This Farmers Market was recommended to me by fellow Yelper Gareth H who lives around these parts…read more Ashton Farmers Market takes place on the last Sunday of every month, 9.00am to 3.00pm, although in hardcore market tradition the action is better earlier in the day, with packing up starting as early as 1.30pm or whenever the stall in question has more or less sold out of stock. The stalls are housed outside in the shelters that are otherwise home to the outdoor section of Ashton Market, and indeed the indoor market opens for the earlier part of the Farmers Sunday, plus there are a few of the three dishtowels for £1 outdoor stalls open and looking to cash in on some of the trade passing to the farmers stalls! While there are some good artisan foodie markets in Manchester, I still think Ashton Farmers Market is worth a visit from further afield. While there are good cheese and chutney companies and cupcake makers here, you can tell from the ruddy faces, manner and vehicles of the majority of the stallholders that these are authentic diversified farm businesses or at least rural cottage industries. There is an impressive amount of cooking done from scratch on grill plates and the odd chargriller fashioned from an oil drum cut in half! Vegetarian choice is at least adequate, I would say - even farmers seem to be moving with the times, or at least this forward-looking bunch have. Other stalls include a tea stall with urn (£1 a cuppa), seasonal fruit and veg straight from the farm, garden plants, hand knitted goods and some other random stuff, all of which are done with a lot more TLC than your average high street store. Business is brisk, I was pleased to note. Stating the obvious, but if it is a proper rugged Farmers Market you are after, you need to get out a bit from the centre of the city. For example, Ashton seems to be on a circuit of Farmers Markets which include Todmorden and Hebden Bridge. And there seems to be a similar circuit down Cheshire way, taking place once a month in places like Lymm. Do let me know if you have experiences of good farmers anywhere near Manchester or in Lancashire. If you live anywhere near, or are passing near Ashton and looking for a bit of local flavour, Ashton Farmers Market is definitely worth a visit.

Well that was an enjoyable couple of hours spent at the farners market today…read more There is lots of stalls at this one which is always a plus,and it was the usual fare,lots of nice looking cakes,some seriously good pies and breads,lots of meats,from the usual beef to wild boar and venison. We tried some seriously good cheeses making it hard to decide which ones to buy! The star of this market and any other market they appear at was Robinsons Bakery,seriously it should be made a crime to not buy something from them,their goods are so nice and they are such lovely people. Mrs Z bought some bread and a Manchester tart from them and I had a Vienese finger (ooer!) because they are seriously addictive! Also from the market we bought what can only be described as a slab of meat and potato pie and a walnut batard. It would've been easy to buy more stuff,but we would run out of room! Held on the last sunday of every month this is one Farmers Market that is well worth a visit....

Went to the Northern Quarter Markets for a mooch around this afternoon and really enjoyed it. The…read moremarket is monthly and is run by the people behind the excellent Levenshulme market. The Northen Quarter market is on Stevenson Square and is quite small but all the stalls are selling good quality stuff and it's well worth a visit especially if you're a foodie or into vintage. There was an excellent handmade chocolate stall, a stall selling gourmet marshmallows, a place selling macaroons as well as cheese, vintage clothing, handmade jewellery and furniture stalls. The Soup Kitchen were also there with a Jamaican BBQ and there was a street food place selling wraps and sandwiches. A great way to spend a lazy Sunday.

The Northern Quarter market is great for a bit of browsing on a lazy Sunday. In the past I've…read morebought handmade single origin chocolate, crazy over-the-top cakes, and amazing pop-up gift cards.

Every second Sunday of the month, Mossley is bustling. The Farmers Market comes to town…read more Full of fresh meat from local places, this is a great way to stock up your fridge on the cheap and it is good quality meat. I will now tell you a secret. For what you pay here and what you get is fantastic. This is a great idea as well as a great find. Make sure you are early though as it does get really busy and take lots of bags to fill! Because you will fill them all!

