The concept of Farmers' Markets is not as new as it seems, farmers having sold their produce at their local market as far back in history as agriculture itself.

There has been a large impact on traditional ways of selling and buying food by the growth of convenience shopping, supermarkets and cheap imports, and this has resulted in a change in emphasis away from locally produced, 'proper' food, and whole generations have lost the connection between the food on their plate and how it came to be there. Now more people want to know where their food comes from and how it has been produced, harvested, transported and stored. Most importantly, they want to pass this knowledge onto their children and restore that missing link. At Shabden Park Farm, we are passionate about linking food and farming and enabling people, especially children, to make informed choices about the food they eat.

Why shop at a farmers' market?
A farmers' market is one in which farmers, growers or producers from the local area sell their own produce, in person, direct to the public. Their main emphasis is to help local farmers to sell their produce direct to the public and local to its origin, creating benefits to them, the environment and the local community.
Customers at farmers' markets enjoy being able to talk directly to the farmer, grower or food producer who has raised or made the produce they are selling and stallholders will always spare a few minutes to explain their methods and offer cooking advice to interested customers.

'Real farmers, real food'
Farmers' markets have become very popular in recent years and this has led to markets being set up under the title of 'farmers market', which are really general food markets or even craft markets. We feel this has damaged the integrity of farmers' markets somewhat. This is why we only invite the people who grow, rear, catch, bake, or produce their products themselves. Where stallholders make their products from other, primary, ingredients, we specify that they must source their major ingredients, like fruit or meat, from local or regional producers.