DUCK POND FARMERS MARKET

The Great Barn, Manor Farm Site, Ruislip, HA4 7QL

25.05.09

What’s special about our Farmers Market?

☺An almost entirely indoor farmers market – this allows stall holders to sell in relative comfort, and afford customers the same comfort for shopping, allowing everyone to enjoy DPFM in all weather!

☺A 50 mile radius that we will try and stick to in every case possible – obviously fresh sea caught fish is not available from within exactly 50 miles, but it’s not far off! If we can’t find a producer within 50 miles of Ruislip, we will go further afield, but we really want to try and keep it as local as possible. A lot of farmers markets work by saying their sellers have to be from within 50/75/100 miles of the M25 – so this could add another 30 miles on top depending where they are based in London – they are completely honest about this, and it’s not wrong, it’s just that we will strive to be really local! We launched with the majority of our producers coming from under 25 miles.

☺If a product isn’t available in the UK, and we believe it will benefit the market like tea and coffee (we all need a cuppa of a morning!) then we will ensure it is fairly traded, therefore still supporting small producers, just a bit further afield!

☺Children’s entertainment – a magical face painter, a petting zoo, and beautiful vintage swingboats, will allow families to have a lovely morning with something for even the littlest family member whilst you shop sustainably, locally and ethically!

☺Our great new Farmers Market Cafe – as far as we know, this is a unique idea – we provide large communal tables, with Sunday papers and fresh flowers to prettify them – and we ask all our traders to try and bring something that customers can sit and eat at the market – this month it included hot locally reared bacon and sausage rolls available, freshly made Goan curry, excellent crepes, fair trade tea & coffee, as well as breakfast smoothies, local apple juice, home made cakes and pastries, sandwiches, quiches and tarts and much more!

Keep It Local! Why buy direct? Because all the produce at the market has been grown, reared or produced by the people who are selling it you can find out everything you want to know about the food here by asking the producers directly. When you buy direct from the producers – the money you spend goes to the people who actually do the work to produce the food you’re eating, rather than to supermarkets and wholesalers – you’re helping small family farms to survive. Small and medium sized farms in the UK are disappearing fast: between 1993 and 2002 over 100,000 farmers and farm workers left farming. While the average age of British farmers is 59, Britain’s high land prices mean it’s getting more and more difficult for young people to get into farming. All the farmers here come from small farms, and most are younger farmers trying to get started. So by shopping at the market you’re helping to ensure that small farmers and producers in the UK have a future!

HELP SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MARKET!