CELEBRITY chef and ITV’S I’m a Celebrity---Get Me Out of Here contestant, Antony Worrall-Thompson, will sample Berkshire’s local produce at the Newbury Farmers’ Market on October 21.
As patron of Thames Valley Farmers’ Market Co-operative (TVFMC), Mr Worrall-Thompson will launch the new market, now held twice a month on the first and third Sunday from 9am to 1pm.
The TVFMC supports local farmers, small producers and market organisers in the three counties of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.
The TV chef’s visit will also coincide with National Apple Day. An array of local apples, including cooking and eating varieties, will be on sale at the Cross Lanes Fruit Farm stall.
Gill Franklin from the Mapledurham fruit farm is a regular stall-holder at the market.
Her orchard, which is one of the last traditional orchards in the Thames Valley, includes dozens of varieties of apples and pears.
“This year has been really good for apples because they’ve had enough rain to be crisp and juicy, and enough warmth in September to ripen well. The autumn frosts will bring on the later varieties,” she said.
Newbury food writer, Debbie Hearn, from the Big Little Fruit Campaign, will demonstrate several delicious ways of cooking and serving apples to make the most of this year’s superb harvest.
Regular customers at Newbury Farmers’ Market have been asking for a second market for several months.
Among the producers expected at the market on October 21 will be Christmas Farm from Enborne, Give Me Cake from Reading, Evans and Paget from Stark House Farm in Headley, Crumbles from Mapledurham, Challow Hill Meat from Wantage, Ogg Valley Organic vegetables from Marlborough, and Paget’s vegetables from Devizes.
Chief Executive of Newbury Town Council, Graham Hunt, said: “The council is really pleased that Thames Valley Farmers’ Market Co-operative is running a second Farmers’ Market in Newbury. It shows their confidence in Newbury’s vitality and will increase footfall in the town, which is great for everyone. The Town Council continues to support the Farmers’ Market however it can. Newbury is a market town with a long market tradition and is keen to retain that label.”