True Taste Welsh Food Market

St David’s Day is different from many national days in that there’s no outlandish set of celebrations that are commonly associated with other countries’ festivities.

It isn’t celebrated with the exuberance that comes with St Patrick’s Day or the rugged fierceness seen on Guy Fawkes’ Night and doesn’t cause the outbreak of nationwide indifference that St George’s Day brings every year.

Maybe it’s because Wales is quite a humble nation, determined to do things with a certain pride and with the minimum of fuss, characteristics that were in abundance with those tending the stalls at the Welsh Farmers’ Food Market held in Soho’s Golden Square recently.

The best aspect of farmers’ markets is the stories behind the food and the possibility of finding out and talking directly to the person responsible for the produce. One example was Loraine Makowski-Heaton, who set up Kid Me Not, a company specialising in goats’ milk products. She was inspired by her husband, who suffers from irritable bowel syndrome, and her children who have eczema.

‘Goats milk is a real alternative for people who cannot tolerate cows’ milk,’ said Heaton, ‘and it is nice to give those people a treat once in a while.’

Based in Carmarthenshire, Heaton produces cheeses, chocolate and fudge, all of which benefit from using the goats’ milk, which is creamier and possesses a well-rounded taste.

Having been founded in 2005, Kid Me Not is one of the newer producers present at the market. A little more established are the South Caernafron, who formed a farmers’ co-operative some 72 years ago. The amount of practice they will have had at producing their cheeses has clearly paid off with their spreadable Welsh rarebit coming highly recommended.

Another fascinating story is that which lies behind Patchwork Foods. The company was founded over 25 years ago by a single mother taking £9 out of the housekeeping budget to produce her first paté. The company now produces over 70 different products and has been awarded a large number of awards for its patés, hummus and pies.

My favourite had to be the produce of The Pudding Compartment. As is the case with farmers’ markets, small samples were left out on the top of stalls. Eventually it got to the point that I had taken so many small samples of their Seville orange marmalade and apricot steamed pudding that it was only proper that I actually bought a couple rather than accumulate them through repeated furtive visits. I’m not ashamed to say that the zinger ginger steamed pudding and the sticky toffee pudding did not last the day. And I left the market in the middle of the afternoon.

True Taste Welsh Food Market
Golden Square
Soho
W1