Save time during pre Christmas Saturday shopping experience

the crunch  day  has  arrived ?   looking  for # fresh  country  food in the town?  free parking ? convenient to major shops  ?   save time  &try #Paisley # farmers  market--County Square  09.00-13.00

brave the weather and  obtain  a  very wide variety of local food  for Christmas /New year from  20 artisan producers

you are sure of a warm welcome  on what may be a blustery  wet  day   wrap up warm !

very convenient  for the  Gilmour street train and bus  station plus car  parks

Fresh food timing for Christmas

  Sourcing local food  and supplies?  fridge  and or freeezer  space ? Where to buy ? combining with other shopping ? free parking ? Come to# Kilmarnock #farmers market at the Cross  for excellent local food ,very friendly  service  and   festive atmosphere ... a very wide selection of meats,  freshest vegetables,soups,chutneys ,free range hen and duck eggs,hand made chocolates, honey ,#gluten free  foods,Christmas puddings,Black Bun ,local cow and goats cheeses,Christmas Truckles, non homogenised milk , farmhouse icecream , waxed flavoured cheeses, Clootie  Dumplings ,hand made confections , traditional home baking  and jams ,local micro brewery  beers ,organic soap,  Christmas trees and garlands 

timing 09.00 -13.00

we look forward to welcoming you

Festive local food shopping in Paisley ,Glasgow and Alloway

 Needing to combine activities   to  get through the  Festive  activity schedule ? wanting to  obtain that interesting   Christmas  present ? looking for special ingedient ? or hamper contents .? Try ayrshire Food network members at #farmers markets  in Paisley  and or Glasgow  Partick today Saturday Also indoors at the exciting Burns  Birthplace Museum in Alloway Sunday ..hope to see you there ... and remember  stay  calm!

festive shopping gets serious in the Ayrshire sunshine

With wall to wall sunshine forecast  for #Ayr #farmers market  sat 1st December ,what better time to come and purchase your locally sourced festive food  in close proximity to the adjacent high street

.Kyle centre car courtyard post code KA11QT.

.produce from 20  local suppliers  expected  including:game, smoked salmon, fresh fish and seafood preserves ,Ayrshire lamb,rare breeds meats, home baking, hand made chocolates ,honey ,chicken,beef,venison,water buffalo, free range eggs ,fresh vegetables ,Xmas trees,Fair trade    products,Christmas puddings,Black Bun  speciality ,Gluten free savouries ,and cakes ,Sourdough breads,   speciality charcuterie,local micro brewery beers,jams,hand made toiletries crafts ,organic soap and shampoos,RNLI charity cards ..

the business owners and producers are always welcoming and fun to meet ....

this is definitely the place for a bit of one stop shopping,outside in the fresh air !
just the way to start  a busy weekend

we look forward to welcoming you  between 09.00-13.00

One stop Shop for great food at Paisley~# farmersarket

 Heading for December ?  searching for flavoursome  local food,presents and  a  Christmas tree ?! try #Paisley# farmers  market  ,County square  09.00-13.00  ... 20 producers represented .... including  festive puddings  # gluten free savouries+ .local cheeses+ hot food to go  HTCU

Ayrshire Food Network supports the Big Xmas light event in Paisley

 How to celebrate  Xmas  lights  switch   on event  with  wonderful   local food .?.Visit the Ayrshire farmers' market  marquee in County Square Paisley   Saturday 10th November  10.00-16.00. Produce  from 16  local food companies  present  including  many  potential   gift items ..  excellent  hot  barbecue food available ..the  music should be fantastic too...wrap up warm !

