TAUNTON Farmers' Market is one of the best in the country, according to a recent survey.

The weekly event held every Thursday in the county town's High Street came fifth in a nationwide ranking of farmers' markets across the UK.

The 'league table' created by recipe box provider HelloFresh was based on how often the markets take place, how long they last, the number of trade stalls and online ratings.

Winchester, Truro, Edinburgh and Blackheath were the only venues to fare better than Taunton.

The Taunton market was initially launched in 1999 as a monthly market, but the organisers quickly realised Taunton had the demand for a weekly event.

Although there has been lots of change during the past two decades, the farmer's market continues to thrive.

It has won the Gold Award in Taste of the West Best Farmers’ Market category a number of times.

Mimi Morley, senior chef at HelloFresh, said: "What can you buy at a farmers market? Typically, farmers markets sell a huge variety of meats, fruit and vegetables. This is because it’s fresh produce grown and nurtured in the UK and picked by the highest quality producers before heading to the market.

“If you’re a vegetarian, looking for high quality, fresh produce from the farmers markets, then I highly recommend making a vegetable tagine. This dish can be jam packed full of flavour and tastes even better knowing its ingredients were grown by UK farmers.

“Some of the finest meat cuts can be found amongst the trade stands. So, why not make a succulent sirloin steak with your favourite sauce and chips? Or make a classic chicken roast dinner when you head back home from the market.”

Here's the list of the 20 Best Farmers Markets in the UK.

1. Winchester Farmers’ Market, Hampshire.

2. Truro Farmers Market, Cornwall.

3. Edinburgh Farmers’ Market, central Scotland.

4. Blackheath Farmers’ Market, South East London.

5. Taunton Farmers’ Market, Somerset.

6. Cowbridge Farmers’ Market, South Glamorgan, Wales.

7. Stirling Farmers’ Market, central Scotland.

8. Barnes Farmers’ Market, South London.

9. Haverfordwest Farmers’ Market, Pembrokeshire, Wales.

10. Stroud Green Market, Gloucestershire.

11. Perth Farmers’ Market, central Scotland.

12. Causeway Specialty Market, Coleraine, Northern Ireland.

13. Cardiff Riverside Farmers' Market, South East Wales.

14. Malton Monthly Food Market, North Yorkshire.

15. The Garage Farmers’ Market, Nottingham.

16. Ripley Farmers’ Market, North Yorkshire.

17. Moseley Farmers’ Market, Birmingham.

18. Hexham Farmers’ Market, Northumberland.

19. Orton Farmers’ Market, Cumbria.

20. Barnard Castle Farmers’ Market, County Durham.