Posts Tagged ‘farmers market’

Lincoln farmers market Castle Hill

May 20, 2023

A lovely warm sunny day.

Farmers market busy.

I walked through the grounds of Lincoln Castle, out the East Gate to Olé Olé at The Lawn for lunch.

Back through the castle grounds, raw milk and a dressed crab off the farmers market.

Why are stalls being turned away from the farmers market? To be viable, it needs more stalls, it also needs to be open later. To close at three in a lovely warm sunny day is madness.

Walked back down Steep Hill.

Late Saturday afternoon, gangs of drunken scum roaming the streets.

Espresso martini in Coffee Aroma.

Lincoln farmers market Castle Hill

April 15, 2023

One of those days, dress for winter or for spring?

City centre packed, Walk & Ride to Lincoln Cathedral, walk through Exchequer Gate to the farmers market in Castle Hill.

Too few stalls, but at least open an hour later.

Cheese stall had very little left. Picked up cheese and butter.

From the fishmonger, salmon.

The only stall that does well. Lincoln Gin, and if consider the cost of a bottle of gin c £40 then very well.

Lunch at Dough LoCo. Pizza was disappointing, too doughy and soggy.

Walk back down Steep Hill.

Once I reached the High Street, not good, drunken scum.

Cappuccino at Coffee Aroma.

Coffee House

March 25, 2023

During lockdown coffee roasteries sprung up like fungi during warm autumn rain.

If they are a lucky, a local village shop may stock, a local cafe. Markets are a must.

On Guildford farmers market I found beans for sale. Never seen before, never seen since. Asked of the q grade, I was told 250g.

Lincoln farmers market, third Saturday of March, I found Coffee House. Another lock down roastery.

Jackalopy Joe uses paper coffee bags. Useless for storing coffee beans, the paper is porous, the beans will oxidise and be stale. Coffee House weeusing the same useless bags.

When I pick up a bag of beans, a wonderful aroma. With these bags nothing. No aroma, not unless we include the strong smell of the brown paper bags. Maybe that was why the objected to my picking up a bag

Little kilner jars of roasted beans. As with the bags, no aroma.

Looking at one lot of beans, it looked over roasted.

Roasting requires skill, knowledge of coffee.

It goes without saying I did not pick a bag of beans. It would have been a futile exercise and a waste of money.

Lincoln farmers market

March 25, 2023

Saturday a week ago, third Saturday of the month, farmers market.

City centre packed.

Long wait for Walk and Ride, city centre gridlocked.

Eventually turned up Out of Service, but driver offered to give it a go. Quicker to have walked.

A long chat with an organic stall about honey and Honey Festival in Athens autumn last autumn. I picked up not sure what, turnip, parsnip. They reminded me of the market closed at two. It was already two.

Last market there was a new stall, honey. Saturday not there, in its place another new stall, coffee.

Not impressed by the coffee stall.

Fresh salmon, but no crab. Raw milk, Poacher cheese, butter , but no creme fraiche

Lunch at Elite on the Bail.

Looked in Dough Loco. Will drop by one day and pass on what I learned of pizza making from world champion pizza maker at HoReCa.

Walking down Steep Hill, Base Camp their window smashed. It will be expensive to repair, old building.

Back down in the city centre late afternoon, drunken scum roaming the streets.

Guildford farmers market

February 7, 2023

This morning, seven in the morning, thick pea soup fog. By midday brilliant sunshine.

Cappuccino in Koja.

Not my day. Miss by a couple of minutes train to Guildford.

On leaving Koja, where are my glasses? At the station where I stopped to buy a ticket. On the train?

Sickening. Half the stalls displaying the Great Taste Award scam.

If see award winning. If Great Taste Award, meaningless.

Lunch at Hanki. Only closed. Not open until five.

Coffee at Krema.

Late lunch at Krema.

Bitterly cold.

Ask at station. No luck. No glasses.

Miss my train.

Castle Hill farmers market

January 21, 2023

A cold frosty morning.

I have tried to obtain short back ribs for weeks. I did not notice in the butcher until some one asked for, then it was too late.

Sincil Street packed, High Street packed.

Walk & Ride to Lincoln Cathedral.

Castle Hill very busy, as was Bailgate.

Very few stalls. I was surprised no Lincoln Gin.

My purchases off the fishmonger and the cheese stall.

Crass stupidity the farmers market packs up at two in the afternoon.

Lunch at Elite on the Bail.

Walking down Steep Hill, it was very busy.

Once down in the city centre, drunken scum.

Cappuccino at Coffee Aroma. Busy, busy all day.

I decided to revisit magic coffee in M&S. A blend of four beans, over roasted, not ground for ristretto, not fresh ground or weighed, same shot as espresso, thus not a ristretto shot.

Down in the Food Hall, M&S price scam, canned soups which were 50p and £1 being promoted as a bargain at £1-20.

Lincoln farmers market

December 17, 2022

Warmer than has been for several days. Warm being relative, three degrees not sub zero.

Hard frost in the morning, by late morning frost had melted.

City centre busy though not as busy as last weekend.

Early in the week I had looked in Redhill Farm shop. No olive oil. From where to obtain quality olive oil?

I asked in the zero waste shop in the retro shop just past Coffee Aroma. Lady picked up a 5l can of olive oil. Er, no. She then showed me she had in refillable bottles.