Festive local food and christmas cards in one stop

 The Ayrshire # Farmers' market in Ayr Kyle centre carpark courtyard  09.00-13.00,-KA71QT this morning  will combine an exciting array of flavoursome  local food  plus provide an opportunity  to buy Christmas cards and  small gifts from two leading  charities --RNLI & RSPB..+ #Christmas puddings from #Petrie Fine Foods .we look forward to welcoming you there

Celebrate the last day of British Summer time in Positive Paisley

The Ayrshire farmers market  will today be in a  unique location in #Positive Paisley ... As part of the new international arts festival ,we are relocating  to the high street by the Cenotaph .....it will be very chilly,dry  and  bright but you are assured  of a very warm #Positive  Paisley  #farmers market  welcome ... with 20 producers on 17 stalls  there will be a great choice of flavoursome local food  +  hot food to Go.. Trading  as usual from  09.00-13.00  we look forward to  greeting  you, and helping your weekend food  choices.

The Big weekend for Ayrshire local food in Glasgow,Kilmarnock ,& Ballantrae

 With the   BBC Good Food Show on in SECC Glasgow ,there is a good chance  to meet  many Ayrshire producers  either in the farmers' market  zone or on individual or group  stands .....Friday  seems  a good day to visit !  Hope to see you there .

On Saturday the action moves to Kilmarnock  for the monthly farmers' market  with  14 producers  represented.....fair  weather  is expected , so  well  worth  a local visit  to the  Cross   between 09.00-13.00

Sunday  brings with it the very special UNESCO  Biosphere  supported regional  farmers' market  in Ballantrae  at Craigie   Mains   garden centre adjacent to  the A77  ..15 producers are likely to be represented, on  group stalls ,with suppliers coming  from both Ayrshire  and Dumfries and Galloway    timing  11.00-15.00

located by the sea..it will be a breath of real fresh air !

Ayrshire farmers' market at Largs yacht HavenSunday 14th october

 Confirmation of final visit for 2012   this Sunday 14th  10.00-14.00     what an opportunity?

buy  or sell a  yacht and  have   achance to buy the best of local food  to celebrate

if  you are not " in the market "come and  enjoy a great breakfast/brunch/lunch  anyway!

produce  from 18  Ayrshire producers + guests expected  

hope to see you there

Next market  scheduled for April 14th   2013

Meanwhile  the  excellent nearby  indoor Fencebay   farmers' market  will continue throughout the winter on the last sunday of every month

AFN successes at Ayrshire Business Awards 2012

At last night's awards  Dunlop Dairy won the coveted  local food hero award sponsored by Taste Ayrshire ,with  the other finalists being Glenapp Castle  and Howard Wilkinson .

Heads of Ayr Farm Park were in two finals , and  won the Family Business award ,sponsored by Ingrams..

Congratulations  to all concerned

Golden October sunshine and local food at Ayr farmers market

Sat 6th --  a relatively rare combination perhaps  of  beautiful sunshine  and the Ayr #farmers' market.

Come down to the  #farmers  market at the Kyle centre  car park courtyard  09.00-13.00 ..post code KA7 1QT

Source your weekend local / fresh food from  friendly stallholders ,and support the local rural economy

Quality   local produce from 20 producers  available on  14   shared stalls

Hope to see you there

British Cheese Awards & ACCI Business Awards finalists

Warmest   congratulations  to  Patricia at Barwheys and  Ann Dorward of Clerkland farm  for both winning   gold medals at the  British cheese awards  for their wonderful cheeses,which in Anne' case was for her rinded Bonnet goats'cheese .....She also won  a silver medal  for  her rinded Dunlop .

.Patricia won her gold in the New cheese category for their wonderful unpasteurized bandaged Dunlop style cheese

So  two herds of Ayrshire cows are to be applauded!

the Cheeses are available at several of the AFN  delis , and farm shops so well worth seeking out

Whilst staying on the subject of accolades    4  members  of AFN    are in the finals  of  the  ACCI  business awards

#Heads of Ayr  Farm park;#Glenapp Castle; #Dunlop Dairy ; and  Howard Wilkinson of  AFN  are  all in  the finals on October 11th   ..we wish them well

The Ayrshire farmers'market returns to Kilwinning

The   Ayrshire  farmers market will  return  to Kilwinning  on Saturday  22nd  for its quarterly visit. The weather looks very encouraging ,so the 18 producers represented are eagerly awaiting the event ..the variety of produce available is very extensive so do come with   shopping bag and or cool box ..tasters available on several stalls .  times 10.00-14.00    location    main street  post code .KA13 6AA.

