Shifnal Farmers' Market

Now that was a pleasant surprise.

A year or so ago Shifnal held a farmers' market. The apostrophe would at best have been singular in that instance though as the market consisted of four empty trestle tables and a wizened old woman selling month-old samosas from sundry tupperware. Ludlow apart, Shropshire markets do tend towards the embarrassing - a huddle of cake stalls under the town hall arches - but this was toe-curdling.

So, when we sauntered off for the re-launch of the market yesterday it was with a pocketful of scepticism, and a very small carrier bag. And we were proved rather nicely wrong. They'd closed the road, and set up 20 or so stalls with a pretty decent range of food considering Shifnal is a small, simple town with no pretensions to foodiness. (As an example of this, the bread stall had sold out by the time we arrived, not greatly surprising in a town where the Bakers doesn't actually sell bread).

The stall-holders themselves were rather surprised at the business they were doing, so it looks like we have an on-going concern. Anyone want to go into business with me selling rotisserie chicken there (as per Chamonix market)?


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