94 Kilo of fruit redistributed- enough to make 200 fruit pies!
Last Sunday’s Purely Essex Market proved a hit for Chelmsford’s shoppers and local producers.
Chelmsford High Street was buzzing with stalls offering produce from a host of our finest local producers. The event was organised by Transition Chelmsford for local shoppers to meet local producers and to discover just how much wonderful produce is available on our doorstep. Producers brought everything from meat to fish, honey to organic vegetables, wool to handmade chocolates and delicious cakes to fresh juices. ‘It’s a real eye opener to realise how much great food is available so close to home’ remarked one local resident, and Moya Cawood, from Roxwell road, was also impressed ‘It was so nice to have the Purely Essex food market in Chelmsford. It transformed the High Street. It had a great community feel.’
Shoppers were treated to free fruit, with a message to reduce food waste. Market organisers Transition Chelmsford gave away 94 kilo of locally foraged fruit throughout the day. This was enough to make 200 fruit pies! The fruits were gathered by local volunteers, plus donations on the day. A number of visitors commented on this generous gesture and just how unusual it is nowadays to get something for free. A number of others couldn’t help but ask ‘what was the catch?’.
Volunteer WasteBusters gave local residents recipe cards and ideas on reducing food waste. To find out more email [email protected]. Essex County Council and its partner borough, districts and city councils all work together to support Love Food Hate Waste around Essex under the Recycle for Essex brand http://www.recycleforessex.com
The event provoked a lot of discussion. As well as surprise amongst many shoppers just how much great food there is locally, there were a number of comments from parents that by raising the profile of local producers helped them and their children to feel a connection with their food by meeting those who produce it and to know where it comes from. Others were keen to enjoy the atmosphere, including the entertainment provided by local barber singers the Essex Chordsmen. As one local shopper commented, ‘It is nice having something of interest other than shops on a Sunday.’
The local producers were pleased with the success of the day, and were keen to see it repeated. Simon Tippler of Round Tower Brewery, Chelmsford had sold out by 2pm, commenting: “It’s nice to sell close to where we brew... We should have brought more!”. Roger Legg of Heard’s Farm, Brentwood said that he should have had a bigger vehicle to deal with great demand for produce.
The local producers also welcomed the chance to meet each other, and in some cases discovered new suppliers on their doorstep. The trader from the ‘Back Garden’ stall commented on how nice it was to meet up with the repeat traders again, and that they prefer these special events to regular markets because of the level of support they receive from Chelmsford’s shoppers.
Local residents were able to also enjoy a range of hot food provided by local caterers (Koggio. Koggio , the first time freshly prepared Korean food has been available in our High Street, possibly anywhere in the city, said how much he had enjoyed the day and that while the Saturday market is too full he would like to be able to trade in Chelmsford regularly so are Mike and Paula from Greenstead Living Foods who made refreshing organic juices.
To find out more about the work of Chelmsford Transition visit transitionchelmsford.weebly.com or to find out details of the producers, email [email protected] or tweet @transitionchelm.
Last Sunday’s Purely Essex Market proved a hit for Chelmsford’s shoppers and local producers.
Chelmsford High Street was buzzing with stalls offering produce from a host of our finest local producers. The event was organised by Transition Chelmsford for local shoppers to meet local producers and to discover just how much wonderful produce is available on our doorstep. Producers brought everything from meat to fish, honey to organic vegetables, wool to handmade chocolates and delicious cakes to fresh juices. ‘It’s a real eye opener to realise how much great food is available so close to home’ remarked one local resident, and Moya Cawood, from Roxwell road, was also impressed ‘It was so nice to have the Purely Essex food market in Chelmsford. It transformed the High Street. It had a great community feel.’
Shoppers were treated to free fruit, with a message to reduce food waste. Market organisers Transition Chelmsford gave away 94 kilo of locally foraged fruit throughout the day. This was enough to make 200 fruit pies! The fruits were gathered by local volunteers, plus donations on the day. A number of visitors commented on this generous gesture and just how unusual it is nowadays to get something for free. A number of others couldn’t help but ask ‘what was the catch?’.
Volunteer WasteBusters gave local residents recipe cards and ideas on reducing food waste. To find out more email [email protected]. Essex County Council and its partner borough, districts and city councils all work together to support Love Food Hate Waste around Essex under the Recycle for Essex brand http://www.recycleforessex.com
The event provoked a lot of discussion. As well as surprise amongst many shoppers just how much great food there is locally, there were a number of comments from parents that by raising the profile of local producers helped them and their children to feel a connection with their food by meeting those who produce it and to know where it comes from. Others were keen to enjoy the atmosphere, including the entertainment provided by local barber singers the Essex Chordsmen. As one local shopper commented, ‘It is nice having something of interest other than shops on a Sunday.’
The local producers were pleased with the success of the day, and were keen to see it repeated. Simon Tippler of Round Tower Brewery, Chelmsford had sold out by 2pm, commenting: “It’s nice to sell close to where we brew... We should have brought more!”. Roger Legg of Heard’s Farm, Brentwood said that he should have had a bigger vehicle to deal with great demand for produce.
The local producers also welcomed the chance to meet each other, and in some cases discovered new suppliers on their doorstep. The trader from the ‘Back Garden’ stall commented on how nice it was to meet up with the repeat traders again, and that they prefer these special events to regular markets because of the level of support they receive from Chelmsford’s shoppers.
Local residents were able to also enjoy a range of hot food provided by local caterers (Koggio. Koggio , the first time freshly prepared Korean food has been available in our High Street, possibly anywhere in the city, said how much he had enjoyed the day and that while the Saturday market is too full he would like to be able to trade in Chelmsford regularly so are Mike and Paula from Greenstead Living Foods who made refreshing organic juices.
To find out more about the work of Chelmsford Transition visit transitionchelmsford.weebly.com or to find out details of the producers, email [email protected] or tweet @transitionchelm.