Cornwall farmers’ market ‘gives a reason’ to visit, named second best market in UK

A farmers’ market in Cornwall has been named one of the best in Britain. Truro Farmers Market has just topped the national survey – coming second behind the market in Winchester, Hampshire.

Truro’s gathering of local producers came out ahead of those in major cities including Edinburgh and Cardiff. The market, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, started as a cooperative of local farmers keen to connect directly with customers on their doorstep and now trades every Wednesday and Saturday on Lemon Quay.

Known for its green and white striped stalls and huge range of produce, it sells everything from grass-fed beef to sushi-grade fish, organic vegetables and freshly baked bread. There are also street food and craft stalls, with specialty stalls currently including Cornish Sea Salt, The Little Cornish Dog, The Cornish Olive Stall and Ruby June’s Indian Kitchen.

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Market co-ordinator Stewart Girvan said: “We often hear anecdotally from visitors that we are a fantastic advertisement for Cornish produce and that they wish they had something like it where they live. It’s good to hear that the concrete data confirms what a wonderful little market we have here in the city of Cornwall!”

The praise for Truro Farmers Market came in a survey carried out by HelloFresh to highlight the wealth of summer produce the UK is enjoying. It ranked the markets by looking at factors such as frequency, how long the markets last, how many stalls can be found there and online visitor ratings.

Two-and-a-half decades on from the market’s inception, chairman Graham Bradshaw believes farmers’ markets are even more important to towns and cities as they try to reinvent themselves in the home-based age.

He said: “You have to give people a great reason to come into town and stay for a while for the benefit of other businesses. And what better reason than delicious food and drink and the inspiration of local arts and crafts?

“In an increasingly disconnected world, that face-to-face connection with food producers and artisans is really important, not to mention shopping local and seasonal is better for the planet and keeps your hard-earned money in our communities.”

Abi Steel from Visit Truro said: “We’re not surprised to learn that our local farmers’ market is one of the best in the country, given the amazing fresh produce and creative producers that live in Cornwall. What people don’t always realize is the enormous amount of work that goes on behind the scenes.

“We love working with Stewart and the team on seasonal celebrations like The BIG Christmas Market and look forward to seeing the market continue to grow and prosper.”

Truro Farmers Market will celebrate its anniversary with a special market on Saturday 20 July. For more information follow the market pages on Instagram or Facebook.

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