Despite it being a cloudy day there were lots of sunny smiles in the town centre which was buzzing with families, couples and individuals out and about enjoying both the Farmers’ Market in Market Place and Newbury Artisan running the length of Northbrook Street.
The Farmers’ Market had a great choice of meats, fish, eggs, cheeses, apple juice, beers and fresher-than-fresh seasonal vegetables. Yummy. (And despite the fact that I’m told it’s going to shorten my life, I could not resist buying some delicious dry-cured bacon from a lovely lady from Dews Meadow Farm Shop.)
And then onto Northbrook Street where stalls stretched for just about as far as the eye could see.
Artisan is a well-used word at the moment but it perfectly described the eclectic, exciting displays of food, drink and crafts on offer.
Having arrived on lunchtime, the senses were alive with a huge choice of street foods, from paella and pulled pork rolls to pies and pastries. The bread, buns and patisserie were right up my street and mouth-wateringly good; never mind a sliced white, give me a rustic sourdough or seeded spelt loaf any day.
Tutts Clump Cider put in an appearance and was doing its usual roaring trade, and there was another stall with sparkling wine which was proving popular. Oh yes, and some gorgeous fishcakes to take home; they will be putting in an appearance on our dining table later this week.
And what else? Bags, cushions, hand-felted plant pots, and a clever idea of 3-D paintings crafted from your own photograph. The silver jewellery which you could have personalised, for example with your child’s finger print or your four-legged-friend’s paw print, looked very cute and would make a perfect present.
Then there were very pretty shabby-chic home furnishings, and vintage clothing put in an appearance with some cleverly reconstructed pieces that gave them a whole new look.
Jack FM was providing lively musical entertainment and children were enjoying colouring in masks at the Newbury BID stand, but one particularly intriguing stall that was attracting a lot of attention was the one offering the chance to hold a wild creature for £1. Personally I did not feel the need, but there were plenty of others who were enjoying having Hissing Sid draped around their necks!
Shops, restaurants and cafés that were open were also making the most of the extra footfall and drawing in the crowds, so it was good news all round.
All in all it was a lovely way to spend a couple of hours on a Sunday, and it’s great to know that Newbury Artisan is going to be a regular monthly event in 2016.
See you there next time.
Biddy x
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