Farmers' Markets
West Kirby Farmers' Market
A farmers' market is a market in which farmers, growers or producers from a defined local area are present in person to sell their own produce, direct to the public. All products sold should have been grown, reared, caught, brewed, pickled, baked, smoked or processed by the stallholder.
We are aiming to set up a regular Farmers' Market in West Kirby
The latest news (December 2011) is that a map has been received from Birkenhead Market with what they feel is the area covered by the Charter. We are considering the various options in West Kirby.
Diary of the project
May 2011 - There are efforts to find a suitable site and set up a regular monthly farmer's market in West Wirral, which will support the local economy and offer a real alternative to supermarket shopping. At the moment this cannot happen because Birkenhead Market have Market Rights over most of Wirral. They feel that a monthly West Wirral Farmers' Market would be damaging to them.
June 2011 - Local Chartered Surveyors Roy Backhouse & Co have produced a definitive map of West Kirby demonstrating that the main part of the area outside West Kirby Concourse lies outside six and two-third miles from Birkenhead Market. A market held on this area would therefore, in law, not be a rival market.
July 2011 - Our attempts to communicate with Birkenhead Market (6 telephone calls and an email) have been unsuccessful, but our Chartered Surveyor managed to get a meeting with Birkenhead Market managers. They agree that most of the Concourse area appears to be outside the boundary, and so we have written to Wirral Council asking for permission to proceed with the setting up of a farmers' market on this area.
August 2011 - The council discusses the issue of the boundary with Birkenhead Market, who say that they would have to get their own surveyor to confirm the distances. The council will follow this up.
Hoylake Local Food Fairs
Whilst we can't yet get permission to develop a regular West Wirral Farmer's Market, Birkenhead Market has agreed that we can hold occasional food fairs, and we have been organising Food Fairs in conjunction with Hoylake Community Centre. For more details see our website www.wirralfood.org.uk
Next Hoylake Food Fair:
Sun 26th Feb 2012 10am to 2pm
Cookery demo from Aiden Byrne
Previous Hoylake Local Food Fairs
The first Hoylake Local Food Fair was a great success in October 2010, when 2,200 local people turned up to buy a huge range of local food from 24 producers based in Wirral, Cheshire and North Wales.
It featured new start-up business Little Eye Bakery, from West Kirby. Their produce of hand made sourdough and rye breads can now be found in Honest-to-Goodness on Market Street in Hoylake, and Palms in Banks Road West Kirby.
Some of the ingredients on sale were showcased in cooking demonstrations by award-winning chef Colin Parry of La Paz restaurant in West Kirby.
All of the profits from organising the event went directly to support the further development of Hoylake Community Centre for the local community.
The event was organised in partnership with Hoylake Community Centre, and with permission from Birkenhead Market and support from Wirral Council. Much of its success was down to help from volunteers in the local community, who really rallied behind it, with dozens of people offering to deliver flyers in their own streets beforehand and stewarding on the day. Click here to join in - even if your time is limited, there will be something you can contribute.
At the second Fair in March 2011, Hoylake Community Centre opened additional rooms to offer stalls to a few more producers, but to also to give a lot more room between the stalls for people to circulate.
Local tv chef Aiden Byrne of The Collingwood, did a cookery demo, making marshmallows with the help of children in the audience.
The third Hoylake Food Fair was held on Sunday 30th October 2011.
Other Wirral Markets
New Ferry Farmers' Markets
2nd Saturday of each month from 9am
New Ferry Village Hall, Grove Street, New Ferry, Wirral
www.wirralfarmersmarket.co.uk
New Ferry Farmers' market (also known as Wirral Farmers' Market) has stalls selling seasonal fruit and vegetables, salad bar, fruit juices, organic meat, free range eggs and chickens, Welsh beef and lamb, fresh fish and seafood, buffalo meat, pork, ostrich, speciality cheeses, yoghurts, bread, pies, beer, flowers, chocolates, honey, preserves, home baking, homemade ready-meals for the freezer and much more.
In November 2007, Wirral Farmers' Market won the BBC Radio 4 Food Programme award for UK Farmers' Market of the Year.
Saughall Local Food Market
Every Saturday morning
The Vernon Institute, Saughall Massey, Cheshire