Charlbury Farmers' Market, Oxfordshire - Saturday, 14th March 2015

Charlbury, a small-village like country town in the Evenlode Valley in West Oxfordshire, adjacent to Wychwood Forest and the Cotswolds, hosts a large farmers' market which meets just four times per year.  This is fairly unusual with most other markets meeting monthly for the regular supply of favourite items from various stallholders.
 
However, I think that Charlbury's regular, irregular market options creates a buzz about the market which draws people to it, giving the Event an extra quality, encouraging folks to it like bees about a honey pot.  The Town provides an excellent back drop to the market on the playing field in the town's centre and I can imagine how well the local Cotswold stone homes look when the sun is out, shining down on them.

For this first Market, the air was cold and damp and the sky grey, conditions which had not dampened people's appetite to buy, gaze and wander about, chatting with friends and stallholders alike, delighting to be out and about again and looking forward to the first day of Spring.

Mother's Day on the morrow was also much in the minds of stallholders and visitors with cakes and bakes, flowers, wine and fruit flavoured gin prettily packaged to please any mother on Mother's Day.

I chatted away to well-known and new stallholders, admired and photographed, bought honeycomb and biscuit gifts and succumbed to hot coffee and a raffle ticket before driving away.

I bought a delicious, locally sourced, English Honeycomb from Mr. G.J. Burroughs of Halcyon Honey Farm, Charlbury which has already been devoured, it being so very good, don't you know!

Their range also includes hand creams, wax candles, soap and honey presented in a variety of containers....

For contact - email: burroughs871@btinternet.com

And Mr. Nathan Tuckwell, presented me with one of his Black Pudding apple Pies,from his Pie and Mighty Pies collection, a kindly given free gift for mistakenly giving me two same mixture pies last time at Deddington.   And the Black Pudding apple Pie perfectly succulent and more-ish!!! -  for email contact -  orders@pieandmightypies.co.uk




To Stainswick Farm stall for their Rape Seed Oil and  Honey & Mustard Salad Dressings......

And For contact - www.stainswickfarm.co.uk

We sampled this tasty Dressing by dipping white bread croutons into a ramekin of its lovely brightness - delicious!!!

For something sweet I stopped at Once Bitten Pastries to view their Muesli, Fudge, Nuts, Macaroons and all things delicious: contact  Jo Thompson  on - www.oncebittenltd.co.uk......

To Callow Farm Shop for locally reared and sourced meat, bacon and all kinds of local farm produce....contact details - callowfarm.co.uk/

Next to Palace Caterers for sweetly decorated biscuits for Mother's Day, Hot Cross Buns, Tarts, Cakes and  Bread:  for contact: -  email: palace.cuisine@btconnect.com....

And My Market purchases of decorated biscuits and hot cross buns from Palace Cuisine and  English Honey from Halcyon Honey Farm

The Old Chapel Fudge Company took my attention next - well I used to make fudge in my own kitchen but this product is really Tablet, Scottish by name and somewhat more crumbly than English fudge but with the same ingredients, so I deduce it is all down to the final boiling temperature of the cooked mixture.  My fudge was never crumbly but rather soft and luxurious, depending on the flavourings and extras added and used!  For contact - www.oldchapelfudge.co.uk

To view Bibury Trout Farm stall next, whose stall I first encountered at Deddington's Christmas Farmers' Market event and where I bought several of their particular products.  They were all exc ellent, tasty and good freezeable items, which worked  out very well for me.  Here's a photo and their contact details -  www.biburytroutfarm.com...

Next to my old friends from Deddington and Adderbury, The Meat Joint, who have excellent cuts, faggots and all other manner of most satisfactory meat products; they also do a home delivery service which is compelling.  Find them at - Email:mail@themeatjoint.co.uk  and see them here...

Now, my visit to Charlbury has produced many photos and much writing to be done so I will conclude my Charlbury blog, in a second post, to be sent out very shortly...!

References:   I have consulted Wikipedia the free encyclopedia for details of Charlbury - re: in the Evenlode Valley in West Oxfordshire, adjacent to Wychwood Forest and the Cotswolds,

So I record my thanks to Wikipedia the free encyclopedia for this information.

