Started in April 2003 as a new venture, this market is held every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Village Hall, Lancaster Avenue, Capel-le-Ferne. The market was an idea put forward by the Village Hall Management Committee to provide a service for our community. We are, a non-profit making charity and every penny we raise from these markets goes back into the maintenance of our village hall.

We have been very successful and have recently been voted BEST FARMERS MARKET IN KENT by the Kent Life Magazine Food & Drinks Awards 2004.and also the Kent Technology and Enterprise Award 2004.

We are naturally thrilled with these awards and as you will see below we have stallholders who have also won awards!

We have many stallholders regularly attending, these being:

FARMER PALMERS QUALITY MEATS - MEAT & POULTRY
(runner-up best meat supplier Kent Life Magazine Food & Drinks Awards 2004)

THE FISH TANK - FRESH FISH

SHERLEYS FARM - FREE RANGE EGGS

FRESH & FAIR - FAIR TRADE TEA & COFFEE

CHEZ SAM - CHEESE & OLIVES

MAD COW KITCHEN - DESSERTS

SWEET TOOTH - CHOCOLATES & TRUFFLES

TONI'S DELI - COLD MEATS, SANDWICH FILLINGS, PIES ETC.

GOODCHILDS' - CAKES & PASTRIES

MARSHMELLOW BAKERIES - BREAD & ROLLS
(recommended by RICK STEIN in a recent magazine article)

BUSS FARMS - VEGETABLES & FRUIT

BESSBOROUGH FARMS - FRUIT & FRUIT JUICES
www.bessboroughfarm.co.uk

E. & L. END NURSERIES - FLOWERS & XMAS WREATHS

B. & M. MARSHALL- PLANTS

HEATHMORE - DECORATED T SHIRTS

PRESSIES GALORE - PAINTED GLASS

V & A WOODTURNING - WOOD CRAFTS

VINE CRAFTS - PHOTO CARDS ETC.

SPRINGERS PERSONALISED PRODUCTS - ENCAUSTIC ART

Some of these do not attend every week, but fortnightly or monthly. We are constantly on the look-out for more stalls and are presently trying for Dairy produce.

Our aim is to provide all the basic necessities, and more, for our community along with the knowledge that it is all locally produced in Kent, and is good quality at a fair price. We have so far achieved this aim and long may it continue.

We also provide refreshments, so many of our customers come along to do their shopping and meet their friends, have a coffee and chat -- it is a great meeting place!

The Post Office is attached to the hall which provides another service for the community whilst doing their shopping, and where customers can get more money if they run out !

'Special' markets are held regularly i.e. Easter, Harvest, Christmas and our Anniversary where we try to have something special going on.

We have registered with Kentish Fairs and have the support of KCC Rural Revival and producers and farmers in Kent (www.producedinkent.co.uk) in conjunction with SEEDA and Kent Rural Regeneration.

We were also thrilled to have had a television crew filming our village hall post office, community recreation project and farmers market for the BBC programme 'Countryfile' which was screened in October 2003. Also in May 2005 we had BBC Radio Kent recording live whilst their cook June Care, prepared a meal using produce from our stallholders.

For any further information regarding the Farmers Market, please contact Mrs Jenny Barraclough 07899 082356 or e mail: capelfarmersmarket AT yahoo DOT co DOT uk
Visit our website www.capelleferne.info