Farmers' Markets

BBC 1 Learning 2 EnglishLondon LifeFarmers' MarketsCallum: Hello, I'm Callum Robertson and this is LondonLife. Today's topic is arelatively new kind of market which is now very popular inLondon and acrossBritain.
　　Markets have been around for centuries, but in London a newkind of market first arrived only about 7 years ago. Whatkind of market? – Farmers' Markets. So what is a farmers'
　　market and how are they different from normal markets? Toanswer these questions I spoke 3 to Mark Handley from acompany called London Farmers' Markets which organisesfarmers’ markets in London. He says that there are twomain rules that apply to farmers' markets – what are they?
　　Here's Mark Handley.
　　MARK HANDLEYA farmers' market is maybe slightly different from aregular market. There are strict rules that govern thepeople that can attend and sell at the market. There aretwo main rules, the firstrule is that the person that attends the market has to bethe producer or the grower of the food they are selling, sothat means 4 there are a lot of farmers that sell at themarket, they might be selling meat, vegetables, dairyproducts also sometimes fishermen that have either farmedthe fish they're selling or caught the fish they're sellingor possibly bakers 5 that have baked the bread and then theyare selling that direct 6. The other thing that defines 7 afarmers' market is that the produce that is being soldcomes from a specified 8 geographic 9 area, so that might be100 miles from the market, it might be 30 miles from themarket so that the produce is localand fresh.
　　Callum: Mark Handley from London Farmer's market explainingthat in these markets the people selling the goods havegrown or made them themselves and that they come from aparticular 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 aboutthem? We visited one just outside London to find out,listen out for the different reasons that people give forvisiting farmers' markets.
　　VOICESSo why do you come to the farmers' market?
　　Trying to avoid supermarkets to be honest. Trying to buylocal and fresh produce and support the local businesses.
　　Produce is always fresh and I like to support the localfarmers, that's why we do it.
　　It's nice to come and try different foods and tastedifferent foods, so it's just variety really. We know thethings are fresh. They're a bit more expensive, that's all.
　　The thing is I mean these eggs most probably they were laidyesterday.
　　Well I like to support local produce and I always think thethings are very fresh and nice and Ijust feel we should keep it all going really.
　　Callum: There were a number of different reasons giventhere, some people want to support local farmers and notuse big supermarkets, even if the produce is more expensivein the farmers' market and most people said that theproduce was fresh. One man commented that the eggs hebought were probably laid only the day before.
　　That's how the public feel about farmers' markets, but whatabout the farmers themselves – do they enjoy it? Paulsells goats' cheese which he makes himself. He talks aboutthe banter 10 with the customers, which is the chatting andgossiping and he also talks about the rapport 11 withcustomers – the good relationship. Listen out for thosewords rapport and banterPAULSo what do you like about coming to the farmer's market asopposed to selling your cheeses elsewhere 12?
　　It's the banter, meeting the public, having a chat, likeyourself, having a general chat. The rapport between thegeneral public and yourself, it's absolutely fantastic. Youcan convert 13 some people. A lot of people say they don'tlike goat's cheese, can't stand it but they like cheese.
　　They try our little samples, they love it. It's fun, it'swonderful.
　　So do you think you get a better quality of food here thanyou would at a supermarket for example?
　　Absolutely because everything's fresh, it's all our ownproduce from all our own animals on our farm, it's thebest, it's absolutely the best.
　　Callum: Paul says that the banter and rapport is fantasticand it gives him the opportunity to convert some people –they think they don't like goat's cheese but he chats tothem and encourages them to try a little bit, a sample, andthey do and, he says, they love it.
　　That's all from this edition of London life, with all thistalk of food I'm getting a little peckish, now I wonderwhere my nearest farmers' market is …..