News from your Markets: Summer 2010
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 | News from TVFMC Issue 8: Summer 2010 | ||||
| In This Issue BBQ Week Kicks Off at Abingdon Go Wild In The Country! What to Buy this Summer Member News Easy Supper Recipe You Tell Us! | Dear Farmers' Market Supporter Welcome to the Summer edition of News from your Markets, the newsletter from Thames Valley Farmers' Market co-operative that brings you all the news about local food.What is the flavour of summer for you? The aroma of delicious cold-cuts of meat, rich patés and cheeses as you unpack the picnic hamper perhaps? The scent of herb seasoned sausages drifting across the garden from the barbecue? Or maybe the fragrant bouquet as you uncork a freshly chilled bottle of local white wine with friends? |
| Summer-time in this country is precious. All too short, we pack as much as we can into the long hot days and balmy evenings. Whether your summer social scene revolves around festivals, concerts, trips to the seaside, sporting events or family fun – make sure good food and drink feature at every opportunity! A stroll around your local farmers market will give you plenty of inspiration. Feast on the colours and breathe in the flavour of the best that Britain has to offer. Buy direct from producers who are just as passionate as you are about local food. | |
 Thames Valley Farmers' Markets are now on Twitter - follow us for regular market and special event reminders. | You have received this newsletter either because you registered for information on the TVFMC website www.tvfm.org.uk or you supplied your email address to us on Christmas Draw vouchers. If you do not wish to receive further newsletters or information from TVFMC please click on the unsubscribe link at the end of this newsletter. |
| Abingdon Market Kicks Off National BBQ Week | |
Whether you love football or loathe it, this summer you will not be able to escape the FIFA World Cup which kicks off on 11th June. Held in South Africa for the first time, the tournament will have millions glued to their TV’s. If you need an excuse for 4 weeks of barbecues, then here it is! UK National BBQ Week (31st May – 6th June) counts down to the start of the games and in honour of the host nation, has been renamed UK National Braai Week – Braai is Afrikaans for BBQ. At the National BBQ Week website you can download a traditional BBQ recipe for every one of the 32 competing nations. Better stock up on the charcoal now!  On Friday 21st May, Abingdon Farmers Market played its part in celebrating National BBQ Week and put itself in a World Cup mood. The sun blazed down on a BBQ cookery demonstration by Dushan Salwathura, chef and owner of the Broad Face pub and restaurant in Abingdon. Using a range of meat supplied by a number of stall-holders, Dushan treated market visitors to tasty samples that included freshly cooked chicken, burgers and lamb. Needless to say, there was always a crowd at the stall! Shoppers spending £15 or more received a free disposable BBQ and the party ambience was further enhanced by guitarist and singer Kai Jansen who entertained with music that crossed a wide range of genres. Of course, following the ‘footy’ can be thirsty work and if you want to toast England all the way to the finals, you will need to do it using a real English beer. There is plenty of choice at your local Farmers Markets. Micro-brewer, Appleford Brewery is based in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell in Oxfordshire and prides itself on producing character beers in low volume – like Brightwell Gold, a 4% light, refreshing, golden ale made with wheat and Goldings hops. Or why not wave the flag with Anastasia's Imperial Stout - an award-winning 8% beer from Ascot Ales (see Member News) For further information on members bringing beer and wine to the markets - check out our website. | |
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| Go Wild in the Country! Special Events this Summer  Our beautiful countryside is a living market garden – a landscape of rolling fields grazed by livestock, acres of waving crops reaching for the sun, shady orchards bursting with fruit and farms producing all manner of specialist delicacies. But it is also a great place to get out and explore. That’s what Countryside 2010 is all about (29th May - 13th June) a fortnight of events and attractions to tempt you off your sofa, show you some fun and keep you healthy. Visit the Countryside 2010 website and you will find plenty of ideas from canal boat trips to cycle rides, nature trails to food tastings, bat tours to jousting – the list is endless. And, of course, farmers' markets too!  