The  producers look forward to meeting you again,and   a facepainter  will be on hand  to entertain .

BLASDA local food feast arrives in Ayrshire this weekend

After the  fun and success of #tasteaff,   @Blasdafoodfeast comes  into #Kilmarnock and Alloway on the 15th /16th September......come and celebrate  Scotland's local food movement  at Kilmarnock farmers' market  at the Cross 09.00-13.00   20  local food  producers will be represented .(you can even find out about the upcoming #Equinox mud  fun run at  ! intrigued?   come and   found out more .

On the  16th the  focus moves to  the  wonderful #Robert Burns International Heritage centre at Alloway where there will be a tasting of outstanding  cheeses from #Barwheys and Dunlop dairy matched with gluten free oatcakes from Petrie fine foods ,chilli relishes ,sourdough breads and  excellent wines from Corney and Barrow Whighams

Entry to both events is free......the market is outside   so  do come  warmly dressed!

For  background to the  Fife Diet inspired BLASDA  festival   check out
www.blasda.org.uk

Taste Ayrshire Food Festival Events invite your participation

With the  start of  #tasteaff   just  38 hrs away, please take  another  look  at the festival  guide   which can be downloaded from  www.tasteayrshire.co.uk

There are  over 20 AFN  members involved during the  week.

Highlights during the first 5 days include: . restaurant  at the ranch events in #Dalduff;# Ayr farmers' market ; local gourmet delights at Cosses; a Get Fruity  tasting day at Grants; chocolate and ice cream tasting at Limetree Larder ;The whisky Experience at Kirkoswald ;Sunday brunch at #Turnberry;#Whitelees Wind farm farmers' market;Gourmet dinner and lunch at Glenapp Castle;#Slow Food cheese tasting at Dunlop Dairy ; and wine tasting evening at Corney and Barrow.

Certainly something for all tastes,moods and budgets !

Please submit your images and feedback on the events ...they will help bring them alive

We will issue another update early next week

enjoy! 

flavoursome fresh local food at Paisley farmers market

 looking for ingredients for those  exciting bank holiday weekend meals?

Try  Paisley farmers market County square  Saturday 25th   09.00-13.00

.....for beef ,lamb ,pork ,venison,veal ,free range chicken , fresh and  smoked fish, seafood & shellfish ,specialist baking,breads and desserts,very fresh vegetables and soft fruit,olives and nuts ,ice cream chocolate and chutneys, venison pies ,black pudding ,bacon,balsamic dressings ,soups ,relishes ,free range hen ,duck and quail eggs ,local honey,gluten free food cakes and savouries .oatcakes,vegetarian haggis ,award winning  cow and goat cheeses,non homogenised milk, organic vegetables ,traditional home baking , marmalades and jams,organic soap and shampoos,hand made confections ,clootie dumplings , savoury biscuits ,flavoured  waxed cheeeses......

we look forward to welcoming you ..come and meet the producers and  enjoy food to go !

tastings available on  several stalls

HTCU

Ayrshire farmers market back in Kilmarnock with quality fresh produce

This  saturday local  produce from 17 producers will be available on the stalls,situated   at the Cross ..post code KA1 1LR .. timing  09.00-13.00

the produce should  include very fresh local vegetables,farmhouse  ice cream,hand made confections,home baking,jams, cheeses from cow and goats milk,non homegenised milk ,vegetarian & gluten free savouries,organic soap,fair trade product ,beef,water buffalo,pork, lamb,veal,venison, black puddings,soups, chocolate,free range egss,chutneys,relishes,chicken,honey,plants & herbs

So  do come down,meet the producers  ,and buy your weekend and next week's food !!thereby  supporting  the local economy

thanks    HTCU

Ayrshire farmers' market returns to Largs Yacht Haven

This  sunday 14th October  will see the final return by  AFM for 2012  to the  vibrant #Largs  yacht haven....Come for breakfast ,brunch or lunch  and celebrate  in the fresh air  with .local artisan food certainly worthy  of  gold medals!