Everybody, look how pretty!…read more I'm writing this not as an actual market customer - more an aesthetic appreciator. I promise I'll be back to Yelp the markets properly. You know Em loves her updates, peoples. I recently attended Stockport's Vintage Village which took place in these impressive Victorian Markets, and boy, are they attractive. Handsome. Like if they were a guy, I'd be giggling like a stupid schoolgirl while they spoke to me. And I'd probably accidentally snort or something. They lent themselves incredibly well to the whole retro vibe, especially those types at the markets who were selling and crafting cute little trinkets. First of all they're covered, which is great for our inclement Manchester weather (ooh, quick warning: do not refer to Stockport as part of Manchester to a Stockportian. Ever. Even 'Greater Manchester'. They'll practically beat you about the face with a handbag and give you the evils for the rest of the day), and they have underfloor heating. Er, bonus! Food was provided by the lovely Zip's Grill, an Australian affair that offers all kinds of tasty treats from their meaty bacon and egg butties and steak wraps to mezzes, soups and salads reflective of the proprietor's Aussie Greek-Cypriot background. Oh, and they have loads of different kinds of bread too. Double bonus. The stalls I saw marked out, closed obviously at the time due to the Vintage Fair, I was very intrigued by. Books! Triple bonus! And many others to boot. Anyway, thus ends my Scrabble-esque chat about Stockport's Market Halls. Now, if I could just find a cab driver who takes me right to the door instead of abandoning me on a drizzle-ridden pedestrian road with armfuls of Yelp goodies, that'd be just dandy.

We popped here while nipping to the regular Foodie Friday in Stockport (last Friday of the month -…read more6-9pm) and the old market does seem to be having a bit of a renaissance period. Ok so I may have had slightly rose tinted specs on due to me enjoying the fine fine food on offer outside but it really is a nice spot. In the week, it's open with a good mix of shops - all sorts of market grocers, butchers and a little cafe - plus some totally random shops and some real gems like High Peak brewing Co (go here for amazing beer from all around the world - amazing x464648!) On this occasion with it being FF, you could sit inside and take a load off, buy from some of the traders and even buy beer from High Peak to drink! A winner for me and great architecture to boot! Some great pubs like the Bakers are in the Market square too if you fancy getting your whistle wet!

Just been to the cafe with my son. Service was poor. Staff wandering around ignoring customers who…read moreare standing waiting to be served at the counter. I ordered 2 sandwiches and coffees which came to £34! I ordered a hot beef sandwich with caramelised onions and gravy. This is what came out. A dry ciabatta with half of it filled with roast beef. No onions and a dribble of gravy! The service and food definitely wasn't worth how much it cost. I won't be going again and I'll make sure I will be telling family and friends about this crappy experience.

Iv been to Albion farm shop many times over the years, and after yesterday's breakfast, felt it was…read moretime to review! Firstly- a great concept. Not only is this a little farm style cafe, it's also a local farm inspired shop, with a deli, butchery and organic food choices shop. They always give out samples of pies, scotch eggs, cheese and meats, whilst you can browse the many aisles of unique foods. Amazing section of chocolates and treats too, with a huge range from the popular slatteries. Eating at the cafe is always lovely, although i enjoy the breakfasts more than the lunch options. Iv had the jacket potatoes, pies and open sandwiches here before, but nothing beats the breakfasts! They are huge and come with lots of options of add ons, like extra toast and black pudding. Great range of milkshakes, cakes, biscuits and coffees too. One thing that lets it down: no dairy alternatives. Which means I miss out on the coffee. Come on Albion farm, get with the times!

