Hampshire Farmers' Markets

Our Producer of the Month this month is Roselea Apiaries who’ve been producing local honey from, naturally, local honey bees for twenty years.

John and Penny Crossburn tend around 200 hives, each of which are home to 50,000 worker bees. The hives are situated from the edge of the New Forest and Test Valley in groups of twelve on a site. John says he still gets stung four to five times a day but says he’s just got used to it.

Roselea produce clear, set, comb and New Forest Heather honey, that latter of which is produced from bees who have, as the name suggests, been moved to the heather in the New Forest which gives it a different flavour and texture from regular honey – quite unique.

John says local food inspires him due to the very fact that it is from the same area and you can talk to the producers at the stalls about their produce. Particular favourites are Fonthill Glebe Wines and Lardy cakes from the Flour Shop.

Of his own bees, John likes his set honey the best; he has it on his toast in the morning just after walking his two dogs.

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Handmade gourmet pie specialists Mud Foods use only local free-range meat and eggs with some of the ingredients being organic as well.

Christian Barrington, who runs the company, says he is inspired by seasons and the diversity of our food because we have such a varied weather system.

“It means that if you cook with the seasons you have an ever changing and exciting menu and diet and buying local food ensures that you’re getting the very best ingredients at their optimum freshness and tastiness.”

Mud’s favourite pie is their delicious steak & kidney. Christian says it gives him great sentimental memories of cooking with his Grandmother and helping her make her own famous steak & kidney pie.

Christian is enthusiastic about other producers at Hampshire Farmers’ Markets, from whom he sources much of his ingredients, “John Court, because his marvellous free-range chickens lay the eggs that I use in my pastry and my squiches. Mike Smales’ Lyburn Cheese which I’m using in my squiches. Sara Potter of Potts Pantry for the most inspiring cakes and a great coffee for the perfect start to a market along with Toby’s bacon from Bowtell’s Farm and I’m also particularly keen on the Blueberry Cookies from Dorset Blueberry Company. And I should also mention Blackmoor Game because I use some of their free-range meat in my pies.”

Christian says the best thing about HFM for him is the customers who he finds are really supportive of their local markets and their traders,

“Since attending Winchester I have never seen such a response from customers. I’m amazed by how many customers have taken the time to contact me and tell me how much they like what I do. Thank you.”

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Hyden Farm is a 300 acre farm on the edge of the Meon Valley and part of the South Downs national park.  The family has been farming in the valley since the mid 1800s and became organic 10 years ago as part of their efforts to be producing the very best meats and poultry that they can.

Hyden Farm also use  ‘old fashioned’ breeds, established at a time when the eating quality of the produce was of the upmost importance.  They try to blend their farming with a sympathetic approach to wildlife and natural habitat.  The farm is surrounded with mature woodlands and they are part of the environmental standard ship scheme, run by the government.

Their ethos is very much one of balancing nature with farming and producing a product that has had a more natural and slower paced life than the bigger producers and outlets can handle. They care they take is reflected in the quality of the produce, winning Best Organic food producers in Hampshire in 2008. Hyden Farm also has gold awards for their guinea fowl and bacon from the Great Taste awards.

April sees Hyden Farm bringing new season lamb to market, produced from our October lambing Pole Dorset Ewes. Being a Hampshire Farmers Markets producer enables Hyden Farms to visit more than one location and reach a much wider group of customers than they would achieve from just solely having the farm shop.  They say coming to market also gives them the opportunity to meet other producers and exchange information and ideas.

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Before we moved to the Smallholding at Tufton on the edge of Whitchurch, John and I had never looked after farm animals so we have experienced quite a learning curve. Our reason for moving was to increase the size of our plant nursery, but with the size of our holding, diversification became the name of the game.

We started with four sheep and that has now become a flock of around 55 of which we sell the meat privately and, more importantly to me, we use their fleece. It is important to me that we use as much of the animal as possible. The wool is truly sustainable requiring very little in the way of oil or chemicals to produce clothing, blankets and knitting yarn.

The pleasure and achievement our customers get from making their own items from our knitting wool is obvious from the pictures we see. As well as the sheep, we keep free-range poultry. We sell the eggs at market and also use them in our ‘very lemony’ Lemon Curd. (See Recipe of The Month).

Another part of the business is Preserves, home-made to traditional recipes, some handed down by my mother and that is how we came by the name ‘Pinkhams’ – a tribute to the many hours mincing orange peel for marmalade.

We have been coming to the Farmers’ Markets since it started over 10 years ago and its great advantage is that you can put together a great meal with the freshest of ingredients and actually talk to the people who are involved in its production. This makes the shopping experience quite unique – through it we have met so many interesting people, both fellow producers and customers.

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My Chocolate Bar, Partners Mark Hoadley & Pauline Donner:
Unable to find any locally hand crafted chocolates, Mark and Pauline set to and decided they would make their own. From the beginning they decided to produce fresh chocolates without the use of preservatives, additives or artificial flavourings.
After painstakingly mastering the art of chocolate making and sourcing local ingredients, came the small matter of naming the business.  And so ‘My Chocolate Bar’ was born.