As it coincides with their  annual  yacht  /boat sale   you could pick up some amazing bargains

 .......18 producers  are  likely to be represented ..Your  chance to  buy flavoursome local fresh quality food  direct  from the actual  producers..Sample before you  buy facility  at several stalls

Free entry  ...   ample parking ...open 10.00-14.00  ...location   the   Courtyard outside #Scotts  & #Bosun's  Table

check out  www.yachthavens.com
 and  www.bosunstable-largs.co.uk

The opening marketSecond Sunday  FM  for 2013  will be sunday April 14th .

Meanwhile  the excellent indoor farmers' market at Fencebay   will continue throughout the winter timed for the last sunday of each month /..In 2013 this will coincide with 4 or 5 majotr yachting events at LYH

Hope to see you there

Ayrshire farmers' market returns to Largs Yacht Haven

This  sunday 12th August will see the return of AFM to the  vibrant #Largs  yacht haven....Come for breakfast ,brunch or lunch  and celebrate  in the  sunshine with .local artisan food certainly worthy  of  gold medals!

 .......18 producers  are  likely to be represented ..Your  chance to  buy flavoursome local fresh quality food  direct  from the actual  producers..Sample before you  buy facility  at several stalls

Free entry  ...   ample parking ...open 10.00-14.00  ...location   the   Courtyard outside #Scotts  & #Bosun's  Table

check out  www.yachthavens.com
 and  www.bosunstable-largs.co.uk

Biosphere comes to Ayr Farmers' market

 The newly  announced UNESCO endorsed Biosphere  will be   explained   at  the Ayr farmers' market Saturday 4th August   Kyle Centre Car park courtyard 09.00-13.00

Come  and find out what the buzz is about ,whilst buying your favourite local fresh quality local food from 15 producers

all part of  a " Sense of place "!

HTCU

Ayrshire Food Network Blog: the Renfrewshire Recruit programme joins up with...

Ayrshire Food Network Blog: the Renfrewshire Recruit programme joins up with...: The very successful and high profile Renfrewshire Recruit programme  is linking up with the  long established Ayrshire farmers's market  in ...

the Renfrewshire Recruit programme joins up with Paisley farmers' market

The very successful and high profile Renfrewshire Recruit programme  is linking up with the  long established Ayrshire farmers's market  in Paisley County square this Saturday  28th July  09.00-13.00

Two  teams of highly motivated young people   are being given an opportunityto test their trading skills  live at the market !

Whilst their competitive product ranges  are  still a  close guarded secret , the teams  recognise  they will have their work cut out ,and look forward to the challenges ,including  the weather !

The  market manager Howard Wilkinson welcomes warmly their presence,and hopes that with the help of  social media  including Facebook ,Twitter etc ,many new younger  members of the community  will discover and contribute to the market's ongoing vibrancy

Bring it  on !

innovative NEW farmers' market at Largs Yacht Haven

This Sunday July 8th  sees this inaugural  collaborative event  bringing together  the Ayrshire Farmers' Market Cooperative,The Ayrshire Food Network  and Largs Yacht Haven,.

It is being held in the very attractive central courtyard  between 10.0-14.00, and produce from  circa 15-17 local producers is  expected .

