One of the greatest benefits of being in this part of the world is just how easy it is to come by local fresh produce, meat, and traditional delicacies prepared by skilled workers. You can pick up everything from cheese to smoked trout as well as locally brewed beers, cakes, smoked fish and so much more at the many farmers’ markets nearby.
Here’s when they run…
Half an Hour’s Drive Away or Less
Sedbergh Market is held every Wednesday in the car park on Joss Lane. Trading starts at 8:30am and runs until mid-afternoon, weather permitting. We recommend parking in the Loftus Hill car park and walking down Main Street rather than competing for the coveted spaces remaining in the market car park.
Lancaster Charter Market runs outside the Museum twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, between 9am and 4:30pm. The over 40 stalls in the market offer a wide range of items including homemade preserves, international cuisine, smoked fish, and artfully baked bread.
Nether Kellet Farmers’ Market is easily the closest, taking place on the second Sunday of every month between 11 and 3. It can be found in the Village Hall on Shaw Lane, and being so close it’s hard not to justify simply dropping by to see what it might offer.
The first Saturday of each month is the day that the Caton Farmers’ Market takes place at the Victoria Institute in Caton. It runs from 10 to 1, with refreshments and crafts available to supplement the produce on offer.
Less Than an Hour’s Drive Away
Orton Farmers’ Market takes place on the second Saturday of each month, running from 9 to 2 with refreshments available in the Market Hall, at the Church, and at Kennedy’s Fine Chocolates. Orton’s core rules mean that all produce will have been prepared within fifty miles of the market by the people running the stall, who will be able to answer any questions you might have about ingredients or production.
The Cartmel Food Market runs on every third Friday each month, between 10 and 4pm by the Priory in Unsworth’s Yard. A wide range of stalls are always present (with a list of some of the most regular at the link) but which stalls are present at any given market can vary.
Penrith Farmer’s Market is a sister market to Orton and runs on the third Tuesday of each month from March to December. Stalls open at 9:30 and close at 2:30. Many stallholders are award-winners, and all will be happy to talk to you about exactly what goes into the market.
The Gifted Eden Artisans’ Market also takes place in Penrith on the third Saturday of each month in St Andrew’s Churchyard. Gifted Eden traders have been hand-picked, focusing on home-made produce from the local area.
Milnthorpe was granted a market charter in 1334 and the vibrant Farmers’ Markets have been taking place in Milnthorpe for the past five years offering high quality, locally sourced produce. These take place on the second Friday of each month and the organisers regularly have twenty stalls in the Square which prove quite an attraction.