Here are a few reasons people keep coming back.
1. Everything is genuinely local
Everything sold at the farmers’ market has to come from within 30 miles of Stroud. You’re buying directly from the people who made, baked, grew or designed it.
That makes a huge difference to the atmosphere. Stallholders actually know their products because they’ve usually spent most of the week making them.
2. The town comes alive on market day
Stroud on a Saturday morning feels completely different from the rest of the week.
The cafés are busy, there are musicians playing in the streets, people balancing coffees while carrying huge bunches of flowers and far too many pastries.
Even people who only planned to “quickly pop in” usually end up staying most of the morning.
3. It’s one of the best food markets in the UK
Stroud Farmers’ Market has won national awards over the years and is regularly named among the best farmers markets in the UK.
You’ll find bread, cheese, vegetables, cakes, coffee, street food and ingredients you often struggle to find elsewhere locally.
If you arrive hungry you’ll do very well here.
4. You can actually speak to the makers
One of the nicest things about the market is that most businesses are tiny.
A lot of us do everything ourselves, from designing labels to packing orders late at night surrounded by cardboard boxes in the kitchen.
It means you can actually ask questions about products and get real answers rather than sales scripts.
5. There’s far more than food
People often expect a farmers’ market to just be vegetables and chutney.
But alongside the food stalls you’ll also find a range of pottery, flowers, artwork, textiles, skincare, candles, handmade gifts and home fragrance products made by independent businesses across the Cotswolds.
My own stall, College Green, started with handmade soap and has gradually expanded into essential oil pillow sprays, candles and diffusers, and bath soaks inspired by life in the Cotswolds.
6. The atmosphere changes with the seasons
The market feels completely different throughout the year.
In spring there are bulbs everywhere. Summer brings huge queues for strawberries. Autumn smells of apples. At Christmas everyone is wrapped in coats carrying mulled wine from Selsley Foods or cider from Sebs.
Even if you visit regularly, it never feels exactly the same twice.
7. It still feels independent
That’s probably the biggest reason people love it.
Stroud Farmers’ Market still feels connected to the local community rather than designed purely for visitors. Many of the stallholders and their families have been trading there for years and know their regular customers by name.
8. You discover businesses you’d never find otherwise
Some of the best stalls are businesses without physical shops or large online followings.
You stumble across them by accident while wandering around with a coffee.
That’s how many people first discover College Green too.
A few years ago The Telegraph included my products in their guide to what to bring home after 48 hours in the Cotswolds.
9. It’s a good excuse to explore Stroud
Once you’ve finished at the market there are loads of independent cafés, bookshops and small shops nearby.
Most people end up staying far longer than they planned.
10. It’s very dog friendly
There are always dozens wandering around the market hoping for dropped sausage rolls and attention from stallholders, and sometimes you'll be able to see a glimpse of a stallholders dog too - this one curls up on the Days Cottage Apple table!
11. You can support genuinely small businesses
Every purchase makes a difference when businesses are this small.
Most stallholders aren’t large companies with warehouses and marketing teams. They’re local people trying to make a living doing something they care about.
12. No two visits are ever quite the same
That’s why locals often visit every week, and is probably why visitors keep coming back.
The stalls change slightly, the seasons change (so different seasonal produce), there’s always something new to discover and you always leave carrying more than you intended to buy.
I'm there with College Green on the fourth Saturday of the month, next to Rustic Puglia which sells olive oil from their small farm in Italy and a whole range of olive oil goods including granola, tapenade, and beautiful skincare.
