Glorious sunshine came out to support Ashford’s historical farmers’ market yesterday. The bustle and banter of the traditional market town, with people milling about the stalls, trying delicious cakes, herbal teas and traditional icecream, made Ashford come alive. But it also made one imagine what it might’ve been like hundreds of years’ ago.
The Romney Marsh Brewery, a family-run local business, though only recently founded (in 2015), has already won Kent Beer of the Year in the 2016 Taste of Kent Awards. They were at the market offering samples of mead: a sort of honey-fruit wine, that has been around since aproximately 2,800 BC! Mead seems to have garnered some “hipster” credibility since the success of the TV programme “Game of Thrones” and was certainly very popular at their stall yesterday.
There were also live bees at St Anne’s Apiary stall, together with beautiful candles and other heritage wax products for sale.
Opposite the apiary stand, Tim Bartleet of Blue Egg Catering was spit-roasting a hog, wafting mouth-watering meaty scents across the market. All these products offered scenes and sensations straight out of medieval Ashford.
The Ashford Heritage Trail, organized by Ashford Museum, was very popular, with many people queuing for the 3 half-hour walks the museum had arranged to help locals discover Ashford’s history.
