Farmers Markets : Caroline Wright - 14 March 2009 (From Worcester News)

Farmers Markets : Caroline Wright - 14 March 2009

2:39pm Monday 16th March 2009 in Farmers' Markets

ONCE you have made your way through the crowd packed around the Country Markets stall at this weekend’s Worcestershire farmers’ market, you will see modern versions of some of this country’s most traditional cakes.

Simnel cakes have been made since mediaeval times and were originally a Mothering Sunday tradition.

Young girls, often in service at larger homes, would make one to take home to their mothers on their day off.

Now, the cakes are most often associated with Easter – so you will see plenty of them on the Country Markets stalls during the coming weeks. They are traditional round and light fruit cakes with a nice amount of fruit and cooked with marzipan in the middle. Then, after cooking, more marzipan is put on top with 11 balls of marzipan to represent the 11 loyal apostles (Judas is omitted) – then this is very lightly grilled.

When asked why their products are so popular, Patricia van Zyl, of Worcestershire Country Markets, said: “Well, we make the things that people like to eat. Our foods really are home-made; they are cooked at home in domestic kitchens in small batches.

“Our foods are always fresh and very well-presented. We take pride in our cooking and all of the cooks present their goods really well. We all know what we are doing, we use good ingredients and our ingredients are as local as possible.

“People know that they are really getting home-made food and they can rely on the quality.”

At the Country Markets stall you will find large cakes, fairy cakes, slices – such as tiffin and millionaire’s shortbread (which, Patricia says, always sells-out), bakewell tarts and fruit bakewell tarts, crumbles, fruit pies, treacle tarts, and fruit tarts with gorgeous flavours.

Patricia said: “We also have a savoury section with quiche, vegetarian plaits, pototo and leek pie, homity pie and red dragon pie – made with aduki beans and carrots.

Aduki beans are Chinese and they are said to give you strength and fire.”

And that is before we have even started to mention the preserves...

Worcestershire Country Markets have stalls at Malvern, Bromsgrove and Royal Worcester farmers’ markets.

This weekend’s farmers’ market is today, in High Street, Bromsgrove, from 9am until 5pm. Next weekend’s market is in Abbey Road, Malvern, from 9am until 2pm. For more information about Worcestershire Farmers’ Markets, go to wfmg.co.uk.