Well, happy jaunts to farmers' markets and events everywhere and so do watch out for my second Charlbury Farmers'  Market visit very shortly.

toodle loo Daisy xxx

Saturday for Fairs and Markets - Saturday, 21st March, 2015

And for doing one's blogs!!!

Well, Spring has sprung and the sun's been eclipsed......

here we are, out walking, just as rhe sky is beginning to lighten in shade from that coffee murkiness to a rather black-blue hue

well partially anyway, and today is as cold and dull as it could possibly be!  Saturday's are meant for fun, like last Saturday when I tootled down to Charlbury Village to enjoy their Farmers Market and view the village.

It's quite an ancient village with an attractive playing field at its very heart and this is where their farmers market sets up its stalls.

And there were a great many stalls, many of them being well-known to me for their excellent produce and crafts.  Those producers new to me were good to meet and chat with and altogether I spent an interesting and useful time there on a somewhat bleak Saturday morning.

UGM Nurseries....


I have many photos of Charlbury which I include in my next blog - Charlbury Farmers' Market, Saturday, 14th March 2015....Find it soon on my Blogger The View from Here!

Well, it's perfectly delightful being out and about on a Saturday but today I'm AT HOME catching up with emails, and texts and blogging and here it is, at 4.30 and I'm still at my laptop trying my hand at writing, loading up photos and tidying up my blogging matters.

So after my visit to Charlbury I visited my sister Georgina on my way home, giving us a happy hour to chatter for a while before I drove back to Banbury.

And this week has been so busy with gardening and my local WI activities, and going out to dinner with WI friends and even doing a spot of housework!!!

What of next week well....more of the same and then more!  Well, its all good fun and soon it will be Easter and I must send off those Easter eggs to my grandchildren and there's a few birthday presents to be wrapped up soon too!  Hey ho a busy life is good fun, hey!!!

Happy weekend everybody  ....

Daisy

Fairtrade Fortnight 2015 Events in Banbury, Oxfordshire - February 23rd - March 8th 2015

The Fairtrade Foundation has once again set its banners flying high over Banbury with two "Big Brew" events for Fairtrade Fortnight.

Banbury has had its status as a Fairtrade Town confirmed as such since 2009, with the good support of Banbury Town Council and the hard work of the Banbury Fairtrade Steering Committee.

Fairtrade goods are sold in various shops in Banbury such as Sainsbury's, Marks and Spencer, The Co-operative stores and at the Oxfam Book Shop.  Banbury also hosts a Fairtrade Fiesta each year and plans are now in hand for this year's Fiesta in May.

The Fairtrade Foundation promotes fairer trading for those who own and work the land, assisting them to realise  more from their efforts for their better future survival.  The National Federation of Women's Institutes was a founder member of the Fairtrade Foundation and continues to campaign for the Foundation.

A current NFWI campaign aims to bring about a huge movement for change for the banana crop with regard to the raw economics battle over supermarket selling charge and production costs.  With Fairtrade assistance, many owners and workers are supported in their efforts but still some others do fail to benefit.  The WI is working to bring about better economical status for all who are involved in this particular industry.

The Fairtrade Foundation came into being to help improve the lives of all people involved in the production of indigenous food in far-flung countries, to get a fairer deal for their poverty driven existence, be more in control of their future and that poverty which threatens to defeat them.

The two "Big Brew" events in Banbury were held on Thursday, 5th March at The Whistling Kettle on Market Square, with good sales of own products and free Fairtrade tea and coffee. I unfortunately, was unable to attend this event which happily, was most successful for all concerned.  However, I was able to participate in the event held on Saturday, 7th March, at the Marlborough Road Methodist Church Hall, where a large and varied display of  all Fairtrade Products were on hand for sale, alongside a Community Action Group free give-away of community supplied goods.  Hot coffee and tea with homemade cakes and biscuits were on sale and a very lively and welcoming atmosphere greeted all visitors to this popular event.

For last year's events, Fairtrade supporters sported yellow banana-style outfits which were most entertaining and welcoming and...I must say, were very well carried off by those friends of mine who were thus involved.

