Meet the Producers # 15

Business Name:  Cowbridge Country Market
What do you sell at the market? Homemade cakes, sweets, other bakes, savouries and a huge selection of preserves: marmalades, jams, jellies and lemon curd as well as unusual chutneys - all home made
How long have you been a member of Cowbridge Farmers Market? Since the very beginning! Cowbridge Country Markets have been attending since the very first market back in 2000, and now attend the market every other week.
What is a typical day for you? We are a cooperative of home cooks, so although most of us have retired, some of us still work and fit in the baking. Those of us who are retired usually find ourselves busier than you might think with various committees and other local concerns besides helping out with our families and tending our gardens and allotments.
What is a common question your customers ask you?  Is it all home made?  The answer is an emphatic YES!  We make everything freshly for market (so the customer can freeze it), using the best ingredients we can find – all as if we were making things for our families.
What do enjoy most about your job?  Satisfied customers who return time and again, sometimes seeking us out especially if they've found something particularly to their liking.  It's such a buzz for all of us to hear that someone really enjoyed something we've made.  
Tell us a little about your background/family: All of us have different backgrounds, but one thing we share is a great passion for baking and preserve making.  In these strange pandemic times, many of our cooks have had to stay at home, so Carol's husband (Tim) has made a regular appearance helping out on the stall.  Although he likes to keep away from the limelight, he's actually a talented chocolatier who can sometimes be persuaded to make his dark chocolate honeycomb.
What do you like to do when you are not working? Those of us who are still working find markets a way to relax after a hard day in the office.
What’s a fun fact about you that people may not know? Of those of us who normally attend Farmers' Market, our combined age is… over 300!
What is your best selling product and which product do you think is under rated? Biggest seller continues to be Seville orange marmalade – we struggle to keep up with demand, and being seasonal, it's difficult to make enough for the whole year.   Hidden gems in the baking include our Eccles cakes which are completely hand-made, including the rough-puff pastry; they're a labour of love!