to hate people who go to farmers' markets

[kittensrockmyworld]

I went past a famers market yesterday and the kids were totally sucked in by the cake stall, it was at this point that i had to drag them away due to the prices!

£5 for some chilly Jam & £10 for some pasta. Maybe I'm slightly jealous of people being able to afford it, however it is just plain annoying that people can waste so much money on the stuff!!!

[bakingaddict]

I partially agree with some of the comments and although I love to browse around a farmers market some are very overpriced and over-rated. I guess it depends on the ones in your locality but £5 for a jar of chilli jam seems vastly overpriced when I guess it costs around a pound or less per unit to make.

If you are buying jars in bulk off the internet the unit price is around £0.50 -0.80, I know as I have looked into doing this myself and you don't have to order 1000s to get this price.

[ihearsounds]

I have been to 3 in London. All overpriced poncy markets. £25 for a jar of strawberry jam for example, £18 for a piece of fudge the same size as a bar of chocolate.. Much prefer regular markets in London, better quality than the supermarkets.

However, been to farmers markets out of London, and a lot better. You don't feel like you are getting robbed. And unlike the ones in London I went to, the people knew about where all the produce came from, and were very friendly.

[mrsjay]

good god were they hugged and watered wiith angel tears reared strawberries

[Manchesterhistorygirl]

Wow OP, you hate people who care where and how their meat was produced?

Do you have any idea of the cost of raising animals for you to eat?

I suggest you may want to do a little research and then come back to us.

As an aside I enjoy baking for family and friends and a couple of Christmases ago someone asked to buy my Christmas cake and was horrified when I said it would be £70. The ingredients cost me £30, the icing etc another £5 or so, plus the cost of cutters and base board, and I had been making it since October half term and this was two days before Christmas! It took me around ten hours just to decorate it properly. Hand made marzipan, royal icing and fondant stars that covered it entirely. They said they could get one for a tenner in Tesco instead!

[mrsjay]

hehe thesecondcoming

[KatyTheCleaningLady]

bakingaddict, the production costs of the item are only a tiny sliver of it. They also need to be paid for their time - including the time they are sitting at a farmer's market.

Furthermore, the costs of a small business include things you probably don't think about, such as insurance and accountancy.

Even the cost of minimum wage labour includes things like holidays, sick pay, and national insurance. I see people on here talking about how a cleaner should only cost £10 an hour, but I can tell you that if you're doing a truly legitimate business, that's not really enough money. My expenses run to thousands of pounds a year (including insurance on my business and vehicle, accounting, uniforms, supplies and materials, laundry, driving to different clients, advertising, and random basic admin things)... and then there's the matter of needing to allow for my own holidays, sick days, etc.

If the small business employs anyone, then costs can skyrocket. A minimum wage employee working about 20 hours a week will cost as much as £8 an hour.

[LeeCoakley]

I'm a sucker for cheese and marmalade! But I agree with the op if she lives in my town - dp came home yesterday with a stale loaf (£3.50) and a sliver of cheesecake (tasty but £2.50). He likes walking round farmers' markets but always feels he has to buy something we don't need!

[NuhichNuhaymuh]

Chutney really isn't that expensive to make. I soppose it all boils down to how much you think you time is worth.

There really are a lot of over priced items in 'Farmer's Markets', I think I'd prefer it if they actually were farmers, I'd be more inclined to buy at them.

[twentythirteen]

I like an occassional farmers market for treats. I like that link Sparklingbrook!

[PickleSarnie]

YABU.

I'm not "wasting" money on them. I'm choosing to spend my money on decent, tasty and locally produced food. I don't have many other extravagances so if I choose to shop at farmers markets then what gives you the right to judge me or "hate " me?

[SirBoobAlot]

YABVVU.

My friend organises the local farmer's market. I've also run another friend's local small business stall there before. I know each of the stall holders, and know how bloody hard they work. To stand out, in all weathers, being smiley and positive, for sometimes over 10 hours a day, on your feet, watching people judge the things you have created... It's fucking hard.

And the majority of stall holders you see are the people that not only made, but designed, thought up, and worked through endless batches of before getting the product exactly right. Mainly because they cannot afford to pay someone else to be there. One of the goats cheese I know sellers ins't the individual who makes the cheese - his wife does it. He's the Shepard.

