Taunton farmers’ market where every trader can tell you their own stories

The telling of a story is the part which you should listen to as the weekly Taunton Farmers’ Market has a story to tell.

The first part of the tale is this year it celebrated its 18th birthday and is looking forward to getting older and welcoming more and more people to come and say hello.

One of the founding fathers or even founding farmers of the market is Graeme Wallace.

He was there are the birth of the market and is still its’ chairman on also sits on the farmers’ market committee. He is 100 per cent behind the market which he wants to ‘maintain its position’ in the town as a location where people can get good customer service.

Graeme owns and runs Wallace’s Farm which is based at Hill Farm, Hemyock, Cullompton in Devon.

He makes sure he is at the farmers’ market every week and this year when he was unable to attend in February/ March this year due to him having to have an operation, he put up a sign telling his customers why he was not at the market.

He said: “When I did come back, they said how good it was to see me.

"I always make sure I attend the market and even though I had to miss it I did worry about not being here.”

And this is for Graeme is the key for the market - customer service.

He said: “We have to make sure we maintain our standards.

"We have strong standards and for us it is all about the customer getting what they want and seeing a great range of foods.

“What we all want to make sure is the integrity of the products.

"For myself they ask do I cook and make the pies etc and the answer is yes.

"When I tell them they seem surprised.

"We like to talk to our customers and people know me and they know Reg (Reg’s Veg who has he stall next to Graeme).

"They know for example Reg grows his own veg, picks it and sells it himself.

"They love seeing this connection and meeting the person who does the work."

The hard work for Taunton’s Farmers’ Market began 18 years ago when Graeme was part of a steering committee looking at setting up a Farmers’ Market in the town.

As a result of the farmers and volunteers showing they wanted a market the town saw the birth of the first Co-operative of Farmers.

It has been a worthwhile effort by everyone concerned as the Taunton Farmers’ Market has established itself as a popular weekly event.

But Graeme said it could do more and it should do more in telling its story.

He said he was a guilty as anyone for not doing more and felt the traders need to do more in telling people about the products they sell and how they make them and where they grow them.

Graeme was looking to follow the inspiration of Ray (The veg man) and put up a board showing people pictures of himself making the pies and the other products he sells.

He said: “What we have here at the market is a good team of individuals.

“What we have seen over the years is a change to what is being sold.

"It was in the past meat, vegetables, eggs, cheese and butter but this has increased to include more food people can eat on the spot or take away to eat.

"What we have to do with the market is maintain that balance between food you can buy like vegetables and food you can eat straight away.”

Graeme has a butchery on his farm which allows him to make sausages, bacon and ham.

He also sells bee steak and horseradish pie, Devon beef steak and Stilton pie, free range chicken and ham pie, beef steak and mushroom pie sausage rolls, free range Scotch eggs and his award winning pork pie.

The pork pie angel is something which Graeme wants to develop as he makes pork pie wedding cakes and aims to start making gigantic pork pies.

He is looking at this as a new business avenue and one where he can provide gift certificates for his pies.

Reflecting on the market and look ahead, Graeme said: “I am doing my bit as chairman and as such I am leading the way.

"I enjoy making and selling food and I aim to maintain the standards I have set and giving people the best customer service I can.”