Market manager Kardien Gerbrands talks about Swindon farmers' markets

IT TRANSPIRES that a great many people under the age of 40 really haven’t got much of a clue about how to make our staple winter vegetables into a delicious meal.

I consider our staple winter veg to consist mainly of the well-known root vegetables; parsnips, carrots, swede, turnips, beetroot etc. In fact, many people today hardly ever cook root vegetables, apart from for Sunday dinner or Christmas dinner.

One great way of using root vegetables is to make a vegetable crumble. Made famous by Crank’s, one of the first wholefood restaurants in the UK, the vegetable crumble is delicious, healthy and uses those tricky root vegetables in substantial quantities; you need a pound and a half of root veg and it doesn’t matter which ones.

Chop the root veg with a couple of leeks and onions and fry these together on a low heat for about 15 mins, or until the edges of the cubed roots start to soften. Stir in a bit of flour to thicken and then add a tin of tomatoes, garlic and vegetable stock and simmer for a good 30 minutes.

Make a crumble mix in the normal way with butter and flour but then add a quantity of grated tasty cheddar, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds. When the vegetables are cooked (about 25 mins) empty into an oven dish and cover with the crumble mix.

Serve with cabbage and/or sausage.

Winter veg is in abundance at the Designer Outlet this Sunday from 10am to 4pm.

Markets

  • Bradford on Avon, third Thursday, 9am to 1pm at Westbury Gardens, BA15 1DE.
  •  Bradford on Avon, last Sunday, 10.30am to 2.30pm at Lamb Yard, BA15 1FG.
  •  Calne, second Saturday, 9am to 1pm, near the library, SN11 0JU.
  •  Corsham, third Saturday, 9am to 1pm, High Street SN13 0HB.
  •  Devizes, first Saturday, 9am to 1pm, Market Place l Malmesbury, second and fourth Saturdays, 9am to 1pm, Market Cross 
  •  Royal Wootton Bassett, fourth Saturday, 9am to 1pm, High Street.
  •  Salisbury, weekly on Wednesdays, 9am to 2pm, Poultry Cross.
  •  Swindon Farmers’ Market, every Sunday, 10am to 4pm, Swindon Designer Outlet, Kemble Drive, SN2 2DY.
  •   Trowbridge, second and fourth Friday, 9am to 1pm, Fore Street, BA14 8HX.
  •  Wanborough, third Saturday, 9am to midday, Wanborough Village Hall.
  •  Warminster, first and third Fridays, 9am to 1pm, central car park, BA 12 9BT