Summer Street Party

Inspired by BeanSprouts' recent offering on the subject of her local farmer's market, I thought I would post a few lines about our local Sunday market and illustrate it with some photos taken on my new camera (see Coolpix below).

Our market is held every Sunday in the car park behind the Tobacco Factory. It's an interesting mix of food, clothes, jewellery, art, cleaning products etc. There are a few regulars and other that surprise us. It used to be held once a month but then increased to weekly. I feared this might be too much to hope for, but it appears that I was wrong, and it continues to thrive, even in the most inclement weather.

I don't make it every Sunday but when I do my favourite stalls are those selling food - cheese, jams & pickles, coffee, tea, olives and pies, but I have from time to time picked up various pieces of jewellery as gifts. The best thing about local markets, apart from the quality and freshness of the food, is the opportunity to talk to the producers about what they are selling. They are always very passionate about their wares and, in the case of food, are a mine of information about how to store and prepare it.

Today was a special Summer Street Party. The road outside the car park was closed and there were extra stalls set up along the pavements including a barbecue and bar, with tables and chairs sprawled across the street. It was hot and sunny, Fromage en Feu were playing the tango and the party was in full swing.

If I can remember how to set it up there are photos on my Flickr slideshow to the right, and for those within sustainable transport reach of the Tobacco Factory there are two more Summer Street Parties on from 10:30 am t 4:30 pm on 17 August and 21 September respectively.