WELCOME BACK, LOCAL MARKETS
WELCOME BACK, LOCAL MARKETS
To market, to market, urges
Peter Gott, who is no
slouch at producing and
retailing food himself
BEFORE the Second World War there were more than 400 Lancashire cheesemakers who in turn took their cheese to either market or auction or to the end user. In the Lune Valley the Burrows family attained higher prices than others, "two and sixpence per pound" in the 1930s and yet next door, the Towlers could only get "one and sixpence".
I asked Edna Burrows, now deceased, why her familys cheese was always one of the best and she said "attention to detail, we were always busy – morning to night, mother had us always thrang".
Today farmers markets are making a comeback. More farmers are going, and should go, to market to sell their own produce. But what market and where?
Alas – while you were away, local councils have been messing the job around. In Kendal, which was granted a market charter in the twelth century, a fine building still stands, built in the 1860s by public subscription, for farmers of the area to sell their produce. But in the last 20 years commercial pressures on this town centre site have taken away this opportunity that farmers had available for over one hundred years.
* Kendal market
Every Saturday, farmers and growers from the surrounding area sold their products at Kendal market. In the late 70s it became a mixed market, which brought in non-foods and a "charge" for stall rent. This charge increased year on year and became a rent, scrutinised on a commercial basis and then effectively made similar to local shops. Eventually five-day trading was incorporated into this market.
Some towns still have a traditional size and style of market. Barrow in Furness market, despite being put into the private sector, still clings to the past and producers still sell their products there. Despite commercial pressures it is still a relatively large market for the town, with availability for newcomers of all types.
Many places have seen town centre redevelopment with a reduced size market, which still allows for the market charter to be adhered to, but which, by the very reduction of its market, has taken away the variety that once attracted people in. Then alas, because of the reduced availability of spaces, this in turn has pushed up the rental.
A lively market will see food producers who attend on a day or a few days, bringing their goods fresh to market and sometimes offering a bargain. Many markets have increased days of trading in order to extract the most rent possible from the area – where food producers are concerned only one or two-day markets can be entertained because this ensures the product is gathered or made fresh for that day or days.
The idea of farmers markets which can be held on one or two days, serving an area, is therefore nothing new, its just the venues that are.
Perth farmers market is a recent success but traders fear that the local council will raise rents within a year or two which would then price them off their pitches. Perhaps councils need to take a less cost-concious stance and consider the wider benefits such markets give to producers, consumers and the town itself.
Asda has offered sites on its car parks for trial limited edition farmers markets. Restrictions have been placed, in many cases by local planning regulations, and the legal implications of trading against "charter markets" have limited these sites, but they have given some producers a "leg up" in selling their products direct. After all, to succeed in a farmers market you need people, and at least in an Asda car park you get people and parking is free.
* Only local
producers
Some farmers markets are only open to producers from the local area. While I agree they should be given priority, a speciality from further afield or a product of seasonal abundance should not be restricted. After all, the consumer is being denied this opportunity, and with the larger population in the south of the country it seems only fair that those in less populated areas should be allowed to trade should they wish to do so.
In London, the borough market at Southwark has persisted since last November in a food producers market, which is a style of farmers market, on the third Saturday of every month. In May there were some 31 stallholders of whom 25 were farmers or producers. June saw some 36 stallholders of whom nearly 30 were farmers or producers.
The theme to follow will be influenced by seasonal variations in produce as well as regular stallholders coming from all over the UK; so when apples are flush, an abundance of apple producers will be featured.
Markets have, from the beginning of time, been the place to barter and trade and with retail parks springing up all over the country and all looking very similar, farmers markets and local markets offer the chance of discovering regional identity again. Local people serving local people.
Farmers, get yourselves to market!
Peter Gott and his produce are a familiar sight at shows throughout Britain. A retailer for 25 years, he rears wild boar at Sillfield Farm, Endmoor, Cumbria, cures bacon and ham and makes cheese.