Country Market (formerly known as the W.I. Market)

I know, I know, this isn't going to win me any prizes for photography. But this is 'street' when the street is indoors, and it's social history, AND I walked three miles home from the market!

Thursday is market day in Minchinhampton, a village near Stroud atop the Common, to which commoners do have grazing rights in the season, but which is much larger and grander than, say, a machair. I took the bus up and saw plenty of golfers playing out on the rough course, which crosses several roads. Once in Minch, it started to snow, and I saw that the market was inside the historic market house. I walked up the stairs and stepped into the 1970s.

An elderly woman greeted me and gave me a shopping list, and explained that if I bought anything, it would be written on my list, and I'd pay at the end at a central till. I think it's a profit-sharing scheme. I wandered around and looked at jams; cakes and scones; knitted and crocheted items; wooden door wedges; lavender bags; plants, all of it hand-made or reared. CleanSteve had asked me to look for broad beans and such like, but there were no veggie seedlings or plants yet, and wouldn't be for another month. I sat down and enjoyed coffee walnut cake and memories.

My grandmother known as Bimbi was a stalwart of the Barcaldine SWRI (Scottish Womens' Rural Institute) and went to weekly meetings at the corrugated iron village hall. I remember, aged 12, baking Special K krispies for her to take to a bake sale. My mother gave talks to the SWRI about aromatherapy, and proved unhelpful in judging their jams and cakes, by saying diplomatically , "they're all winners". As for me, I just shop at the WI markets, now rebranded Country Markets, doubtless the result of some stupid PR exercise. Chocolate brownies are my favourite, and if they are gluten-free, so much the better!

But they MUST Contain Nuts.


PS I will add some shots of the exterior of the market house to my blipfolio, since people have asked for more market houses.

See what The Meaning of Liff says about Minchinhampton