Open Farm Sunday – 13th June. Do you care where your food comes from? Of course you do – and so do the farms that open their gates (don’t forget to close them behind you!) on Open Farm Sunday. It is a great day out and an opportunity to meet the farmers who produce your food and care for the countryside. Go to the Open Farm Sunday website to see a full list of participating farms. The Northmoor Trust’s Hill Farm will be open from 10am until 4pm with lots of activities and things to see and do. Why not enjoy a tractor and trailer ride, see sheep racing, meet Bel their new sheep dog, climb the hay bales and enter the Farm Olympics or Scarecrow Competition! There are also many wonderful trails to enjoy the peace and beauty of Northmoor Trust’s conservation farm and the Wittenham Clumps nature reserve. Why not make a day of it and have lunch at the Northmoor Trust’s poem tree café. For those of you who love machinery, there will be plenty of tractors and tools on show too! Check out our News page for regular updates on events throughout the summer. | |
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| What to Buy this Summer | |
| Locally Farmed Meat At all our markets, you will find a wide variety of local meat on offer; speciality sausages of all flavours, juicy steaks and chops. Tasty cooked meats - smoked and dry-cured. Buying local keeps down the food miles and buying direct from the producers means you will get plenty of helpful advice - many stall-holders will even supply recipes for you to follow.  Something Fishy?Fish is a healthy and light option and there are so many ways to enjoy it. On the barbecue, it is a great alternative to meat - how about prawn kebabs or steamed sea-bass? A wide selection of sea food including shellfish is delivered fresh to many of our markets. Fresh Baked Bread, Pastries & Cakes Planning a picnic or a party? At all our markets, you will find a great selection of speciality and artisan breads, quiches, flans, pastries, rolls and cakes. Just follow your nose! Salad Days It’s not summer without a crisp, crunchy salad. Mix it up; tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, salad onions and radishes will all be in markets as they come into season. Dress your salad with rapeseed oil grown and pressed locally - a delicious alternative to olive oil. Get Back To Your Roots With Vegetables  Roots, leaves, stems, pods, shoots,...surely no other food family is quite so diverse in looks or taste. There is variety all summer long. Here are just a few to look out for; Asparagus: a super-food with a unique flavour and versatility; eat on its own hot with butter or hollandaise sauce, cold in salads, delicious in risotto and quiches. New season’s carrots: tender and sweet when cooked. Baby carrots are just grate(!) to eat raw in salads. Broad beans: young broad beans are also versatile eaten hot with herb and rapeseed oil dressing, or cold in salads. New potatoes: essential accompaniment to barbecue food, eat them hot with butter and parsley or mint, or warm in a herb mayonnaise. Spinach and chard: small leaves are excellent in salads, larger leaves can be wrapped around fish for barbecues. Follow The Fruit Get into the habit of following fruits as they come into season. Early favourites like rhubarb and gooseberries make way for mid season soft-fruit classics such as strawberries, raspberries and lush redcurrants that are just waiting to be thrown into a refreshing fruit salad. Cherries straight from the orchard make a high season highlight and as the days start to shorten once more, there are apples, pears and blackberries still to look forward to. Please note: Availability of produce is weather dependent. If you are making a journey to a market for a particular seasonal product it is advisable to contact the trader in advance to check availability. Check out our website for contact details for fruit and vegetable traders. | |
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| Member News | |
| New Members It’s a great summer for cake-lovers as we give a very warm welcome to two new members;  loveacupcake.com will be at our Ascot market. If you are looking for something a bit different, this is the stall to head for. Hand-decorated cupcakes made using the finest ingredients. Treat yourself or someone you love to a unique gift!Utterly Delicious Cakes is new to the Little Chalfont market. Run by Siobhan Schiavi, this new member specialises in making cakes, biscuits and meringues. The clue is in the name! Members "in the News" | |
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| You tell us! |
| You tell us! If you have a favourite recipe made with produce from the markets, please tell us and we’ll publish it in News from the Markets. We would like to make sure your shopping experience is the best, so please tell us your views on the markets, produce and stall-holders. Email your recipes, comments and suggestions to: info@tvfm.org.uk |
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