10th birthday celebrations to be captured on TV

15 July 2010

Derbyshire Dales District Council’s multi award-winning event - now the second biggest of its kind in the UK - will mark its 10th anniversary by welcoming its 500,000th visitor.

And a brand new primetime TV show will be filming at the District Council’s Agricultural Business Centre (ABC) during the big event.

Street Market Chefs is a series of ten programmes for FIVE, produced in conjunction with the Food Standards Agency.  The programme celebrates all the best things about fresh, local produce in markets across the country and is presented by Amanda Lamb (A Place in the Sun, Market Kitchen). 

Two local chefs will be taking part in a friendly cook-off using an ingredient available at Bakewell Farmers' Market.

There’s an impressive range to choose from, with recent stallholder additions at Bakewell including fresh trout, Turkish food, locally grown chilli products, sweet and savoury muffins, soups, goat’s meat, granola and locally milled flour.

Only Winchester boasts more stallholders than Bakewell’s 75, and one of the original stallholders who still operates at Bakewell Farmers’ Market today says it is the best.  Roger Monk, who, with wife Janet, runs Derbyshire Mushroom Company from Highfield Farm at Atlow near Ashbourne said: “Bakewell is an excellent market, the best we attend and we wish there were more like it.”

Derbyshire Dales District Council Leader Councillor Lewis Rose OBE described the Farmers’ Market as “a success story”, adding: “It generates a wonderful atmosphere and the great thing is that local hotels and businesses in and around Bakewell are also reaping the benefits.

“One of the District Council’s priorities is to champion rural areas and I am delighted the ABC is now firmly established as the hub of the Peak District economy and a true ‘one-stop shop’ service for the rural community.”

Although the Farmers’ Market is normally held on the last Saturday of each month, the July market will take place on 24 July - the fourth Saturday - to fit in with the setup for Bakewell Show. The event will run from 9am to 2pm. 

The Farmers’ Market is dedicated to encouraging and maintaining environmental sustainability, so most stallholders come from within a 30 mile radius of Bakewell, though some speciality producers trading in foods such as smoked mackerel are allowed to attend from up to 100 miles away.

While there are some crafts, most of the stalls are dedicated to food and drink, with old favourites like real ales, wines, mushrooms, large vegetable stalls, rare breeds of pork, buffalo meat, ice cream, bread, jams and preserves.

More details are available by contacting Derbyshire Dales District Council’s Agricultural Business Centre on 01629 813777.

Pictured above:  Derbyshire Dales couple Sue and Andrew Pittaway, regular stallholders at Bakewell Farmers’ Market, use only fresh local produce for their traditional recipes.