Next Friday ‘Ledbury Country Market’ is celebrating it’s 70th birthday. The ‘Market’ takes place every Friday throughout the year in St. Katherine’s Hall (handily situated between the towns main carpark and the High Street) and sells all manor of locally produced goods. Everything comes from within a 15 mile radius of Ledbury, which means that of course all fruit, veg and flowers are absolutely seasonal, cakes and bakes home cooked without weird and wonderful preservatives, eggs free range from a farm just outside Ledbury and Jams and pickles made from local fruit and veg – all wonderful stuff.

This market began life as the WI market and the very first one was on August 4th 1944, because of rationing there were no cakes, bakes or preserves (no ingredients) but lots of locally caught rabbits! The market progressed in the post war years taking surplus produce from local gardens and farms and when the W.I. sought charitable status the ‘Ledbury Country Market’ was born as a co-operative.

The Market also serves as a meeting place where you can enjoy a cup of tea and a home made biscuit, many of the customers and ‘members’ have been regulars at the market for years but there is a warm welcome for all and no where is the feeling of Ledbury as community stronger.

If you have ever noticed the wonderful flowers that grace the shop all summer and wondered which of us has the amazing garden that produces such beauties – the actual answer is that they all come from the ‘Country Market’ on a Friday.

So congratulations to ‘Ledbury Country Market’ on your 70th anniversary and I do hope that the folk of ‘Ledburyshire’ will still be meeting each other and buying wonderful local produce in 2084!

Ledbury Country Market continues to take place every Friday 8.30- 1pm, in the Burgage Hall (updated January 2024)