Taste-T day out for good food lovers
Mar 26 2008 by Jane Hall, The Journal
SHOPPERS will have triple the reason to visit Alnwick Farmers’ Market this week.
For the venture is not only celebrating getting the official stamp of approval from the National Farmers’ Retail and Markets Association (FARMA), but will also have a new modern look with stalls decked out in Alnwick’s town colours of gold and blue.
To celebrate, organisers are bringing together the cream of the area’s food producers alongside BBC Masterchef Goes Large finalist and Journal blogger David Hall, at a buy local event to promote north Northumberland’s food and drink.
Taking place this Friday, shoppers will be able to taste their way around stalls selling fresh meats, fish, cheeses, baked goods and vegetables and buy directly from producers including Berwick-based Well Hung & Tender with their award-winning Aberdeen Angus beef; wild mussel harvester Steve Oldale, who plies his trade around Holy Island; ‘lamb man’ Jimmy Bell from Longhorsley, and Matthew Rawlings of the Great Northumberland Bread Company.
The event is part of an international project – Taste-T – which aims to promote Fair Trade, local and organic food and drink as well as arts and crafts while encouraging the producers responsible for these and providing them with a platform to sell their wares.
Taste-T project manager Kathryn Potts, who is also involved with Alnwick Farmers’ Market, said: “We are thrilled to have achieved official farmers’ market status which will give consumers even greater confidence that everything on sale is produced locally. It’s all about getting people enthused about the quality array of local produce which is right here on their doorstep and drumming up support for producers.
“The demand for cheap food means farmers are forever pressed by supermarkets to produce goods at rock bottom prices, and they are not getting a fair return for their efforts. The Taste-T project is about working with producers and butchers to help them add value to their product which they can then sell directly to the public at events such as this.”
Farmers’ markets have become extremely popular over the last decade as public awareness has increased about the wealth and quality of local produce available, and they are fast becoming a barometer for the health and vitality of towns like Alnwick.
Such events now provide an exclusive venue for around 10,000 local food producers nationally to sell their own goods directly to the consumer.
But not all farmers’ markets are genuine. Hence the introduction of the FARMA accreditation scheme.
FARMA standards manager, Sue Thomson, said: “The term ‘farmers’ market’ is not a legally recognised definition and a large number of farmers’ markets have expressed concern that it can be, and is, being misused. When this happens the livelihoods of genuine producers are threatened.
“Certified farmers’ markets are for local farmers, growers, bakers, brewers and processors who use locally grown and reared ingredients to sell their own produce direct to the public. This cuts out the middlemen and ensures the producer gets a realistic price for the goods on offer.”
Rubbing shoulders with shoppers and stallholders at this Friday’s buy local event will be farmers’ market colleagues from Bucharest, Ireland, West Yorkshire and Dorset who are making the trip to Northumberland to learn from the success story of Alnwick.
This Friday’s farmers’ market will run from 9am until 2pm in Alnwick Market Place. David Hall from Cleadon, South Tyneside, will be demonstrating how to best use and cook ingredients sourced from local producers and stallholders there on the day.