Whether  a  marina resident ,a local from the Largs area or a national / international visitor we look forward to welcoming you , hope you will enjoy the  experience  as well as the flavoursome food and speciality  products on offer

Ayrshire Food Network members at Paisley farmers' market

You  will be most  welcome  at Paisley  Farmers' market in County Square tomorrow 30th june.  18 stallholders expected ...come and meet the producers and  buy flavoursome locally  provenanced seasonal food + gluten free specialities

timing 09.00-13.00  hope  to see you there

Ayrshire Food Network at Hunterston Magnox

Four members of  AFN were invited to the  Hunterston Magnox site near West Kilbride,recently as part of World Environment  Day  to engage with the staff and   provide them with   information, and an opportunity to taste  flavoursome locally sourced provenanced  food

With a high turn out of staff there was considerable interest   in the flavoursome food  provided by  representatives from Dunlop Dairy-cheeses;Fencebay Fisheries-smoked and fresh seafood;Threepwood  Fayre -hand made confectionery and clootie dumplings;and Petrie Fine Foods- vegetarian and gluten free specialist foods

Information was also made  available about  SAFM accredited  farmers markets in Ayrshire , and the work of the Ayrshire food network generally see www.ayrshirefoodnetwork.co.uk+Slow Food..

Kilwinning farmers market is the place to be

Ayrshire food network and Ayrshire farmers market  cooperative  members will be at the exciting quarterly event  at Kilwinning tomorrow Saturday  23rd  held in the main street   10.00-14.00

fresh local food and crafts  from  18 producers expected  + face painting + environmental info  + #Slow Food information+ plants+healthy hot food and soups

come and get your weekend off to an al fresco start be it with cool wet summer weather!!...your choice of clothing and footwear could be   vital

HTCU

Ayrshire Food Network at Best of Ayrshire event Culzean

Ayrshire Food Network members will be at  Best of Ayrshire event  Sunday 17th June at Culzean


 Members   including Ayrshire Farmhouse Ice cream, Nethergate  larder,V Cuisine,Threepwood Fayre, Corrie Mains Eggs ,Dunlop Dairy ,and Petrie Fine Foods  will be represented 


Adjacent to their area will be the exciting  Biosphere  and Sense of Place  project 


Come along and meet producers ,sample some flavoursome food and be able to buy locally  produced food+ experience  some fascinating story telling 


see www.ayrshirefoodnetwork.co.uk

Ayrshire Farmers' Market meet HRH Prince Charles

Ayrshire Farmers' Market  members meet HRH Prince Charles at Scotsheep on June 6th 

Members of the Ayrshire  Farmers  Market   were delighted to receive a visit from HRH during  last week's show .. Despite the rain he spent  considerable time  with the group and we were able to introduce 7 stallholders to him...He expressed considerable interest in the  SAFM accredited farmers market and the local artisan food scene in general 


The Photo shows  Howard Wilkinson  and Walter Young  of AFM with HRH  Prince Charles

Senior Open Golf Championship Turnberry 2012

The Senior Open Championship will return to the spectacular setting of Turnberry on the Ayrshire coastline from July 26-29, 2012, continuing the Scottish resort’s rich history with the prestigious Championship which began with the inaugural staging in 1987.

It will be the seventh occasion that Turnberry’s Ailsa Course has hosted The Senior Open Championship, the most of any venue on the roster, surpassing the six editions played at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
The classic links hosted the first four Senior Open Championships, with Neil Coles wining the inaugural Championship in 1987, Gary Player capturing the title in 1988 and 1990 and Bob Charles lifting the trophy in 1989.

Tom Watson, whose own career is so closely aligned with Turnberry’s proud heritage, then held off the European Senior Tour’s leading career money winner Carl Mason in a play-off when the Championship returned to the Ayrshire Coast in 2003, before fellow American Loren Roberts captured his first Senior Open title in 2006.

Turnberry has also hosted The Open Championship on four occasions with Watson featuring prominently in 1977, when he memorably defeated Jack Nicklaus in what became known as ‘The Duel in the Sun’, and in 2009 when he lost in a play-off to Stewart Cink at the age of 59.

