The market returns this weekend

The weekend market is back on Saturday, and this time there is more room to sit, chat and stay a while. After a short break for resurfacing work on the square, traders will be setting up from around 7am ready for a 9am opening. The market will run until 4pm, with the last hot food orders taken shortly before closing.

What has changed is the space around the stalls. The seating area has been extended along the length of the square, with additional benches, folding tables and a handful of covered spots for anyone who wants shade or a bit of shelter if the weather turns. The idea is simple: give people a reason to linger rather than dash in for a loaf of bread and leave again.

What you will find on the stalls

Saturday's line-up is a good mix of the familiar and the new. Around 40 traders are expected, with a strong showing from growers within a 30-mile radius. Expect the usual seasonal spread — this is the point in the year when British produce is at its most generous, so look out for soft fruit, courgettes, new potatoes, salad leaves, herbs and the first of the autumn squashes.

• Fresh produce: seasonal vegetables, fruit, free-range eggs, honey, preserves and chutneys, plus a cheese stall returning after a few weeks away.
• Bakery and deli: sourdough, rye loaves, pastries, pies and a selection of cured meats and olives.
• Crafts: hand-thrown pottery, textiles, candles, leather goods, wooden kitchenware and a stall of cards and prints from local artists.
• Hot food: wood-fired pizza, filled flatbreads, a curry van, bacon rolls from the café on the corner and a plant-based stall doing stews and wraps.
• Drinks: proper coffee, loose-leaf tea, soft drinks from a nearby maker, and a small bar serving local ale and cider from midday.

If you are shopping for the week ahead, come early — the best of the produce tends to go before 11am, and the bakery stall regularly sells out by lunchtime.

More seating, a slower pace

The extended seating is the headline change, and it has been put in place with families in mind. Tables are spaced to leave room for buggies and wheelchairs, and the layout keeps a clear walking route through the middle of the market so people can move between stalls without squeezing past diners.

There is also a small play area at the far end of the square, with chalk, a few simple wooden toys and space for children to run about within sight of the tables. Parents have told organisers for a while that they would spend longer at the market if there was somewhere to sit down with a coffee while the little ones burned off some energy. This is the response to that.

For older residents, the covered seating near the church wall tends to be the quietest spot, well away from the music and the busiest food stalls. Benches there have backs and armrests, which makes a real difference if you find low stools awkward.

Getting there and practical details

• Times: 9am to 4pm on Saturday, with hot food served from 10am.
• Parking: the main car park is free for the first two hours. The overflow field off the lane will be open if the weather has been dry.
• Buses: the hourly service from the surrounding villages stops directly outside the library.
• Access: the square is level and step-free, with two dropped kerbs. Accessible toilets are available in the community hall.
• Dogs: welcome on leads, though not in the covered food area.
• Cash and cards: most traders now take card payments, but a few smaller stalls still prefer cash, so it is worth carrying a little.

Volunteers in high-visibility vests will be on hand at the entrances to answer questions and help anyone who needs a hand carrying bags to the car. If you would like to help set up or pack down, the organisers are always glad of an extra pair of hands — there is a sign-up sheet at the information point.

Why it matters for local life

Markets do more than fill a fridge. They are one of the few places left where you can bump into a neighbour, a colleague and your child's teacher in the space of ten minutes. Traders report that the extended seating has already changed the rhythm of the day: people arrive for one thing, sit down, and end up buying lunch and a gift they had not planned on.

That is good news for the surrounding shops too. A busier square tends to mean busier side streets, and several independents are opening earlier on market Saturdays to catch the footfall.

Looking ahead

The extended seating will stay in place for the rest of the season, weather permitting, and the market will run every Saturday through to the end of October. There are plans for a harvest-themed weekend in September with a seed swap, a pumpkin display and a longer programme of live music on the bandstand.

For now, the message is straightforward: come down, bring a bag, and leave a bit of time to sit. Whether you are after a week's worth of vegetables, a birthday present or simply a decent bacon roll in the sunshine, there is a table waiting.