Malpas (Cheshire) is a place I'd be very happy to live in. It's a large, historical village and the heart of the local farming community. The fine gothic market cross is built on a medieval sandstone base.
You can't rush through Malpas, all the traders agree that there should be no parking on one side of the High Street, but they can never agree which side that should be!
Sadly Les and Pam Probin closed down their butchers and greengrocers last year (after 32 years of trading):
but the two mini-market shops in the both sold cheese from local cheese makers, local bread and meat from local farms. If you're thinking of visiting Malpas, try and go on the third Saturday of the month when it's Malpas Farmer's Market. It's held in the Jubilee Hall.
Outside I was greeted by a man in a smart red coat, and there was a stand selling fresh vegetables:
There's a mixture of stalls, I bought some flowers (for a fraction of the price elsewhere) from a stall on the way in.
The Farmers' Market is organised by Wych Bacon, whose sausages, bacon and gammon I can thoroughly recommend:
Their pigs are outdoor bred, try their Wych black dry cure.
It was their first birthday when I called and Cheshire West Council had a stall to help prevent food waste:
John Bourne was selling his cheese (from 3 miles down the road).
Also nearby are Threapwood Nurseries, who make chutneys jams and pickles from their own produce. They sold crab apple jelly, pumpkin pickle and even pumpkin jam (which was nicer than I'd thought it would be).
Della's kitchen were selling their pies and pasties:
I especially liked Tom and Lynne Morrison's Berry Fresh Bakery. I couldn't decide whether to buy their lemon curd, or their lime curd, so they opened a jar of each for me to try (and they were both excellent so I still couldn't decide)! They'd also got a nice selection of home-made cakes, including these rather fine cup cakes:
Jubilee Hall
High Street
Malpas
Cheshire
SY14 8NN
Web: www.malpasfarmersmarket.blogspot.com
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