Margaret Campbell, from Transition Town West Kirby, and head of the organising team behind the Hoylake Food Fair has sent me the above photo and the following press release:
West Wirral votes for local food.
West Wirral showed its support for local food this week, when thousands of local people turned up to try out a pilot event.
2,200 people shopped at the first Hoylake Local Food Fair, which featured meat, preserves, baking and other foods from 24 producers based in Wirral, Cheshire and North Wales.
Following its success, organisers are now thinking about more dates, the next is expected in Spring 2011.
The fair was praised by Esther McVey MP, who opened it. “This is a great start, a great service for local people and a great outlet for small businesses,†she said. “I’m impressed to see the community getting together and organising the local food facility they want, and I’d very much like to see this become a regular event in Hoylake.â€
Brisk business was done by the producers, who praised Hoylake Community Centre as a market venue. “It’s a good space which is easy to work in, has plenty of parking nearby and seems to appeal to customers,†said Malcolm Williams of Little Eye Bakery. “We’ll be back for any future events.â€
Some of the more exotic ingredients on sale, including buffalo, were showcased in cooking demonstrations by award-winning chef Colin Parry of La Paz restaurant in West Kirby.
Customers were also invited to take part in a national survey being conducted at many farmers’ markets. The organisers will use the results to help decide their future plans. “People are looking for affordable food, but also food that is local, environmentally-friendly and healthy, and markets have a big role to play in this,†said Margaret Campbell of Transition Town West Kirby, who organised the event in conjunction with Hoylake Community Centre. “We’ve been grateful for the support of Birkenhead Market and Wirral Council to hold this pilot.â€
Pictured: Esther McVey MP finds her herb basket bouquet, from Seaview Planting, is literally good enough to eat. Also pictured Jeff Green, Leader of Wirral Council, and Margaret Campbell of Transition Town West Kirby.
ENDS
We went along as a family at around 12pm and the Community Centre was packed out, in fact it was a little difficult to get to the front of one or two of the stalls. You could tell the event had attracted quite a lot of visitors by the number of cars parked along the promenade and along Hoyle Road. I resisted myself but the bacon sandwiches seemed to be doing a roaring trade!
Did you go yourself? What did you think? Feel free to share your thoughts below!
I also went along at around 12, and the stallholders seemed to be having a fantastic time with one or two getting down to the last of their stock. I bought cheese and vegetables and sampled plenty of other food – including delicious chocolate pudding! I thought it was a great event – good to see something different in Hoylake – and it obviously appealed to a lot of people. I look forward to visiting the next one in the Spring!