Farmers' Market - April 12

10:47am Monday 14th April 2008

If you buy a pie from the 19 Gales Farmhouse Foods stall at a farmers' market this weekend, you'll be enjoying the same food as the rich as famous.

As well as selling their pies at today's Bromsgrove farmers' market, 19 Gales pies are also sold at Harrods in Knightsbridge. So, by taking just a quick trip to Bromsgrove, you'll have the chance to tuck into the same fare as those who shop in the poshest store in London.

A tremendous range of pies, both sweet and savoury, are supplied by 19 Gales, as well as a wonderful choice of teatime treats that you'll remember from your childhood.

A family business, 19 Gales is run by Derek and Janet Hollinshead, their son and daughter-in-law Nelson and Kay and daughter Diane.

The family used to sell only their vegetables at farmers' markets. Then, about seven years ago, Janet made a few pies to sell on their stall - which turned out to be such a success that pie-making took over as the family business.

The firm was asked to supply Harrods food hall for six weeks after winning a Best of Britain food competition. That was five years ago - the pies proved so popular the store asked them to carry on supplying them once a week with steak pies, fruit pies and bread and butter pudding.

The family now produce all manner of baked goods, including chicken and mushroom, steak and kidney and beef and potato pies, vegetarian and cheese and onion pasties, and sausage rolls. Some of their best-sellers are their fruit pies, which include Bramley apple, rhubarb and ginger and blackberry and apple. If you fancy something really sweet, try one of their Eccles cakes, mince pies, egg custards or a slice or two of bread and butter pudding.

What is special about 19 Gales' produce is that the majority of the ingredients still come from their own family farm. They have 40 free-roaming beef cattle in about 40 acres of land, as well as 20 free-range pigs in their woods.

Kay Hollinshead said: "We grow our own wheat which is used to make the pastry and we grow the veggies and most of the fruit for the fruit pies. Anything that we don't grow ourselves we buy from other local farms.

"We have our own butchery at the farm. The beef is hung for 21 days before being joined and cut for the pies."

And why is it called 19 Gales? Because the family farm is called - Nightingales Farm.

Today's market in Bromsgrove High Street runs from 9am to 5pm. Next week's Worcestershire farmers' market is at Malvern on Saturday, April 19, from 9am to 2pm at Abbey Road. For more information log on to the Worcestershire Farmers' Markets website at www.wfmg.co.uk.

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