A Local Food Revolution

On the last Saturday of the month, farmers and producers gather at Endecott House in Chagford to sell artisan food, local meat and produce.

Chagford used to be a thriving market town and held a monthly livestock market until 1980. Animals were slaughtered in town behind The Three Crowns Inn and were hung at ‘the shambles’; a hexagonal building in the town centre now affectionately named ‘the pepper pot’. People would visit from all over (even from Moretonhampstead) and enter bustling streets filled with farmers and customers buying produce and catching up on local news.

Fast forward to nowadays and our local farmers’ markets have almost died out, with improved transport links and the arrival of supermarkets came the death of a culture. What we didn’t factor in is our food security and local resilience. Some things come and go in time but it’s becoming increasingly clear that with climate change on the horizon our food security is at risk. Overall the UK produces only 60% of its total food supply* with 32% of UK fruit and veg imported from Spain, where we have already had shortages in recent years.

The other loss is community; buying directly from the farmer not only supports their livelihood but builds a relationship to other peoples lives that cannot be replicated in the isles of Lidl. I love seeing farmers bringing their children to market and interacting with passers by under the tabletops. Seeing and hearing what plights and successes the farmers go through month to month feeds into our knowledge of the land and realities of food production, where it comes from and it’s journey to our plate.

Local food is healthier in so many ways but I probably don’t need to preach to most people living on Dartmoor; it’s one of the reasons we live in this incredible place. On the 26th July we kick off Chagford Farmers’ Fayre again and warmly invite you to come and take a browse, snack and maybe purchase some lovely produce. There’s an amazing array of small producers tucked away on the moor, let’s celebrate that and start a new food revolution.

www.facebook.com/chagfordfarmersfayre

*UK Food Security Index 2024.