The best little farmers’ market in the country

The best little farmers’ market in the country

8 March 2017

COMBER Farmers’ Market has exceeded the expectations of its creators and thrown down a gauntlet to other community visionaries.

Set up by volunteers in a bid to draw more visitors to the town, it is now a hub of 26 artisan stalls attracting regular customers from all over Northern Ireland.

It mightn’t have worked with your typical market fayre, but organisers have made sure there are reasons for people to keep coming back.

From rare raw cheeses to wild game, and award-winning potato apple bread cooked on the griddle in front of you, it is a foodie’s delight. 

The locally grown and sourced items are on sale the first Thursday of every month in Comber. Making use of the car park attached to the St Mary’s Parish Church at The Square, it is a smart way of keeping costs down for Comber Regeneration Community Partnership which first opened the market on in July 2014.

Among the group of volunteers who meet monthly to organise it all is councillor Deborah Girvan, who is also the Mayor of Ards.

“I brought a proposition for a market to the council in 2012. I could see the explosion of food producers in the area — but after a debate they turned it down,” she explained. “I approached Comber Regeneration Community Partnership and they said ‘let’s try it’. We applied for funding from the Big Lottery, got 10 gazebos and from there it took off. It started only with about 12 traders we now have about 26 on our books. It’s a great reflection on the local produce in the area.

“It wouldn’t work without the volunteers; we have about 30 working with the market. It is a big community initiative. The gazebo team, for instance, are a group of 10 to 12 retired gentlemen who get up on market day at 6.30am to put up the gazebos and then come back at half one to take them down again.

“We have come a long way and now have people coming here from Killough, from Dundonald, from Belfast, from Bangor, from Holywood. It is great to see a local market supported like this.”

Recently receiving the Best Northern Ireland Local Market accolade in Tourism NI’s Year of Food and Drink Awards, Deborah said everyone involved was “tickled pink”.

“It’s really a tribute to the volunteers and traders,” she said. “The market has brought a lot of civic pride back to the town.”

Amongst the trendy deli offerings, handmade granola stalls and cold pressed oils at Thursday’s market was a man with just one product on display on a plain wooden bench — ‘raw’ unpasteurised milk.

Carryduff farmer Kenneth Hanna can be found enticing customers to remember the childhood milk they enjoyed straight from the dairy.

“I half grew up in a farm and remember milk from a churn and it was gorgeous, that’s why I’m wondering, really can I still do this?” said one excited sampler. “This has taken me back to my childhood. That’s proper milk.”

With a herd of 40 cows to look after too, market day is a busy one for Kenneth.

“I have the milking to do before I come down here,” he explained, “I was up at ten to five. The breakfast is a fair bit down, but you have to get up and get on with it.

“The variety of people you meet is very interesting. Some very interesting conversations.”

Kenneth may be a traditional farmer but he has cannily caught on to a trend for a product which is being billed as a more vitamin rich version of standard milk. Producing only pasteurised milk also wasn’t paying its way.

“The price of the milk last year — only 16 pence was the base and it wasn’t paying to produce milk for 16 pence,” he said. “Look at the cream on this one, right down, full of the vitamins your body needs. People are starting to go back to this type of product.”

The raw milk theme continues further up the market, with South African chef Christo Swanepoel. He is the force behind City Cheese and shares a stall with Indie Fude, also selling cheese at Comber Market.

Despite the name, City Cheese has a Ballywalter base, where people can watch their Dutch Gouda style cheeses being made in front of them. Sick of travelling away from home a lot as a South African chef, Christo said he was “in the middle of the ocean” when he and his wife picked out Northern Ireland on the map as their new home.

“We literally just pointed at the map,” he laughed. “Six weeks later we were here.

“We are the only organic certified cheese makers in Northern Ireland and one of only two companies using raw milk. We just saw a gap in the market.”

Another colourful character is William Clendinning, who has on display a huge range of chutneys and jams he manages to make in his Newtownards kitchen.

“It’s a big kitchen,” he admitted. “I love doing markets as I spend most of the time in the kitchen myself. I do about 200 a year.”

The unusual flavours range from ‘Some Like it Hot’ to ‘Strawberry Pepper Pot’ and ‘Volcano Extra Hot Chilli Jam’.

“The men really like to try that one first, but I do hotter ones,” William added.

Competing on the flavour front beside him is Steph Fulton, from Carryduff, who set up the Wee ChoCo chocolate company. Orange and ginger, lime and chilli and an award winning sea salt recipe are among the bespoke range of tastes. In this business the profits go towards helping people with learning disabilities who also work at their small Moneyreagh factory.

“When they leave school they often just go into day centres and don’t do much,” said Steph.

“I set this up two years ago. It was low risk, the guys can come in and learn, and we also hold events such as workshops for schools and hen parties.”

Producing enticing smells at the entrance to the market is The Krazi Baker, where traditional griddle breads cooked in front of the customer draw a long line of regular customers.

“We are non-stop,” said baker Mark Douglas. “I have been here this morning from a quarter to five and the first sodas hit the hot plate about 6.15. You build up a trade. Seeing the product made in front of you is an attraction, but if it isn’t good enough people won’t come back.”

There’s potato bread with brambly apple, bacon and cheese sodas, chorizo sodas and even cinnamon sodas.

“The sultanas are soaked in whisky overnight and enriched in butter like my mother used to do for us,” Mark added enticingly.

Representing Downpatrick was Martina Brétéché from Mange Tout French style patisserie.

“We have been here from the beginning; it’s always very busy and there’s a lovely atmosphere,” she said. “We have people from Belfast out here and there are a group of ladies come down from Killough.

“Downpatrick is a market town and it is crying out for something like this. People might travel to it. A market would definitely help put a bit of life in Downpatrick. 

“When you speak to anyone here, it has brought so much to Comber. People see handmade artisan products and they appreciate that. Some people were worried initially about the knock-on effect on businesses but the cafes are full on market day.”

Comber Farmers’ Market runs on the first Thursday of every month between 9am and 1.30pm.