Found this farm shop and cafe by pure chance and it has quickly become one of my favourite places…read moreto eat a small snack or meal at. The farm shop is quite small but they sell their own beef (mince, steaks etc), lamb (chops etc), eggs, veg, pies (beef and cheese and onion), sausages as well as local preserves and chutney. Their main business is their cafe, which has a fantastic selection of small snacks (sandwiches, tea cakes, homemade soup, cream scones etc) to larger meals including salads, all day breakfasts, homemade beef and lamb burgers and daily specials. The food is all either from their own produce and meat at the farm or locally grown and sourced when possible. You can taste the difference and all the food is fresh and tasty. Their selection of cakes is fantastic, all home made and yummy. Last time I went they had crumbles, fruit pies, chocolate biscuit cake, sticky toffee pudding and many more I can't remember. But the one thing that I adore the most about this place is their own homemade ice cream! It is the best ice cream I have ever come across, it's not overly sweet and the flavours are great quality. The choice is huge and changes nearly every week but they can include: cherry and yogurt, strawberry cheesecake, sticky toffee pudding, hot cross bun, double chocolate chip, chocolate mint chip, strawberry, toffee fudge, sherry trifle, grandma's special (sweets perfect for kids), farmhouse vanilla, cookies and cream, liquorice... the list goes one. They also do sobets. As well as this huge selection you can buy cakes to take home, anything that's in the cake counter as well as homemade scones and cookies. It has a large outdoor area for kids to play with lots of toys and slides while adults can sit nearby in the sunshine watching the nearby cows and sheep in a field. The whole place just has a wonderful, friendly feel. Only caution I would suggest is if like me you don't have kids and like a bit of peace and quiet, either go early (before 12pm) on weekends and avoid on bank holiday Mondays as it gets very busy with families.

We called in here on the off chance as my other half has an obsession with fish and reptiles. I do…read morenot live far from here but only recently have they turned this farm into a proper visitor place. I was a bit unsure at first because of all the stories escalating around about farms. But as soon as we parked up, we walked over to the pig sty and I instantly fell in love with the little pigs wandering around with their parents in their little den. Then we went into the massive store area and there are unreal amounts of fish in here. If you are a massive fan of tropical fish then this is the place you should go. It is clean, presentable and well organised. They also have reptiles such as snakes and mini-dragons and if you have never had a pet like this before, there are loads of staff around to help you out. Also they have a large range of books to help you raise certain species. Originally this was a farm that sold food produce. Now it has expanded beyond recognition. They still have food stock such as meat, eggs and juices etc. Also they have a cafe inside so if you want a cup of tea or a scone, then you can here. What I really enjoyed though about this place is that if you pay a pound each you can through into the stables and feed the pets in there. They have goats, llamas, sheep and bulls. I was a bit unsure at first but as soon as I started feeding them, I just fell in love with them all instantly. They were so cute trying to jump over the fences and lick your hands. This farm is really clean and extremely well run. I enjoyed the time we spent here, it was fun and exciting. I would recommend this twice over. Go and have fun!

Went to Cockfields Farm 3rd December 2011 to top up my tank with some new additions, as we were…read morelooking at the tanks , we noticed a DEAD fish floating on the top, so I informed a member of staff who joked that it was asleep and they always went pale and lifeless and floated when they were resting !!!! I thought this comment was inappropriate and not called for... we continued our now short visit by seeing another two tanks containing DEAD fish, I find this unacceptable and will not be going back there again. as there are many better fish shops with more pleasant staff within the Oldham area.

Like Ange,i'm going to also give the market 3 stars,but only because the number of stalls has…read moredrastically decreased as the months have gone on (Not the markets fault) and not because what is on offer isn't good,because it is. Last sunday we came home with some flavoured loose leaf tea,2 really nice malteaser chocolate cakes,a vanilla slice,a smoked cheese and onion pie and a really,really nice feta and spinach calzone (Had it last night and it really was lovely!!). And to our delight the hog roast was back! There is nothing like a pork and stuffing butty at half ten on a sunday morning! Really,there isn't.. Hopefully when winter is out of the way the stalls that have gone elsewhere may return and any updates I do will also see the number of stars increas too..

