Local produce sold direct from producer to consumer

The first Farmers' Markets in the UK appeared in 1997; today, there are nearly a dozen in Oxfordshire and many in neighbouring places such as Newbury, Reading and Wokingham.

With current concerns about food quality and freshness, these special markets benefit both consumers and producers. The consumer has direct access to the producers who can say exactly how and where their products are grown or made. For the farmer, the market offers him better financial returns and cash flow, and the fewer transport miles involved in marketing the food means less energy waste.

There is a Farmers' Market in Wallingford on the third Tuesday of each month from 8.30am to 1.30pm in the Market Place, St Martin's Street. Website for general information is www.farmersmarkets.net