So now its all systems-go for this year's Fairtrade Fiesta.....which I hope will once again provide Banbury with a very enthusiastic and lively summer event for all to enjoy.   Here are some photos to view of Fairtrade Fiesta 2014 in the Town Hall, where Adderbury & District WI supplied the refreshments and homemade cake stall, from Banbury's Food Festival last August 2014, where Fairtrade had a stall plus photos of  banana-style wearing Fairtrade Friends and for the two "Big Brew" events for 2015.

Adderbury & District WI Refreshments stall at the Fairtrade Fiesta in Banbury  April 2014

At Banbury's Food Festival August 2014 where Fairtrade Friends  wore their distinctive  banana-style outfits - here is Virginia with Banbury's new Mayor and the Town Crier

and see our Fair Trade Coffee bought from Fairtrade's stall -

Then photos of the  "Big Brew" event in Banbury on 7th March at the Marlborough Road Methodist Church Hall....

Fairtrade ahoy!

Banbury is a Fair Trade Town

Fairtrade Products

Fairtrade Crafts



And Community Action Group's free community give away items'  stall......

And here is the Fairtrade Poster for the "Big Brew" event on Thursday, 5th March...

What a pity I had to miss this Event!!! X




Where's that bar of Fair Trade Chocolate - I need some chocolate!!!

Daisy

Market by The Green, Adderbury Oxfordshire - Saturday, 7th March 2015

On a bright shiney Saturday morning, the energetic team behind Market by The Green, opened their doors to a very pretty collection of craft, food and gift stalls for the first market meeting of 2015.  The green looked very good in the warm sunshine and so did The Institute, bedecked for the day's activities...

Through the open doors, the stall belonging to Aunty Alice by Tricia Lusted  is just to be seen. Tricia makes the most attractive knitted goods and accessories in beautiful yarns,  Find her on e; tricialusted@gmail.com

Just look at Tricia's adorable mice - you must agree they are perfectly enchanting!!!


The next stall is Cardewellery Gift Shop - for stunning cards.  Find them on -
www.facebook.com/Cardewellery...

Then on to The Coven Spa for all preparations gorgeous, plus lovely boxed items for Mother's Day gifts...

For very acceptable gifts for oneself, why not choose a new pen from Cotswold Pens by 

the Association of Woodturners of Great Britain

and find them by email at - andy@cotswoldpens.co.uk or by 'phone     07545 146085

Next to pots of homemade preserves and sweet jars - 

The Plum jam looked particularly inviting.

Also inviting, the stall of The Little Goat Soap Company, for natural handmade goats milk soap....

contact them on  - www.thelittlegoatsoapcompany.co.uk

For delightful handcrafted gifts for babies and children and personalised cushions, the stall to visit is Issy Bea's who can also be found on Facebook at - www.facebook@gmail.com/IssyBeas and contacted on issybeas@gmail.com.....

Next for handmade jewellery and attractive scarves to savour I visited Susie Lu Jewellery's stall to view her colourful pieces,,,,. Find Susie Lu at - 

                                                      https://www.facebook.com/susie.l.jewellery

And then there was - All You need is Cake with Amy Davies' beautiful pink-layered and iced sponge cake.  I bought a slice of this for Him Indoors and one of Amy's gluten-free brownies for me for eating at home...

Find Amy at - allyouneediscake@mail.com or 'phone her on - 07702554644 - both buys were delicious.

Finally to Vicky Wolfe Pet Portraits stall to view her wonderful collection of pet portraits - taken from your own photographs with paint or photography.  Contact her on - wolfeworld1@btinternet.com  or by 'phone on 07837 669492.

A "must-do" is to visit the Market's refreshment's stall for coffee and a chocolate muffin while I inspected my morning's photos,  For my next Market visit at the end of April, I shall be  staying for coffee and lunch and possibly a crumb of cake comfort too - well, we shall see, hey!!!

Market by The Green is next at The Institute on Saturday,  25th April; the date is already written up in my diary and the Event is much anticipated already.  I hope the weather is as good as it is today,,,,,

Toodle loo! xxx

Daisy