More than 50 farmers’ markets are now held in the county each month. David Jones investigates.

Time was when you could only buy your fruit and veg from a high street greengrocers. Then giant supermarkets came along and put the squeeze on them. In some areas these local shops became an endangered species.

Then someone had a brainwave. Why should supermarkets be calling the shots by off-loading produce grown anywhere between Lands End and John O’Groats, or even further afield, when Kent is packed with farmers producing some of the finest fruit and veg in the UK? Why not sell locally grown produce locally?

Around the same time, there was a customer revolution. People began to realise they could buy locally sourced, and often superior quality, produce grown within a half hour’s drive of their homes. Farmers’ markets were born.

Markets have been a feature of British life for centuries, but general markets in some areas have experienced a decline, sometimes because of competition from town centre discount shops.

But farmers’ markets are growing. Many Kent towns and villages, now hold them monthly. It’s a similar story across the UK. And it’s a selling revolution which has taken place in only a decade or so.

Farm shops have experienced a similar boom. For many families a visit to a farmers’ market has become an outing, rather than a chore.

The Taste of Kent Awards, in which the public votes for their Kent food and drink heroes over the last 12 months, include a Farmer’ Market of the Year category.

This year’s three finalists, announced last month, are the farmers’ markets in Rochester, Cliftonville and Tonbridge. The winner will be announced next month.

Rochester’s farmers’ market, held every third Sunday, has around 27 food stalls. Speaking at the start of Love Your Local Market Fortnight last year, Annette Lebreton, markets manager in Medway, said: “It’s really important that markets come back to life. They are the hub of the community.”

Sandra Woodfall runs the West Malling farmers’ market, held in the high street every fourth Sunday. It has around 36 stalls. Many of the same stallholders travel to Tonbridge for the market on the second Sunday of the month.

Says Sandra: “People like to find out where the produce they buy is grown and talk to the farmers who produce it. Most of the produce sold at our farmers’ market is grown within a 30-mile radius of West Malling. People also like to visit the farms where the produce is grown and we encourage them to do so.

“We get customers inquiring why we haven’t got any strawberries or plums. They are so used to seeing fruit and veg in supermarkets – flown in from all over the world – they have forgotten that in this country there are growing seasons.”

If you pop along to West Malling market this Sunday, you’ll be likely to find Rye Bay scallops on sale. And we mustn’t forget the chickens. “Our hens are laying again now that it’s getting lighter,” says Sandra.

WHAT’S AVAILABLE now?

FISH

Mackerel, lemon sole, halibut, skate and turbot

FRUIT

Local fruit is sparse but there are still apples to be enjoyed plus forced rhubarb

MEAT

Venison, guinea fowl, wood pigeon, partridge, hare and rare breed pork

SEAFOOD

Clams, mussels, oysters, scallops and cockles

VEG

Cauliflower, Savoy cabbage, cauliflower, sprouts, purple sprouting broccoli, main crop potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips and turnips

Farmers’ markets this weekend are:

Saturday: Bridge, Bromley, Cranbrook, Hythe, Knockholt, Tunbridge Wells (Town Hall) and Whitstable.

Sunday: Bearsted, Cliftonville, Upchurch, West Malling

A full guide to Kent’s farmers’ markets can be found on the Kent Farmers’ Markets website www.kfma.org.uk