What makes us so special and unique is the way we hand craft every chocolate truffle, each one different, using the finest Venezuelan Couverture blended with ingredients from Hampshire, and not a hint of preservative, artificial colouring or flavouring.  Our attention to detail with sourcing amazing produce really shows in the taste of our products.Not many people know but we only opened for business on 1st September last year…

Local food has always inspired us, we are both from local villages so appreciate the fine balance of fresh, organic, home-grown or homemade produce.  We support our local farm shops, you can taste the difference!

Our favourite product is probably where we differ, Mark loves the sea-salted caramels and Pauline, any truffle! All of them a favourite!

We use several different local producers in the making of our chocolates: Fonthill Glebe especially for their liqueurs which we use in some of our truffles and without the local Apiary of Hayden Gumn who supplies our honey we couldn’t make our Orange Honeycomb, and we have just discovered Lyburns rich creamy butter….

Hampshire Farmers Markets are a lively and friendly community within themselves. Each stallholder selling a unique sample of Hampshire produce. We are proud to now be associated.

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Godshill organics is a family run business and has been trading for 16 years. They offer the largest organic product range on the Isle of Wight and can be found on the Newport road between the villages of Godshill and Rookley.  Godshill Organics farms a total of 29 acres of organic land, on which they grow an extensive range of certified organic vegetables. These are marketed direct to their customers through our on-site shop, soil association farmers markets and via our doorstep delivery service.

In the past couple of  years they have added another string to their bow by farming their own organic pork.

The business is currently being passed down to the next generation of the Illman family. Roy and Ruth feel the time is right to pass the reigns onto their two sons, Lee & James who hope to continue the success of Godshill Organics for many years to come with the help of their wives Emma & Kirsty.

Roy and Ruth would like to thank all their loyal customers for the years of support and ask that they continue to support the boys and their two young families as they take Godshill Organics into a new exciting era.

GODSHILL ORGANICS AIMS:

1. To provide our customers with as wide a range of organic products as possible.
2. To promote organic principles by example and advice.
3. To produce fresh wholesome food without damaging the environment.

Godshill Organics believe they offer something special in that their produce is fresh, organic and locally grown. Everything grown with the seasons therefore the flavours are maximised and there is no cost to the environment and the food miles are minimal.

One of Godhill Organics’ favourite aspects of growing local food is that they get to meet and speak to the people buying the produce directly and the shoppers can speak directly to the producers.  That’s one of the huge benefits of having a stall at Hampshire Farmers Markets!

One of their favourite products it their coleslaw – good, they say, with everything!. can speak direct to the people who produce the products

And from January 2010, Godshill Organics is to have a new, second stall at Hampshire Farmers Market offering hot and cold food such as jacket potatoes, sausages rolls and proper pies with both meat and vegetarian options available – so make sure you look out for it next tome you’re at the market!

Click here to download your money off voucher for January from Godshill Organics

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Opening the very first Producer’s Profile, this month we’re delighted to be joined by market favourites Durleighmarsh Farm Shop.

Durleighmarsh Farm Shop and ‘Pick Your Own’ is a family-run business set in beautiful countryside on the Hampshire-Sussex border. It offers a huge range of top quality fruit and vegetable crops throughout the season plus a well-stocked farm shop full of wonderful local produce.

Roger and Alison Grange have been running the business for 14 years now and 2009 has seen an increase in the ‘Pick Your Own’ acreage to cope with demand.

• What makes Durleighmarsh Farm Shop and PYO’s offering so special?

We grow such a wide range of ‘Pick Your Own’ crops- not just strawberries and raspberries but blackcurrants, redcurrants, gooseberries, tayberries, loganberries and sunberries, as well as lots of different seasonal vegetable crops. What’s more, we do some lovely ice cream! Ben Govier from ‘Dylnas Ice-Cream’ has started making his ice-cream from our own fruit and so we now have Durleighmarsh Strawberry Ice-Cream and Blackcurrant Ice Cream in the Farm Shop. Watch this space as Raspberry Ice-Cream will be coming soon!!

• Tell us something about our company that not many people know about…

As we are CEVAS accredited we encourage and welcome school visits and have groups from nursery schools and playgroups, as well as primary, secondary schools and colleges, visitting us throughout the year.

• What inspired you to work with food?

To us, it’s the terrific variety and high quality of local food that inspires us. It’s amazing what fantastic produce is available within a few miles of us and we do all we can to source and stock it.

• What’s your favourite product that you grow?

Well- it just has to be strawberries……..or is it Raspberries or Blueberries…….. err… love them all!

• What other producer’s produce can you recommend?

If you have never tried it, you MUST try Blackburne & Haynes Jersey Cream – it is absolutely wonderful and is made at Headley by Celia Haynes and her family… try it and you will never look to another cream again!

• What makes Hampshire Farmers’ Markets so unique?

There is always such a buzz at the markets…even in the rain! Hampshire Farmers’ Markets are such a wonderful place to meet customers old and new as well as getting to know other stall-holders and their products. The markets are also useful as a pick up and delivery, exchanging produce with other producers and saving on those food miles!

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