The fish stall at the market I'm thinking of is a family run business. The man must be late sixties, early seventies. He catches every single fish there himself. This market is his biggest selling point in the week. If he didn't go, he wouldn't be able to pay his rent. Simple.

These are people trying to make a living. It's not fun sometimes working as an independent business. If you don't want to pay £5 for a jar of chutney, then don't. But that is the cost of making a decent product, especially when you haven't got mainstream superstore reduction of cost.

So finally, until you have tried the quality of the products, don't whinge about it being cheaper in Tesco. And secondly, don't whinge in general - these people are just trying to make a living. If you don't want to buy it, then don't. But respect the fact that where it might be annoying for you to have to drag your children away from the cake stall, they are on that cake stall nearly every single day, then going home to make more cakes for the following market, to keep money ticking over, just like you go to work every day to achieve the same.

[CheCazzo]

TheSecondComing I'll PM you later - just on way out now

[RubyGates]

NuhichNuhaymuh
"boils down"

I see what you did there

[Wheresmycaffeinedrip]

Oh I'd love to be able to go to a proper farmers market. Am always so jealous of people who can afford to go to them and buy the proper organically reared meat etc. we get what we can through online butchers etc and I would much rather spend the money and eat less meat than make do with the super market crap :( I don't know if anyone else has noticed but the quality of meat in tescos these days is awful, wouldn't serve half of it to a starving dog it's that bad sometimes. Those who have regular access to a good one are bloody lucky and I don't hate tem I envy them.

[bakingaddict]

Katy I do understand that there is many other seemly invisible costs that small business owners are liable for, i'm not without any business guile.

However, at some farmers' markets, albeit not all, I did specify it depends on your locality that there can be a tendency for producers to think they can price with vastly overinflated margins because they believe the buying public to be seduced and gullible by all things 'home produced'

[NuhichNuhaymuh]

Good to see it didn't pass everyone by RubyGates

[FryOneFatManic]

The farmers market in my town takes place in the permanent Cattle market on a friday when there aren't any animal sales. It's reasonable food at reasonable prices, and local stuff to boot.

And making jam at home can easily cost more than the shop bought stuff but I like making it and I know what's in it is just your fruit sugar water and maybe some spices, etc. No additives.

[VerySmallSqueak]

ihear seriously? £25 for a jar of strawberry jam?

I'd rather give £20 to charity and get a jar (that'd still be posh stuff in my book) for a fiver.

It just makes me very cross at the thought that people would pay that.

[ChunkyPickle]

Hate is a bit strong, but I do understand. Sorry, but your victoria sponge for 7.50 is no better (and has no better ingredients) than the 3 pound one from M&S although I do concede that it might be better than mine (although mine would have an 'hot from the oven' advantage)

If you're having to charge 5 pounds for a pot of jam (which I get virtually for free by making bramble jelly in autumn), then perhaps, just perhaps this isn't a great way for you to make money and you should try something else.

Meat etc. I can see that going local is better - I always liked the covered market when I lived in Spain because I could talk to the butcher. Luckily there are still butchers where I live, so I don't have to risk some bloke in his van (some with pitiful hygiene/chilling) selling me variable quality meat.

[FryOneFatManic]

If you want decent homemade jam, just go to a pick your own fruit farm, stock up and cook at home. Not really difficult and I find raspberry jam the easist to make.

But we have a couple of bakers who sell at our market, and their bread is lovely and reasonably priced.

[VerySmallSqueak]

I am definitely very cautious about whether stuff is actually organic/ethically produced etc etc.There seems to be so many loopholes when it comes to labelling.

I would pay a premium for it (if I can afford it) but I certainly haven't got the money to be taken for a mug.

[FunnyLittleFrog]

Round here what you get is the Bugaboo set people doing their weekly shop at Sainsbury's then buying a few jars of jam and some 'artisan' bread at the poncetastic 'farmers' market one Saturday a month and thinking they are supporting local businesses. They are not. Supporting local businesses means buying meat at the local butchers, fruit and veg at the local grocers and other bits and bobs at the struggling local shops.

You don't see many farmer's market types in the proper daily market in the local city centre either. These businesses are local too and most sell local produce - just not from a wooden basket.