The first Sunday of every month brings a touch of glee to our lives as we look forward to a…read morehangover cure of juicy, succulent pig from the hog roast stall at Royton's food fayre followed by tastings galore of yummy delights and the purchase of pies, cakes, bread and anything else that grabs our fancy...that is, when we actually remember it's on! This weekend we remembered and lured by the chance to worship the sweet, sweet piggy meat and to stock up the fridge, we set off bright and early. Imagine our horror then as we arrived to find not only the lack of roast porcine in a bun, but a serious lack of stalls! Undaunted we wandered through the throngs (well maybe throngs is an exaggeration) of shoppers, stopping at every stall to oooh and aaah at the epicurean offerings. Amongst others we sampled cakes, chutneys and beer and made purchases of hummous (delicious and spiked generously with garlic and lemon), vanilla slices (heaven in an iced puff pastry shell), cherry strudel (Mr Z said yum!), prawn spring rolls (yet to be tried), bacon, leek and potato pie (tea tonight) and some haloumi ('slight' addiction to this) We could have bought more, believe me I would have purchased the whole cheese stall if we had the fridge room, and we could have tasted more, but we came away satisfied. I will recommend the black peas and ham though,(it's a Lancashire thing!) doused with vinegar and black pepper they warmed the cockles of my eternally hungry belly and kept me from mourning the lack of pork crackling on a unseasonally sunny Sunday.

Ramsbottom farmers market, is a monthly occasion with a variety of stalls with fresh ( still with…read moremoist mud ) fruit and veg , fresh meat and fish on ice A few of the stalls sell fresh fruit tarts and meat pies and quiches There are also a variety of stalls that ready made hot meals . The stalls are centred around the wine jug at the top of the road. All in all the stalls are there and sell your basics of a farmers market. There is additionally a bit now in the civic centre slightly further up the hill but this is mainly focused on arts and craft types with the odd food stall thrown in for good measure It stretches the legs on a Sunday morning . But parking can be an issue

The great thing about the Manchester Street Markets is a) they take place in my neighbourhood…read more(they're all South Manchester suburb-based), and b) you can always get something a little different at each of them. After checking out Northenden's offering I was delighted to see the familiar faces of The Butterfly Cupcakery and I recognised the awesome Mint & Garlic who I'd met previously at one of the Farmers Markets at Piccadilly Gardens. So what else to do at such a gorgeous market but shop? There were tasty-smelling fresh soups, a butcher and a fishmonger, preserves and cheeses as well as cakes, and as well as this you can get some bags, gifts and suchlike. Bex and I treated ourselves to a choccy brownie and a slab of carrot cake respectively from Butterfly, then I did a wee bit of shopping from Mint & Garlic next door. My swag included three large, delightfully turquoise duck eggs (I've never had duck eggs before and am looking forward to making them into a quiche this week!), a punnet of strawberries that smelled incredible and tasted even better, a sweet potato whereby I was advised that you should always go for the long, thin ones as they harbour the most sweetness, and a vine of plum tomatoes whose rich depth of flavour made for brilliant roasting. There's a really lovely vibe to Copson Street so early on a Saturday morning, and a great eclectic mix of student types, young professionals and locals. I'm definitely going to be coming back here for some more grocery shopping, I was muchly impressed.

In the pecking order of Manchester street markets, I would rank Withington's market on the second…read moreSaturday of each month below Chorlton, Castlefield Artisan and the twice-monthly Real Food Market in Piccadilly. However, all the stall are proper artisan, local flavour stuff, which puts this little capsule market ahead of some of the grosser and commercialised elements of the Christmas Markets, for example. It's OK, but there aren't really enough stalls at this one to make it worth a special trip. So more of a market for the Withington locals, unless you have become hooked on the goods from one of the stalls and need your weekly fix. And there are definitely worse things addicted to than Dough-It-Yourself artisan pizza bases, Traditionally Cheesy artisan cheeses (with vegetarian cheeses clearly marked), Trove Foods baked goods and jams and a few others. Plus at least one Withington community organisation stall, which I think I would find pleasantly mumsy if I was a student living in the area! :-) But if you only make one visit in the month to the south Manchester street market circuit, then Chorlton on the third Saturday is your best bet. Disclaimer: Be aware that street markets and street food are undergoing something of a revival, and that an obvious next step for Manchester markets would be for more of the stallholders who show at the Chorlton and other markets to roll up to Withington for one day in the month. So - keep an eye on things, and also 'Be the change you want to see in the world' and all that, if you are a market fan!