David Hill, Director of Championships for The R&A, said on behalf of the Championship: “We are delighted to announce the return of The Senior Open Championship to Turnberry in 2012, a venue that is steeped in the history of both The Senior Open and The Open.

“The Ailsa Course has provided some of golf’s most memorable moments over the years and hopefully we will once again experience the magnificent support of the Scottish golf fans, just as we did the last time The Senior Open Championship visited the Ayrshire coast in 2008 when we had record crowds at Royal Troon.”

Stewart Selbie, General Manager of Turnberry, said: “Turnberry is delighted to welcome The Senior Open Championship back to the Ailsa course in 2012. Following the success of The 2009 Open, it is entirely fitting that our next Major should be the Senior Open, a tournament which has such a strong connection with the Ailsa course over the years. This announcement confirms Turnberry’s position as a great venue for major Open Championships”

Councillor Bill McIntosh, Leader of South Ayrshire Council, said: "Turnberry is an iconic golf location and I am thrilled The Senior Open Championship is returning to South Ayrshire next year. We are, of course, the birthplace and home of Open Golf and we are also well-known for hosting major international events, so it’s going to be a fabulous sporting occasion.

“I look forward to welcoming players, staff, fans, family and friends to South Ayrshire for this wonderful event and will ensure a great time is had by all here on Scotland’s very own golf coast.”

EventScotland, the national events agency, has supported the staging of The Senior Open Championship since 2005 and the 2012 event will be the marquee event on Scotland’s golfing calendar that year.

Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland said: “The Senior Open Championship is one of Scotland’s most prestigious regular golf tournaments. We are delighted to see it return next year with significant benefits for Turnberry, South Ayrshire and the wider ‘Home of Golf’ expected. It is important for Scotland to maintain its support of these major events as we prepare to host The Ryder Cup in 2014 and to ensure the ongoing development of the sport on our shores.”

The Senior Open last visited Scotland in 2010 when Carnoustie hosted the Championship for the first time. Germany’s Bernhard Langer claimed his first Senior Major Championship and will defend the title from July 21-24 when Walton Heath Golf Club, in Surrey, England, is the host venue for the Championship’s 25th edition.

Discounted advance tickets can be purchased online, with season tickets now available at £60 for a season pass and any one day passes at £16.50. They can be booked online at www.europeantourtickets.com, where other discounts and offers can also be found.

Enjoy Spring with some delicious food and drink from Ayrshire Food Network Members

Wishing you a happy spring time - always a suitable time for delicious food and drink.
We will be in a position next week with  a revamped web site format to confirm the full details of our 4 new members who we are delighted to welcome. They include a cheesemaker of wonderful unpasteurised cheese; a whisky interpretation centre; a chilli relish producer; and an exciting new deli - all established and now thriving in Ayrshire.

The next  farmers' market in Ayrshire is scheduled Saturday 17th March in Kilmarnock at the Cross. We will  be having a relaunch day programme with Nethergate Larder as the new rare breeds meat supplier &   Craufurdland estate as an exciting craft stallholder promoting their activities & supplying seasoned logs. There will be 17 other local food businesses represented.

Postcode-location KA11HZ - HTCU there. Timing 09.00-13.00  You may also get a leaflet delivered through door linking back to this web site! There is a rumour going round there may be some strolling musicians also. Come along and enjoy the Spring event timed to coincide with the relaunched indoor Craft market.

On Saturday 10th March many members will be at either Paisley County Square and / or Glasgow Partick farmers markets - timing  09.00-13.00; and 10.00-14.00 respectively.

Robbie's Drams Whisky An' A' That IX 2012 Whisky Festival Ayr

Robbie's Drams Whisky Specialists are delighted to announce that tickets are now on sale for Whisky An' A' That IX, Ayrshire's annual whisky festival.

