At this time of year, I love wrapping up in my big winter coat, picking up a cup of hot chocolate and strolling around an outdoor market to see what autumnal goodies I can find.

Whether it’s a festive Christmas fair, a food and drink pop-up or a farmers’ market, I really enjoy hunting for unique treats from local businesses – and where better to do that than at the oldest market in Kent?

Earlier this year, Faversham Market, located in the centre of the medieval town, claimed the title of the oldest market in the county and celebrated its 1,000th anniversary.

On the first and third Saturday of each month, the town celebrates its wealth of food and drink producers with a Best of Faversham Market, so I decided to time my visit to coincide with this particular offering.

We arrived in Faversham’s Market Place around midday. It was the weekend before Remembrance Sunday, so the first thing we noticed was the poppy stand where uniformed cadets were collecting donations and a couple of military vehicles were attracting attention.

However, just past this, the full market opened up and the bustling streets were lined with stalls, tents and trucks selling all sorts of wares.

There were some familiar names like the Kent Cider Company and Mad Cat Brewery, but it was mostly small, independent traders that I’d never seen before, and probably wouldn’t come across anywhere else.

The first foodie stall didn’t have a name (although my receipt attributes the sale to Jeanette’s Cakes), but it had a great selection of savoury snacks, so this became our first stop.

We picked up the vegan ‘sausage’ roll (£2.75) and vegetarian Scotch egg (£3.25), both of which were a little rustic-looking - a good sign that something is homemade - but the woman behind the counter handed them over happily and wished us a lovely afternoon.

Have your say in this year’s Kent & Medway Food & Drink Awards

I wasn’t ready to leave after just one purchase, so we made a second stop at an irresistible bakery stall at the end of the street called Bakeaway where the smell of freshly baked bread was calling my name.

I picked up a cheese and tomato foccacia (£5) to take home and share with the family and a mouth-watering chocolate-iced doughnut (£2.50).

The town was packed, so we took a five-minute walk to the nearby recreation ground, parked ourselves on a bench surrounded by autumn leaves, next to the football pitch where a Saturday match was kicking off, and tucked into our goods.

The vegan roll was flavoured with red onion and rosemary and tasted very similar to Christmas stuffing. As it was the first weekend of November, I was very happy to get into the festive spirit.

The egg inside the Scotch egg was well-cooked and the filling, which was the same as the one used inside the vegan roll, was moist and flavoursome.

We then shared our sweet treat – I’m not usually a big fan of doughnuts, but this was tasty, with a sweet, spongy middle and a crisp layer of moreish chocolate on top.

Although the plan was to take the focaccia home, we couldn’t resist a little nibble.

It was delicious. The bread was thick, soft and fresh, topped generously with fresh sliced tomatoes as well as a tomato sauce, punchy cheese and fragrant herbs.

We took another walk through town at half-time and the market was still heaving. It was great to see a community supporting local traders with some truly fantastic produce because who knows how much longer it’ll last. Let’s hope Faversham Market has another 1,000 years left in it yet!

The next Best of Faversham Market is on Saturday, November 16. There’s also a weekly Charter Market on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, an Antiques and Vintage Market on the first Sunday of the month and Christmas markets on Saturday, December 14 and Sunday, December 15.

Out of five:

Food: We picked up some great eats, all tasty and decent portions - much better than any supermarket equivalent. ****

Drink: The only drink stalls I saw were alcoholic and it was a bit early for booze, but I’m a big fan of the Kent Cider Company and will gladly pick up a mulled cider next time. ***

Decor: Faversham is known for its quaint shops, traditional pubs and historic buildings, many of which you can see from the marketplace. ****

Staff: The people who served us were polite and speedy, and we saw lots of other friendly faces as we browsed the rest of the stalls. ***

Price: The food was excellent value for money; it was all homemade, fresh and delicious and I’d rather my money go to a local business than a big chain any day of the week. ****