Local Market Day

On the last Thursday of every month a small market is held in a local hall within walking distance of where I live. It's been running for a couple of years and I have been meaning to go and have a look. So at the end of April I took my mother, and she managed to walk there using her new walking aid. I was trying to encourage her to get out a bit and she was as keen as me to see what was on offer.
The first visit was quite disappointing for me because there were no organic vegetables and the few things on sale were a bit tired looking. However there was some lovely meat and cheeses, home made pies and pasties, local jam, honey, pickle, and a chocolate stall (they looked wonderful but were not giving samples worst luck and I did steer clear (mum didn't). There were also a few plants for sale.
March 07- is she going to be tempted by a quiche...
Selection of pies, pasties and meat.
Mum got a little carried away!!!!!!
I did buy a couple of venison and red wine pies, pasties and cheese scones (for Embee) and a blueberry muffin for me (very disappointing so won't make that mistake again). The locally produced horseradish was tasty and I don't think Embee has tried the piccalilli yet. The faggots were alright. I remember, as a child, collecting hot faggots and peas, (you took your own bowl). They were made by an old lady and sold from her shop in our small country town (an early take away).

Mum enjoyed it and wanted to go again and I felt it was worth another trip. So last Thursday on a sunny afternoon off we trundled. It was much better this month. .
April 07
There was plenty of produce grown in Cheltenham, about 30 miles away, but it was not organic. I had a long chat to the guy and he had some old variety of strawberries (can't remember the name should have written it down) and they were delicious. With more fruit and veg coming into season he's going to be there every month through the summer and he tells me he has masses of blueberry bushes so can't wait but he is quite expensive.

This pasty was hot and I had to get one for Embee......

and yes he did enjoy it!!


As you can see I didn't buy very much, the eggs are double yolked but I haven't used them yet. My mother came back with quite a lot but I did manage to steer her past the jewelery stall which had some very pretty necklaces that she quite fancied.
She's already talking about going next month so I think this will become a regular trip.

Postscript:
You may not be familiar with 'Faggots' (type of meatball)!!

this is the wikipedia version which is about right (it also details the American version of the word nothing to do with food).

("A faggot is a kind of meatball, a traditional dish in the UK, especially the southwest of England, Wales, and the Black Country. It is made from meat off-cuts and offal, especially pork. A faggot is traditionally made from pig heart, liver and fatty belly meat or bacon minced together, with herbs added for flavouring and sometimes breadcrumbs. The mixture is shaped in the hand into balls, wrapped round with "caul" (a membrane from the pig's abdomen), and baked. A similar dish, almôndega, is traditional in Portugal.
The first use in print cited in the OED is in 1851, from Thomas Mayhew, although this appears to be a calzone- or pasty-like dish, with an outer wrapper of caul, covering a filling of mixed pork offal. This was in London.
The dish saw its greatest popularity with the rationing during World War II but has become less popular in recent years. Faggots are usually homemade and are to be found in traditional butchers' shops and market stalls.
A popular dish is "faggots and peas," which is often served with gravy. The faggot and pea batch is a common post-pub snack in the West Midlands. Faggots are also known as "ducks" in Yorkshire and Lancashire, often as "savoury ducks". "In Leigh market in 1905 you could buy a savoury duck rolled up in an oatmeal cake.")