Weather forecast was cool with rain. Not only did it not rain, it turned hot in the sun.
Small producers should set high standards, if not, what is the point, I can obtain low standards in a supermarket. Many take a pride in their produce, too many do not.
Coffee that is very poor quality. The only reason they get away with it is that the average Joe or Jo is used to bad coffee.
For coffee try Krema, excellent coffee, plus they sell coffee from Horsham Coffee Roasters. They will also advise on what is best suited on home coffee making and no not a Nepresso machine, no not a home espresso machine, they will never produce a good cup of coffee, a French press, not really.
I had hoped Coffee Gems would have a stall. Excellent coffee.
Cheese, quality cheese, comes from raw milk, grass fed cows, not pasteurised milk, not the black and white bulk milk producers.
If want quality cheese, check the cheesemonger end of Chapel Street also the French cheese stall on the Friday market in North Street.
On farmers market in Lincoln not only cheese made from raw milk, also raw milk on sale.
A chat with a chocolate maker. Craft chocolate is a meaningless designation, we see the same with coffee, gourmet coffee, artisan coffee, meaningless designations.
Looking at the chocolate stall, only one chocolate would I call a quality chocolate, the rest had emulsifiers, additives, adulterated chocolate, and that is even before I try the chocolate.
Chocolate
- cocoa mass – sugar – vanilla
- cocoa mass -cocoa butter – sugar – vanilla
The purists will not allow vanilla, others say ok if enhances the quality of the chocolate. A moot point.
Always check the list of ingredients.
Quality chocolate will be bean-to-bar. Anything that is not bean-to-bar paying a lot of money for someone to buy in chocolate and turn into bars.
Asked why chocolate on the stall had soy? Soy destroys rain forests, likely to be gmo, most probably unless organic, sprayed with glyphosate. It could be worse. it could be palm oil. Green and Black chocolate is padded out with palm oil. Emulsifiers are used instead of cocoa butter. Why, because it is cheaper.
EU permits emulsifiers, USA does not.
Chocolate, high quality single origin bean-to bar chocolate has many subtle flavours, no quality chocolate maker would dream of adding additives. This would be like adding syrups to a good coffee.
Chocolate has more flavour profiles than coffee. Coffee has more flavour profiles than red wine.
We are going backwards. Chocolate wrapped in plastic. Why? Chocolate used to be foil wrapped, then wrapped in paper.
To claim cannot as small business is nonsense.
It is indie coffee shops that have been leading the way on reusable cups compostable cups, on direct trade not the fair trade scam which is little more than a marketing scam to make the smug middle class feel good. Being small, is being nimble.
What asked these questions, lady manning chocolate stall turned very unpleasant and refused to answer.
Excellent beer from the beer stall next to Silent Pool Gin stall. I bought three bottles, one chilled to have with my lunch. My only criticism, the bottles are too small, should be 330 ml not 250 ml.
A year ago I was assured the market would be plastic free this year. It is not, if anything it has got worse.
Persuasion is not working. It should not be individual stalls, the paella and dosa stalls set high standards. If stallholders are not cooperating and clearly they are not, then rules have to be set and enforced. No plastic. If not plastic free, then will not be allowed on the Guildford farmers market. If stallholders whinge its is costing them, tough. If their businesses model is not valid they should not be in business. It is not acceptable to externalise their costs onto the environment and the rest of society.
Guildford is the only farmers market where I see what should normally be in a fridge 0-5 C sat on a stall at 20 C or higher. Any stall wishing to sell meat, poultry, fish and dairy products must have refrigerated stalls. No refrigerated stall then not permitted on the market.
Last month Guildford declared a Climate Emergency. Empty words unless followed by action. Markets in Guildford should demonstrate best practice not worst practice, set a lead for others to follow.
And please get rid of the ice cream van at the bottom of North Street with engine running belching out toxic fumes at the height of toddlers.
Excellent lunch at Bamboo Shoots with a bottle of craft beer off the market, but 250 ml too little.
Passing by Surrey Hills coffee five people, when I passed by later one person. I cannot see how they survive.
Walking back down the High Street to Tunsgate, craft beer stall said they would return on Saturday. I was surprised as I was not aware there was a market on Saturday. A vegan market. No publicity, no mention by any of the stalls.
As always, excellent cappuccino at Krema.
