Across Scotland, Farmers Markets have grown rapidly in recent years.  As consumers have become more fastidious about the food they buy and eat, and more environmentally aware, Markets offer the chance to source all kinds of products from producers who care deeply about the quality of what they supply.

From the producers’ point of view, these markets allow the opportunity to charge a fair price, usually unobtainable from the bulk buyers, to compensate for the extra costs involved in supplying premium quality foodstuffs. Suppliers also enjoy direct contact with their customers, valuing the feedback they get on a one-to-one basis.

The operators of most Farmers Markets are highly selective about whom they permit to operate stalls, and insist on stringent standards of quality before a producer is permitted to trade.

Tim James can be found at the Edinburgh Farmers Market, which has been voted the best market in Britain (www.scottishfarmersmarket.co.uk) on most Saturday mornings throughout the year, and at the Stirling Farmers Market on the second Saturday of the month, where a large selection of seafood products, shellfish and his own smoked products can be obtained.