of Winchester Framers Market in general. In the following I will try to go through some of the stalls from which I have bought food recently and report on how it was.
Lewry’s Traditional Butchers
This stall offers a variety of different sausages in small packs of 3 sausages at £1 each. Their Pork and Cider sausages where a great succes when cooked on the grill. Also last Sunday I decided to treat myself to their Hog Roast in a bun at around £3. They had a hog roast in the back and the good wholemeal bun was filled with some meat, a bit of stuffing some apple sauce and finally some scratchings. It was magnificent. Lewry’s is situated as the first stall to the right as you cross over Friarsgate to the parking lot.
Blackburne and Haynes
Blackburne and Haynes have a Jersey Herd at their farm Meadow Cottage Farm by Bordon which also has a farmshop. I tried a tub of their strawberry Jersey ice cream to celebrate that spring was near and the sum was shinning. It had a distinct flavour of Jersey cream which they also advertise and I liked it in small amounts but think it might be to overpowering in larger quantities. Luckely the ice cream is available in a variety of flavours in 110ml tubs as well as 4, 2 and 1 litre tubs for sharing. I believe that Blackburne and Haynes are only at Winchester Farmers Market the last Sunday of the month and last time they where situated next to the coffee stand just before Middle Brook Street meets Friarsgate.
Pollen Organics
Pollen Organics are situated on the east side of Middle Brook Street and have a product range which includes: pesto, sauces, mayo, dressings, relishes, nuts and olives. So far I have tried their mayo and houmous and both where very nice. All their products are organic and where possible made from local ingredients. The need for organic mayo came about when Jamie Oliver reminded us that even though we are ever so set on only buying free range eggs a whole range of the products in our fridge will still include eggs from regular battery farmed eggs. This promted my partner to swear that he didn’t want buy anymore mayo. However, I felt sorry for hom since I know he likes mayo on his sandwiches and now he can have it and feel good about it too.
Thats it for now! I am sure that next time I go to I will have more to tell.