The event is held on Saturday 9th June 2pm-6pm Ayr Town Hall

This years festival will be our biggest to date with more than 30 major whisky companies exhibiting a fantastic array of whiskies, including limited editions and rare, hard to find bottlings along with new releases. You will be spoiled for choice as to which whiskies you would like to sample.

Also attending on the day will be celebrity faces and guests from the whisky world, with various talks and displays being held along with whisky master classes.

So whether you are a connoisseur or novice you are guaranteed to be educated and entertained whilst being fully immersed in the world of whisky.

Tickets are £20 each

and are available from

Robbie's Drams, 3 Sandgate, Ayr

Ticket Hotline Number: 01292 284279

You can also order your ticket from our on-line shop www.robbiesdrams.com where you will find more information on what is guaranteed to be a"dram guid day oot".

Times

2pm-6pm
Contact Information

Robbie's Drams
3 Sandgate
Ayr
info@robbiesdrams.com

Tel: 01292 284279
Booking Information

Ticket Price £20 each

A Review of 2011 Ayrshire Food Network Activity

On  22nd December 2011 AFN members were present at the very successful Paisley  Christmas farmers' market 09.00-13.00  at County Square    ...with relatively mild,  be  it ,windy  weather forecast and a very wide range of  produce including seasonal offerings  available ,a visit  was very enjoyable  ... thanks for coming  and buying the wonderful food ..an excellent opportunity to obtain seasonal, and  Christmas produce.

On Tuesday  29th  November  2011 Petrie Fine foods gained national recognition having been shortlisted in two categories of the VIBES Awards  for environmental sustainability During the previous  week  several  Ayrshire  food network producers were involved in the high profile opening of the Wholefoods Store in Giffnock...We hope the venture is  a great success with subsequent ripple effects  of reorders to their  chosen local suppliers. Dunlop Dairy  have been featured  on  one  of their supplier  profile.

Saturday 5th  november saw  a special celebration farmers' market at Ayr  with several new stallholders, including the impressive  www.everythingchilli.co.uk+ hot food to go  + guest craft,fair trade and charity stalls selling Christmas gifts  Thanks to everyone for coming ,in  particular our first time visitors  who came  and joined the fun and  took advantage to buy  fresh, local , quality,value for money food from the  stallholders  present .We hope you enjoyed your visit ,and look forward to welcoming you again on  February 3rd  

Here are two links with the story: http://ayrshire.urtv.co.uk/stories/1028-ayrshire-farmers-market http://urstv.com/archives/2011/11/10/update-on-ayrshire-farmers-markets/

Warmest  congratulations  to two  AFN  members ,Braidwoods and Glenapp Castle for their  outstanding Michelin Star success for 2011. A  Real Inspiration to us all.  The   weekend  21/22/23 October saw many members at  various  significant events  The BBC Good Food show + the very popular  quarterly Kilwinning farmers market  on Saturday 22nd  + the inaugural  apple tastic day  at West Kilbride  community centre : for  the  latter see www.transitionwk.org

AFN  were well presented at the Recipe for Success workshop   run  by Scottish Land & Estates at Dalduff  farm  ,Crosshill September 28th  ,and were  delighted to be involved in the inaugural  WSW Heritage meeting at Dumfries House on October 4th .   Flavoursome Produce from  Nethergate ,Afton Glen  and GC Growers were served  at the  artisan  Scottish food  lunches at the  very well attended Nourish national conference at Govan  on October 1st Earlier AFN were  represented  at the Nourish Sustainable food day at Catrine  on September 9th ,making contributions to the debate on  public procurement  and encouraging local food availability , see www.nourishscotland.org.uk

Recently 6 stallholders  from  AFN/AFM  were  trading at the Global Market  at  Kilmarnock  from the  1st-4th  September which presented  them with  a great opportunity to reach  a wider market  and  hence potential customer base  for locally provisioned  Ayrshire  food  3 other members  were represented  at the inaugural Whitelees Wind  Farm    farmers' market which was blessed by near perfect weather ....certainly a very  interesting  and worthwhile experiment  see www.whiteleewindfarm.co.uk

