Market Day

I’ll admit that I am fascinated by life in centuries past. How people lived, the way they governed themselves, how they dressed, their cultural traditions and how they viewed religion are all of interest to me. I love walking down ancient streets and imagining all those who came before me. What did they look like? What did they eat? What were their biggest concerns of that time? 

Today I walked past an old coaching inn. It’s been there since the 14th century, a sort of modern day rest stop for carriages traveling through the area. Travelers could stretch their legs, eat, drink and even find overnight accommodation while allowing their horses time to rest. It’s reputed to be haunted by the spirit of a former owner who committed suicide by jumping to his death from one of the upstairs windows. Creepy? Yes. But also interesting. Think of all the people who for centuries have dined at this establishment. Queen Elizabeth I had Mary, Queen of Scots imprisoned and executed not far from here at Fotheringhay Castle. I imagine that one of the Queen’s trusted servants came through here worrying about the fate of his mistress. Or maybe some loyal friends gathered around a table and plotted how they could possibly free her, or even get her a letter without it being intercepted. Walking in the presence of so much history and tradition is endlessly fascinating to me. 

There is a tradition in England that is still carried on today. It’s called Market Day. Do those words bring any images to mind? Does your imagination, like mine, conjure up images of wooden carts, cobblestone streets and costermongers hawking their wares? 

Our local market day is a weekly event held in the center of the village. Once a month there is an additional market day, held on a Saturday, and is usually bigger and a bit more diverse than what is usually offered weekly.  Farmers and local tradespeople come from all around to sell their wares, in a tradition possibly as old as England itself. 

What do I love about it? I love buying bread from the baker who kneaded it, choosing cheeses and meats from local farmers, and picking up a bouquet of daffodils from a nearby horticulturist. I enjoy talking to these people and asking questions or getting recommendations. Most of all, I love being outside in the fresh air and taking the time to walk to each stall, taking in the scents and sights of all that is offered. 

The very first stall is a jewelry seller with all kinds of trinkets. The stall next to it is always taken by the man who sells sweets (or candy as we call it in America). He reminds me of a young Dick Van Dyke or maybe even the sweet shop owner in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I keep waiting for him to burst into song about the deliciousness of his sweets. :)

Further down is a fish vendor and then a man with baskets of all shapes and sizes. Next is the baker, with fresh loaves of bread, scones, and iced cakes for sale. They use different terminology here for the bread and I’m still trying to learn all of the names. Seeded, wholemeal, Sally Lunn, bap, blob, stotty, teacake, cob, and nudger to name just a few. None of these have preservatives so they need to be eaten within a few days. 

On a side note, eating something without preservatives is a sad rarity for us as Americans. We’re enjoying the healthy aspects of fresh food here but need to re-learn how to shop. Instead of stocking up our pantry with bulk groceries from Costco, I now buy only what I know we’ll eat within a few days, a week at most. Otherwise it is a surety that it will spoil and need to be thrown out. 

Off on a tangent...Back to the vendors! My favorite vendor is next to the baker. Cheese! Amazing cheese. Kraft can’t hold a candle to cheese here in England. Cheddar cheese especially tastes almost decadent and has become, I’m afraid to say, a slight addiction in our house. There is an endless variety of cheeses. You can walk into the cheese stall and taste all they have to offer. It’s incredible and almost like sampling wines. Yet, unlike wine tasting, you can bring your children with you and not worry about getting tipsy for the drive home. 

Want some? Visit www.lincolnshirepoachercheese.com

The market has other assorted vendors, some you might not expect.  There are the costermongers (an antiquated term for those who sell fruits and vegetables from a cart), plants and cut flowers, pet supplies for everything from a hamster to a horse, wrapping paper and gift cards, watches and clocks, clothes, antiques, and even what I like to think of as an eclectic convenience shop stall. It sells everything from light bulbs to orthopedic inserts for your shoes. 

