New Falkland venture gives food for thought

The venture, which is part of the Local Food Works project, is being funded by the Climate Challenge Fund with the aim of encouraging local people to enjoy and buy locally produced food.

Run through the Centre for Stewardship in Falkland, the markets start this Saturday, June 4.

They’ll be held every Saturday apart from the last in the month from 10.30am – 12.30pm in the Town Hall.

Local Food Works project co-ordinator Yvonne Alexander explained that the project was all about bringing local communities together.

“We are very excited about this project as we have so many wonderful producers and growers in our community,” she said.

“We want to make their produce even more accessible to the villagers living in and around Falkland and believe that a weekly food market is a great way of doing this.

“The market is open to a wide variety of people who make, grow and produce food on a commercial basis as well as to those who are keen home gardeners or bakers and have produce they would like to sell. We are speaking to many producers and hope the market will grow over the coming weeks and months.”

The Falkland Food Market is already off to a great start with the markets being attended by Falkland Growers and Producers, a local co-operative made up of Meadowsweet Organics and Falkland Kitchen Farm who will sell organic vegetables, salads, herbs and cut flowers.

Other producers taking part over the next few months include Webster Honey from Kinross, Chocolate Gold, a chocolatier specialising in dairy free truffles; Cakes of Cupar producing breads, cakes and snack bars using local veg and herbs; Cochranes Kitchen selling delicious jams; Falkland in Bloom selling plants; A Bonnie Wee Cake, selling cakes, and Falkland Farm Apple Juice, which produces organic apple juice from the orchard on Falkland Estate will also be for sale.

Fife Zero Waste will have a smoothie stall and a home gardener with an abundance of rhubarb and a hobbyist baker of cakes and bread from Kingskettle will also be taking part.

In addition to the Falkland Food Market, the Local Food Works initiative will be organising monthly community meals as well as food and growing workshops. Sam Docherty, the Local Food Works community gardener is using some unused spaces around the Stables at the Centre for Stewardship to grow vegetables, fruit and flowers.

“We are currently planting a lot with the aim of producing food that we can sell at the Falkland Food Market as well as improving the aesthetic space around the stable block,” he said.

“It’s a great project to be involved with and adds value to everything we are doing here. We’re always on the look out for volunteers as there are plenty of gardening and growing opportunities.”

The meals and workshops will be taking place in the villages around Falkland with the next community meal happening on June 26 in Dunshelt. The meals and workshops are free although those interested in attending must register through Eventbrite. All donations will be welcome.

For more information on the markets, meals and workshops as well as volunteer opportunities, please email [email protected] or call 01337 858838.

5) The attached image is of Yvonne Alexander, Local Food Works project co-ordinator, Sam Docherty, Local Food Works Gardener and Ninian Stuart, Head of Strategy at the Centre for Stewardship.