AFN  member,  Chisholms  of Ayr  has reinforced its   position as  a leading delicatessen   in south west Scotland  having been invited by Iain  Mellis the  renowned speciality cheese wholesaler to stock  some outstanding interesting  Scottish   cheeses  from their acclaimed range .Kevin Wadsworth ,the proprietor, is naturally delighted and invites potential customers  to visit his premises at 17 Carrick street  Ayr.- KA7 1NS. More details can be found at www.chisholmsofayrdeli.com or by calling him on 01292 269555.  

Have you heard of ,or visited the hidden gem in  Kilmaurs?. We are talking  about the exciting slightly decadent   cake/chocolate  and  tea  shop  which  has  recently  been opened by Divine Inspirations owner  Maxine Gough.Quietly  endulge yourself  with friends  or even children! It is located  at 4, Townend, Kilmaurs. Check out details at www.lovedivineinspirations.com

 If you are looking for that amazing special break  then look no further than our  most southerly  member the outstanding award wining Glenapp Castle ,ideally situated  if you  looking for  a  very  high quality   experience . see www.glenappcastle.com. On June 8th a direct link was created from  a leading  German travel web portal to the AFN site see the link at: http://www.schottlandberater.de/expertenteam.html  this follows meetings at Tourism Expo in April.

On  Thursday 22nd  September several members  again  supported the  small and attractive  community market at Uplawmoor church hall. 10.00-12.00.produce available includes rare breeds meat,home baking,vegetarian and gluten free food,hand  made butter, local farmhouse cheeses ,farm sourced ice cream ,flowers plants  & herbs ..as always  they   also  provide   a  great  cup of tea!

Very  exciting  also  was the  bold  and  innovative event which was   held in George  Square Glasgow   on  the 14th may  when you could achieve "Island Time in no Time "  as Arrran with  a very full array of  activities  ranging from  cookery demonstrtions ,tastings ,music,massage,art,  and even  rock climbing  came  to town   big style !!    At Hamleys Easter time  farmers market adventure  Fresh local  Produce from  Corrie Mains,GC Growers, and  Dowhill  was on  display ,whilst tasting samples of milk and cheese  were supplied by Dunlop Dairy,and cakes from Petrie Fine Foods .Watch out for news of the event  plus a  web site video  at  www.hamleys.com  AFN were delighted to exhibit again at Tourism Expo April 13-14th 2011 in Aberdeen. We were on stand A1-A3 Ayrshire & Arran right beside the main Visit Scotland  reception. We met many trade buyers, exhibitors and tourism trade professionals ..there was an appointments system in place via  www.visitscotlandexpo.com.

During the two days we had  meetings with 35 trade buyers  from as far afield as Hawaii, Toronto, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Italy, Ukraine, India, as well as 10 from the UK They all are interested in varying aspects of food& activity tourism. We have been following up these leads proactively  and promptly,and  some of them are following us avidly on Twitter On Wednesday 16TH March 2011 AFN presented at the ASVA seminar in Alloway regarding the realities /advantages of local food supply to visitor attraction establishments. February 14th 2011 saw  food  or ingredients  from several  AFN /AFM  members used at the NFUS annual conference dinner in St andrews .500 guests enjoyed an amazing  5 course dinner .We were delighted to be involved  in the sourcing project .

During the AFN seminar tour  live fromTartu Hotel ,Voru,Viljandi & Rakvere in Estonia we had V3 international link ups during the last week of January2011. A considerable number of participants have visited the website subsequently. The 2011 version of our leaflet  was  published  electronically with enhanced layout  ,the planned  inclusion of the vibrant new pan Ayrshire branding, a new  map, an overview of aims and objectives, plus 8 advertising slots.