Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
1
The Council has been renovating the market ground for ages - it feels longer than it took Hadrian to build his wall. And it’s still not finished. I think it may have had an effect on several of the traders at the monthly farmers market and they’ve gone off and found other venues for the last Sunday of the month.
But there’s still a decent number. There’s excellent beef from the folk who farm on Anglesey - the two hour drive must be worth their while. And there’s equally excellent lamb from a Lancashire farm. There’s stalls aplenty offering baked goods which would be well worth trying if you didnt share your life with someone who is a keen amateur baker - but we did buy a wimberry pie from Park Hall at Bury. There’s a couple of cheesemakers - Leagrams from Lancashire offer the tangy “Bob’s Knob” (stop giggling at the back). And Mr Bourne was there selling his Cheshire - they’ve just been a finalist in the BBC Food Awards - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/MZyqhv7PzT4DbC65XY02W4/best-food-producer. Janet from Abbey Leys Farm sold us some free range eggs, as well as a jars of honey and lemon curd.
3 Likes
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
2
We last went to this market just before Christmas, mainly to get some Bourne’s Cheshire cheese.
We’d hoped to get more this morning but no sign of Mr Bourne. We did stock up on beef from Anglesey (a couple of Welsh Black sirloin steaks and some mince). And lamb from the , erm, lamb guy - chops and casserole lamb (I see South Asian food in my near future). A dozen eggs from Abbey Lees’ free range Leghorns - perfect white shells and, I’m sure, really yellow yolks.
Still on meat, there was a new trader doing their first ever farmers market. Asmus Farm Cottage on the northern edges of the metro area and raise free range, rare breed pigs (Gioucester Old Spot & Saddlebacks). We bought fab tasting sausages, some bacon and some loin steaks (deboned chops with a nice layer of fat round them. Hope they do well - the market needs soemone selling good quality piggy.
Also newish to the market, Robinson’s , from just up the road in Failsworth, describe themselves as “Manchester’s Oldest Family Run Craft Bakery” and, founded in 1864, it probably is. We didnt buy bread but did buy potato cakes (which will make a nice breakfast with the eggs, sausage and bacon bought elsewhere) and, joy of joys, Eccles Cakes, topped with apple baked into the pastry. They look delish