Honest Toil olive oil. Green, cold pressed extra virgin olive oil from Greece.

Farmers market, initially felt warm, then very cold, wind blowing and damp.

Half a dozen stalls, pathetic but for Lincoln in the winter quite good.

Bloody ridiculous the market closed at two.

Very quiet, not many people milling about.

Jam, cheese, raw milk, butter and salmon.

Haddock and chips in Elite on the Bail. I should have asked what had changed. The chips were excellent, of late poor quality.

I looked in Redhill Farm shop, asked of olive oil. Wasn’t selling, have not restocked. I mentioned where can obtain quality olive, if customers ask.

Waking back down into the city centre, full of drunken scum.

Feeling cold, popped in Madame Waffle for a coffee.

Castle Hill farmers market

August 20, 2022

Street theatre in Sincil Street. No idea what. I did not stop as wished to catch the Walk & Ride.

Fewer and fewer stalks.

No raw milk cheese stall.

Purchase from fruit and veg stall and seafood stall. Will look back later to collect.

Walk through grounds of Lincoln Castle to Olé Olé. I am surprised to find the Brian grass turning green Grounds busy , busier than during Picnic Social.

Lunch at Ole Olé. Very busy but no queue. No problem obtaining a table. Greeted by and escorted to a table by who I assume yo be the owner.

Albondigas. I wished for bread to soak up the tomato sauce. Brought a basket of bread.

Walk back through Castle grounds. Farmers market packing up. Cheese stall has little of what I want.

Quick shop in Bailgate then walk back down Steep Hill.

A beer at Coffee Aroma.

Castle Hill farmers market

July 16, 2022

Farmers market packed up early.  Their own worst enemy.

An hour and half late into Lincoln. A very hot day.

City centre very busy.

River Witham, I have never seen so many boats on the river.

Passing by The Greek Brothers, I thought I had been overcharged for moussaka yesterday. I checked the menu in the window. I was charged £10-30, menu in the window £9-60. There was not the dreadful loud music thudding out today.

Their offering of kleftiko is not. Kleftiko is slow cooked lamb on the bone in a wood-fired clay oven. The logs fired midday, the kleftiko eaten at night. The lamb melts off the bone.

Whilst waiting for Walk & Ride, I looked in a new Korean restaurant, yet to open. If the food is as good as the decour.

I arrived at farmers market to find packing up early, half the stalls had not bothered to turn up.

The farmers market is beyond a joke. This is the second time they have packed up early in as many months. If they cannot be bothered, why should we be bothered to support it?

I was surprised the fishmonger was there or the cheese stall.

From cheese stall raw milk, but no creme fraiche.

Had I not been so late, my intention had been, eat, then shop, due to hot weather. I have to do it the other way around.

Late lunch at Dough LoCo. Saturday or my bad luck, a gang of drunks inside. I sit outside. A very long wait for pizza. Very doughy. Maybe hint in the name.

Walk down Steep Hill. I sit on the seats half way down Steep Hill. Chat with two Lithuanians. They ask of craft beer, there used to be a craft beer shop. Closed. Now a cat café.

I say nowhere. Then I recommend Steep Hill Wines. They say gin and wine. I say no, mainly wine, but in the back room will find craft beer. Forget the binge drinking bars.

I recommend Dough LoCo for good beer, and pleasant to sit outside. I also suggest Coffee Aroma.

The city centre packed with drunken scum.

Detour to Coffee Aroma. A beer. Do I want two. No, ok, I will take one with me for later. 

Dismal farmers market mid-January Castle Hill

January 15, 2022

Frost overnight, morning wet and foggy.

City centre surprisingly busy, as was Steep Hill and Bailgate. During the week, city centre deserted.

Walk and Ride to Lincoln Cathedral.



Lincoln farmers market a dismal affair. Never good in the winter, but having been pleasantly surprised by the number of stalls for the December market, and critical of packing up early, a pity have not kept up the momentum, as today very few stalls.

Beer and gin stalls were not there. No vegetables. The only stall worth visiting Lincolnshire Poacher Cheese, and the only reason I was there.

Yes, Redhill Farm stall worth a visit, but, with their shop in Bailgate, I always visit their shop where there is a larger choice.

Fish stall does not make up for the loss of the fishmonger from Lincoln Central Market. Most maybe all of the fish smoked.

Lincoln Central Market at 131,318 views the most viewed photo of 2021.

Off cheese stall, Lincolnshire Poacher Cheese, Cornish Yarg, unpasteurised milk, and oat biscuits.

Secret ingredient for cottage pie, thin strips Lincolnshire Poacher Cheese on top of the mashed potato.

From Redhill Farm shop, ham, Lincolnshire sausages, and a bottle of milk. A real glass bottle of milk, return the glass bottle.

From greengrocer back of Bailgate, three different types of mushrooms (for mushroom stroganoff).

Elite on the Bail packed.

Looked at glassware in junk shop.

Walked back down Steep Hill.

Top end of High Street binge drinking bars packed with drunken scum spilling into the streets, doing their best to spread coronavirus.

Cappuccino at Madame Waffle. A mistake. Excellent as espresso, a disappointment as a cappuccino.

Just make bus before it leaves.





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