Farmers' Markets

There have been markets for hundreds of years but in the last decade a new kind of market has been growing in popularity, farmers' markets.

In this programme we find out what a farmers' market is and we speak to those who visit them and those who sell at them.

Before you listen to the programme look at these comprehension questions. You can hear the answers in the programme. Check your understanding by trying the quiz from the Extras section below. You can also download this programme in mp3 format and follow it with a transcript.

1: What are the two main rules for people selling at a farmers' market?
2: What reasons do people give for shopping at the farmers' market?
3: What does Paul sell at the market?
Vocabulary from the programme

strict rules
rules which must be followed closely

produce
a word for food that has been grown to be sold

banter
informal friendly conversation and gossip

rapport
relationship with other people, getting on

Example
He was a very popular teacher, he always had a good rapport with his students.

to convert (someone)
to change the way that someone thinks about something, often from negative to positive

Example
I never used to like olives, but recently I was offered some and now I'm converted, I love them!

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Extras

Programme script (pdf - 20k)
Download this programme (mp3 - 1.8mb) 
To go to the original BBC page click here

Callum: Hello, I'm Callum Robertson and this is London Life. Today's topic is a relatively new kind of market which is now very popular in London and across

Britain. Markets have been around for centuries, but in London a new kind of market first arrived only about 7 years ago. What kind of market? – Farmers' Markets.

So what is a farmers' market and how are they different from normal markets? To answer these questions I spoke to Mark Handley from a company called London Farmers' Markets which organises farmers’ markets in London. He says that there are two main rules that apply to farmers' markets – what are they? Here's Mark Handley.

MARK HANDLEY

A farmers' market is maybe slightly different from a regular market. There are strict rules that govern the people that can attend and sell at the market. There are two main rules, the first rule is that the person that attends the market has to be the producer or the grower of the food they are selling, so that means there are a lot of farmers that sell at the market, they might be selling meat, vegetables, dairy products also sometimes fishermen that have either farmed the fish they're selling or caught the fish they're selling or possibly bakers that have baked the bread and then they are selling that direct. The other thing that defines a farmers' market is that the produce that is being sold comes from a specified geographic area, so that might be 100 miles from the market, it might be 30 miles from the market so that the produce is local and fresh

Callum: Mark Handley from London Farmer's market explaining that in these markets the people selling the goods have grown or made them themselves and that they come from a particular area. This, he says, makes sure that the produce – the food being sold – is local and fresh.

And what do people who visit farmers' markets feel about them? We visited one just outside London to find out, listen out for the different reasons that people give for visiting farmers' markets.

VOICES

So why do you come to the farmers' market?

Trying to avoid supermarkets to be honest. Trying to buy local and fresh produce and support

the local businesses.

Produce is always fresh and I like to support the local farmers, that's why we do it.

It's nice to come and try different foods and taste different foods, so it's just variety really.

We know the things are fresh. They're a bit more expensive, that's all. The thing is I mean these eggs most probably they were laid yesterday.

Well I like to support local produce and I always think the things are very fresh and nice and I just feel we should keep it all going really.

Callum: There were a number of different reasons given there, some people want to support local farmers and not use big supermarkets, even if the produce is more expensive in the farmers' market and most people said that the produce was fresh. One man commented that the eggs he bought were probably laid only the day before.

That's how the public feel about farmers' markets, but what about the farmers themselves – do they enjoy it? Paul sells goats' cheese which he makes himself.

He talks about the banter with the customers, which is the chatting and gossiping and he also talks about the rapport with customers – the good relationship. Listen out for those words rapport and banter.

PAUL

So what do you like about coming to the farmer's market as opposed to selling your cheeses elsewhere?

It's the banter, meeting the public, having a chat, like yourself, having a general chat. The rapport between the general public and yourself, it's absolutely fantastic. You can convert some people. A lot of people say they don't like goat's cheese, can't stand it but they like cheese. They try our little samples, they love it. It's fun, it's wonderful.

So do you think you get a better quality of food here than you would at a supermarket for example? Absolutely because everything's fresh, it's all our own produce from all our own animals on our farm, it's the best, it's absolutely the best.

Callum: Paul says that the banter and rapport is fantastic and it gives him the opportunity to convert some people – they think they don't like goat's cheese but he chats to them and encourages them to try a little bit, a sample, and they do and, he says, they love it.

That's all from this edition of London life, with all this talk of food I'm getting a little peckish, now I wonder where my nearest farmers' market is …