Where is it?
Duke Street, Castlefield, City, M3 4NF. Opening times: First Sunday of every month, 10am-4pm
History:
Asif and Jodie Farakhan are the organisers of the blossoming monthly market. With over ten years experience in the food industry, including ownership of restaurants in England and Portugal, winning various foodie awards and running a naan bread factory in Manchester, the idea to start a market came off the back of selling their popular homemade curries at farmers markets in Lancashire and Cheshire.
Jodie said: “The idea came about through working with other producers who were committed to producing high quality food. We also visited places like Borough Market in London where it's not just about shopping, it's about the whole experience of meeting with the people who create the produce and are passionate about what they are doing.
Fresh fish
“As shoppers ourselves, we felt suspicious about supermarkets and how the things they sell there are created. We wanted to try to come up with an alternative to this and give artisans a space to show people what they do. Many of these producers wouldn't be able to afford a city centre space. Castlefield Artisan Market is their shop front in the city centre.”
What does it sell?
The market started in October 2011 with 30 stalls from Asif and Jodie’s contacts. That number has since increased to 80 with the potential of 100 by summer 2012.
Jodie said: “Now people approach us, usually through other stall holders or through coming to the market and seeing for themselves. We are still actively involved in looking for more and more interesting, creative people to join all the time.”
The almighty mushroom stall
The criteria for food and craft stalls at the market is that they must produce all the products themselves unless they import specialist food which is not available in this country, such as the Greek food stall. Non-food related items tend to be antique, handmade or vintage.
Food is of course the focal point and you can expect all manner of exciting produce. Too many to mention, here’s just a taste of what you can expect on a monthly basis:
Levanter Fine Foods is full of Spanish meats, cheeses and olive oils – the firey chorizo will light up your mouth so make sure you ask for a taster if you’re daring enough. Afterwards, you can cool down again with Fiona Sciolti’s ice cream in unusual flavours such as blue cheese, pear and walnut. The Ginger Kid provides the ultimate in comfort food including deep set cakes and tarts made from the ‘finest possible raw ingredients’. Then there’s the almighty mushroom stall which is the next best thing to foraging through woodlands and the equally earthy Heath Lane Farm Shop full of muddy King Edwards and other vegetables not long picked from the earth. The Cumbrian Pig Company’s sausages are extremely popular with visitors taking advantage of the three packs for £10 deal and stocking up for the month. You can get fresh fish and seafood too, cheeses, chutneys from Reedy’s, pies from The Great North Pie Company and there’s even a dedicated sticky toffee pudding stall too.
Levanter Fine Foods
All stallholders are confident in what they’re selling and proud of it. Talk to them. Learn about the journey the food you’re about to buy has been on, and it’s guaranteed to taste even better.
For those looking beyond their stomachs, there’s also plenty of clothing, jewellery and household item stalls. The Suburban Series plates by Lisa Mouncey are beautifully detailed or if vintage is your thing, Smashing Time have all sorts of retro kitchen items on their stall. There are also lots of more unusual handmade items such as the Stamp Arts tiled hotplates and placemats and The Flat Basket Co. who sell pretty fruit and egg baskets.
Who goes there?
Just like the stalls themselves, customers are a real mixed bag. Some are regulars, stocking up on the aforementioned sausages or treating themselves to a sticky toffee pudding. Others have perhaps walked off the beaten track and wound up admiring the Roman Fort, only to find this hidden community under the bridge. Dukes 92 drinkers will also be hard pressed not to have a nosey. Local people love it, as do those coming from afar. It’s a real pillar of the community.
Jodie said: “Footfall has increased every month massively since we started through word of mouth and thanks to the media who are also very supportive of what we are trying to do. People are using social media to spread the word too. Although it's a relatively new market and still evolving, everyone involved is very excited about the potential.”
The Flat Basket Co.
Why go there?
Castlefield Forum, a group of residents, business owners and cultural establishments, carried out a survey last year asking residents which events they would most like to see in Castlefield in the future. Forty-eight per cent of participants said they’d like to see more markets.
You’ll leave with a fist full of stripped cocktail sticks, a bag full of irresistible local produce and the knowledge that you’re supporting local suppliers. There’s free parking on Castle Street too, for those driving in.
Future:
Jodie said: “We have a couple of people coming soon who are involved in developing revolutionary and exciting new ways of cooking. I'm not giving anything away though. You need to come to the market to see this.
“We’re developing an Indian tea room in one of the arches and are currently sourcing different blends of teas. We’re also currently looking for a specialist coffee roasting and blending company, new musicians and artists to get involved and are currently speaking with some Portuguese fadoistas (traditional Portuguese folk singers).”
Suburban Series Plates
Verdict:
Coming up to its sixth month of trade, Castlefield’s Artisan Market has been slowly building up to what should be a busy summer of trade. Hardy traders have been weathering the wind tunnels under the multi-arch viaduct thus far and this summer is going to be their time to really shine. Go and support them.