Beautiful Brussel sprouts

Villagers spend the morning wandering through the market, some ending up at one of several coffee and tea shops. Many women bring their own bags or baskets to carry their purchases. It’s also the ideal time to visit the butcher or the green grocer (a shop that sells fruits and vegetables not to be confused with costermongers who do not sell from a shop). 

With all that I had to choose from at this morning’s market, I am ashamed to say that I walked away with only three things: gravy bones for our dog, lightbulbs, and three bottles of Italian wine. I didn’t have the time to shop as I’d like to with my youngest child in tow. But I did end up with the wine, so I think I can still count it as a successful day. 

A little slice of life in a somewhat rural pocket of England...


Links to some of my favorite market vendors:


Peter's Eden. Handmade jams, chutneys and cordials. www.peterseden.co.uk


Lincolnshire Poacher Cheese.  www.lincolnshirepoachercheese.com


Benson's Totally Fruity Juice. www.bensonsapplejuice.co.uk

Sometimes it takes a village

(We’re flashing forward to the present. I’m giving up on trying to catch this blog up with all that we’ve experienced since arriving two months ago...Past is past. Carpe diem and all that...)

This may seem strange but living here to me has been like coming home. I love it and could easily live out the rest of my days here. It’s been peaceful at a time when I desperately needed some peace. To have a still mind. I feel like I’ve found that here. The air always smells fresh and clean, and I wake up each morning looking out to a field of green dotted with sheep and horses, or sometimes just endless green. It’s truly idyllic.  

This may sound surprising for those who know me, having grown up in the fast-paced life of southern California, but I’ve found that I absolutely love living in our small village. Some say we’re not even big enough to be called a village but rather maybe a hamlet. Either way, it is a small society of people who can depend upon one another not just for borrowing corn starch (or rather cornflour as it’s called here) and vinegar (I was trying to introduce our friends to sweet potato fries), but for keeping company and passing time during the long, dark and cold days of winter. 

There have been several  times a group of us have gotten together on a sunny day for a hike through the woods. We’ve spent many afternoons and evenings at each others homes enjoying tea or dinner, which I’ve learned can sometimes mean the same thing (i.e. being asked to come for tea = come for dinner at least with respect to the children). We were invited last month to go with two other families and our combined 7 children to see a movie at a local cinema. It was like heaven for our kids who walked in to discover that one entire wall of the cinema lobby was covered in candy dispensers. The children spent much time deliberating on what candy they wanted before putting it in a bag to be weighed at the concessions counter. It was a bit chaotic as we carried candy bags, drinks, popcorn and attempted to herd the children to the theatre. As we got to our assigned seats, my friend E and I spent a minute juggling candy and drinks trying to sort out what belonged to who. After we had united each person with their drinks and goodies, she thanked me for helping to which I replied, “Sometimes it takes a village... Oh wait! We are a village.” The irony had us giggling.  :)

We’ve also hosted several evenings since we moved in. One was an Indian food take-out night where one neighbor spontaneously dropped in for a glass of wine (wine visits are quite common in our village especially with one neighbor in particular who makes it a weekly event) and soon others began to arrive. We ended up ordering food which included a lesson in eating authentic Indian, and talking until late at night. Another was a game night where we introduced our British friends to the game Apples to Apples....an instant hit. (Thank you, Mary!) We also had a vegetarian dinner night in honor of two of our neighbors who don’t eat meat and invited other village families to join us. 

One village neighbor had a huge keg of ale in his garage and ran home frequently to refill his pitcher for our table. 

It’s been fun and interesting getting to know our English neighbors who all have had incredible life experiences and have traveled extensively around the world, putting us to shame. One used to be a music producer/musician, another a psychotherapist, one is an amazing photographer, two have their own companies, and to top it all, next door is a mountaineer who is currently attempting to summit the highest mountain in South America. He is my husband’s hero. :) The women here all work, some from home.  I’ve noticed everyone has a strong work ethic and I’ve never heard anyone complain. They are polite but also hilarious to the nth degree. 


What has been the most important (and touching) thing to me is how welcoming everyone has been to our family. We have truly been blessed to have this opportunity to live here, but our village has been the icing on the cake, making each day even better.