Market manager Kardien Gerbrandstalks about Swindon farmers' markets

I HAVE been following the Wiltshire Chilli Farm’s Facebook page recently and I have to say it is a shining example of a truly local food business, where hard work, intelligent planning and a genuine love for the product being created has led to year on year expansion and success.

They have great photos of the chilli plants from seed to seedling, views inside the tunnels where the plants are grown, colourful harvesting photographs, lots of tasty recipes using their products and, most recently, the beginning of a video series touring of The Wiltshire Chilli Farm, showing their stock room, kitchen, growing tunnels and a few members of staff hard at work.

The series will be showing the progression of the chilli plants from ground to fruit and into their kitchens. The same information is also available on their new website for those not on Facebook.

The reason I am so pleased with this business is because when they decided to make their products they didn’t think where they could buy the cheapest chillies to maximise profits; instead they thought how they could grow the chillies they needed, thus creating a local industry providing jobs, using local resources and boosting the local economy.

You can find the Wiltshire Chilli Farm alongside a wide range of local produce at the popular farmers’ market at the Designer Outlet every Sunday from 10am - 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.
  •  Havelock Square Farmers’ Market, Swindon, every Thursday, 9am to 2.30pm.
  •  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