Worcestershire's farmers' markets - Where to get the freshest food (From Worcester News)

Worcestershire's farmers' markets - Where to get the freshest food

9:51am Monday 19th November 2007 in Farmers' Markets

IN part two of our how to have a greener, locally-produced Christmas' series, we're going to look at those staples of the Christmas table, puddings, cakes, yule logs and mince pies. It wouldn't be Christmas without them.

Making a Christmas pudding is a time-consuming affair. It is traditionally started at the beginning of advent then left to mature until Christmas Day. You either have to get prepared very soon - or, why not have someone else make it for you?

But instead of a mass-produced Christmas pudding, let the Worcestershire farmers' markets producers make you one the old-fashioned way.

The women who run the Women's Institute co-operative Worcestershire Country Markets have been making excellent home-made Christmas puddings for sale on their stall for years. Country Markets stalwart Pat van Zyl started making hers a month ago, at home on her Aga.

She says: "I use a recipe that my mother used to use. As well as all the usual fruits, the puddings also contain carrots and prunes, Guinness and barley wine. They're very popular!"

The Country Markets stall also sells gingerbread houses, which make a great centrepiece for your festive table.

Pat says: "They are exquisite. Philippa Lowe makes them. Each one is different. They are about a foot tall with a house, little path and a garden. They're beautifully decorated with icing and little sweets around the eaves."

Of course, we all need to have a Christmas cake.

Richard Church, of Churches Traditional Bakery, only uses the kind of ingredients you'd find in your cupboards at home to make his cakes. There are no unpleasant additives and ingredients you can't pronounce.

Richard's partner, Lisa Baker, says: "It's as if Richard's cakes are made as they were in the 70s. In the supermarkets they are all smooth and modern looking.

"The cakes Richard makes are old-fashioned, you know, how your mum made them by fluffing up the icing with a fork to make the snow. The supermarket cakes are very flat and decorated with a plain ribbon. Ours have little houses and snowmen and an old-fashioned festive Christmas band and are all hand-made."

Churches traditional bakery also hand makes and individually decorates its yule logs. They come complete with holly and little snowmen with snow around the bottom. "They're just so festive," says Lisa.

Richard's mince pies won a gold medal at the Welsh National Baking Exhibition, so you should probably try some of those, too.

The next farmers' market will be at Malvern today in Abbey Road, so you can stock up locally on your festive desserts, all locally-made with traditional ingredients.