Fairy’s Fair: UK Farmer’s Markets Resist Supermarkets
OH, for the farmers’ market, that chance to buy misshapen fruit and veg from honest and misshapen tillers of the land.
Like Verity, who ferments olives in her artisan bathtub; Bryony, who puts hot chorizo sausages in Pitta breads; and Ivor who can recall the halcyon days of That’s Life when farmers were celebrated for carrots that looked like a penis and marrows on nodding terms with Ted Heath.
The Guardian pulls on Gabriel Oak’s smock and journeys to a farmers’ market in Bath.
The results of the field trip are written up in “In a jam: farmers markets agonise over selling out, expansion (and olives)”.
Angela Morris is selling “Fat fairy fudge” – fingers of fudge moulded into the form of Oscar Wilde, George Michael (early years) and Russell Grant.
But all is not well. A “bitter row” is bubbling. The farmer’s market industry is worth £200million. And this market’s landlord wants to expand the operation. A Mr Rich tells us that farmers’ markets are about local people selling local produce. If Bath market expands, the traders fear there won’t be enough locals to produce the good and regular traders will be allowed in.
A Mr Homewood says: “I like the olive people but you can’t pretend that olives are local, can you?”
You can make olive wine? And stuff them…
Posted: 5th, November 2007 | In: Broadsheets Comments (2) | TrackBack | Permalink
