Dorset, Somerset &amp; Bristol

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1034" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/02/shelley-pauls-G7WdvR8rDPg-unsplash.jpg" alt="farmers' market somerset dorset" class="wp-image-93364" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/02/shelley-pauls-G7WdvR8rDPg-unsplash.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/02/shelley-pauls-G7WdvR8rDPg-unsplash-800x551.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/02/shelley-pauls-G7WdvR8rDPg-unsplash-1000x689.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/02/shelley-pauls-G7WdvR8rDPg-unsplash-400x276.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/02/shelley-pauls-G7WdvR8rDPg-unsplash-768x529.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo Shelley Pauls, Unsplash</figcaption></figure>



Love fresh produce but don’t fancy getting your stilettos that muddy? We’ve rounded up some of our favourite local farmers’ markets, where you can buy the best artisan food and drink, meet the producers, nibble and slurp all sorts of delicious stuff and maybe explore a new town.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-taunton-farmers-market">Taunton Farmers&#8217; Market</h2>



What: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TauntonFMarket" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Taunton Farmers&#8217; Market</a> came fifth in a recent HelloFresh survey of farmers&#8217; markets around the UK. Run by a cooperative of local farmers and producers, the market set around the high street has been showcasing Somerset&#8217;s best for some 21 years. 



When: every Thursday from 9am to 3pm.



Make a day of it: see an 80,000-year-old Ice Age hunter-killer, Roman mosaics, and the world’s heaviest flying bird (RIP) at the <a href="https://swheritage.org.uk/museum-of-somerset/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Museum of Somerset</a>; explore the town&#8217;s indie shops on Riverside Place and Bath Place. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-eat-festivals">eat:Festivals</h2>



What: <a href="https://www.eatfestivals.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">eat:Festivals</a> showcase over 100 local producers from the South West at free street festivals in Somerset and beyond, with buskers, live music and more thrown in. Locations include Lyme Regis, Yeovil, Taunton, Burnham-on-Sea, Shaftesbury, Wellington, Weston-super-Mare, Portishead and Nailsea. 



When: markets start on Sat 6 April and run until the end of the year, from 10am, to 4pm. <a href="https://www.eatfestivals.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">See the full list.</a>



Make a day of it: the markets are a day out in themselves.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wimborne-farmers-market">Wimborne Farmers&#8217; Market</h2>



What: Local producers from around Dorset and Hampshire set up stalls in The Square in the heart of the charming market town.



When and where: third Saturday of the month from 9am to 1pm.



Make a day of it: Have a mooch around the indie shops, pop into the 12th century <a href="http://www.wimborneminster.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wimborne Minster</a>, find out more about the area at the <a href="https://museumofeastdorset.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Museum of East Dorset</a>, have a nose around <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/kingston-lacy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kingston Lacy</a>, the National Trust&#8217;s Italianate 17th century mansion with glorious grounds (including Iron Age Hillfort <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/kingston-lacy/features/badbury-rings" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Badbury Rings</a>).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-axbridge-farmers-market">Axbridge Farmers&#8217; Market</h2>



What: <a href="https://www.somersetfarmersmarkets.co.uk/markets/axbridge/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Axbridge Farmers&#8217; Market</a> is small but perfectly formed with about 25 stalls in the 400 year old market square in the centre of an ancient Somerset town.



When: first Saturday of every month, from 9am to 1pm.



Make a day of it: pop into the 16th century wool merchant&#8217;s <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/somerset/king-johns-hunting-lodge" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">King John’s Hunting Lodge</a> museum or head over to Cheddar Gorge for a bracing walk or exploration of the caves. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-frome-independent">The Frome Independent</h2>



What: <a href="https://thefromeindependent.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Frome Independent</a> is the the biggest street market in the West, with designers, makers and, alongside the Somerset Farmers’ Market, has over 80 stalls selling fresh and cured meats, fish, seasonal fruit and vegetables, artisan breads and cakes, locally brewed beers and ciders and a plethora of regional cheeses from Frome and the rest of the South West. <a href="https://thefromeindependent.org.uk/the-market/food/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Have a nose.</a>



When: first Sunday of the month, from March to December, from 10am to 3pm.



Make a day of it: the market will keep you occupied for hours and lots of the indie shops, cafes and restaurants, especially on the cobbled Catherine Hill and Cheap Street, are open too. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sherborne-farmers-market">Sherborne Farmers&#8217; Market</h2>



What: Some 30 stalls line the bottom part of Cheap Street, the main drag though the historic market town.



When: 3rd Friday of the month, from 9am to 1pm.



While you&#8217;re there: check out the indie shops and cafes along Cheap Street, pop into <a href="https://www.sherborneabbey.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sherborne Abbey</a>, visit 12th century ruin <a href="https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/sherborne-old-castle/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sherborne Old Castle</a>, and Sir Walter Rayleigh&#8217;s pad <a href="https://www.sherbornecastle.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sherborne Castle</a>, which has lovely grounds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vegan-fairs">Vegan Fairs</h2>



What: boost your plant-based lifestyle, load up on goodies, and immerse yourself in feel-food fun at the brilliant <a href="https://www.veganfairs.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vegan Fairs</a> around the South West.



When: Taunton Vegan Market, Sun 3 March &amp; Sun 7 July from 10am to 3pm; Yeovil Vegan Market, Sun 5 May from 10am to 3pm; Frome Winter Vegan Fair Sun 24 Nov, from 10am to 3pm. <a href="https://www.veganfairs.co.uk/upcoming-events" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">See the Fairs here.</a>

Our favourite local farmers’ markets

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