Last updated: November 2022
The 10 core principles
- Direct: Customers get to buy directly from the farmers, growers and producers who grew and produced the products on sale or from someone who has a good knowledge of the product and the story behind it.
- High quality: We want to give consumers the opportunity to buy high quality, locally grown and produced food.
- Locally sourced: Products should be made locally (within a 30-mile radius of Marlow) and ingredients used should also be local wherever possible. However, ‘guest producers’ may be allowed to attend if there is no suitable local producer or it’s an explicitly ethical business.
- Knowledgeable: The person selling at the Marlow Market understands how the product has been produced from seed to plate (or design to sale!)
- Fair and affordable: We ask you to sell your produce at fair, affordable prices.
- Insured: All traders and markets must have suitable Public, Product, and Employment insurance in place to protect their customers. A copy of the current insurance document must be brought along to each market to show to the market coordinator if requested.
- Legal: All traders and markets must follow all relevant EU, UK and local laws and bylaws. They must comply with current Trading Standards, Environmental Health and Health & Safety requirements and agree to comply with any recommendations made by Environmental Health officers as to food processing, storage, handling and display or by Trading Standards with regard to weights and measures, packaging and labelling.
- Regular: The market will be held on the first and third Saturday of every month (only the 3rd Saturday in January) from 10 am to 3 pm.
- Environmentally conscious: We want to encourage food production that is best for human and environmental health and animal welfare, i.e. without the use of unnecessary additives, pesticides, or artificial fertilisers and, wherever possible, the avoidance of GM components in animal feed or ingredients of processed products. All stallholders should be committed to
minimise environmental impact through their sourcing, production and packaging. - Benefitting our community: All proceeds of the market will go to support community activities in Marlow. We will use the market to inform the public about environmental issues and reasons to support the local economy and give information on how the Marlow community is trying to have a positive social impact in Marlow and beyond. This market is run by volunteers for the good of the community and so we ask that all participants recognise and respect that our time is therefore limited.
The practicalities
Timing
The market will be held on the first and third Saturday of every month (only the 3rd Saturday in January) from 10 am to 3 pm. Dates are shown on the main Market page.
Please arrive at the market no earlier than 7.30 am, but make sure you give yourself plenty of time to set up your stall and be ready to start selling by 10 am.
All stallholders must commit to staying at their stall throughout the duration of the market. In the event of selling out of produce early please do not attempt to dismantle your stall, remove banners or otherwise show signs of packing up until the end of the market.
If, due to circumstances, you do need to leave earlier on a particular occasion, please notify the market coordinator in advance, so that you can be allocated a stall near the edge of the market.
Location
The Causeway, Marlow SL7 2AA (at the Bridge end of Marlow High Street, by the green outside the George & Dragon).
Costs
- Outside 2m x 2m space – £25
- Outside 3m x 3m space – £35
- Other sizes – please consult price
Booking
A booking form (link on the stallholder information page) must be completed to start the process. The market coordinator will then be in touch.
If booking is successful, payment must be made s soon as you receive an invoice. Payments can be made by card, Paypal or by cheque, payable to Transition Town Marlow CIO. Cash payments are not accepted.
The market coordinator is the first point of contact for producers/sellers for all issues concerning the market before, during and after the market via market@transitionmarlow.org or 07904 369829.
Cancellations
At least one week’s notice is required for a refund. Refunds will incur an admin charge plus any online transaction fees.
We reserve the right to cancel bookings with one week’s notice or to refuse bookings.
Pitches
Pitches are all allocated outside and can either be 2 m x 2 m or 3 m x 3 m. Gazebos are to be supplied by each stallholder.
A certain location for your pitch cannot be guaranteed, although we will do our best to accommodate your request.
The position of latecomers’ stalls may be subject to change.
Only batteries or solar-powered generators are allowed at the market. A limited number of power points are available – see below.
The market is in a beautiful, but windy location so all stallholders must have weights for their stands.
Presentation of stall
You should display the name and address of your business on your stall. Goods must be clearly priced, and information must be available to customers about the producer’s business and production methods. The information must also include the trading address and name of the business.
We want visitors to the market to be able to browse at their leisure so please do not actively hustle for their
Packaging
Please minimise packaging as much as possible.
Customers should be encouraged to use reusable bags for their shopping. Please bring reusable or non-plastic biodegradable alternatives for your customers to use. We may have corn-starch bags available for stallholders who have run out but cannot guarantee it.
The only exception is when plastic is required for health and safety reasons for raw or iced products.
If you are offering samples, please minimise the use of anything that can only be used once e.g. disposable forks, spoons, cups, plates.
Electricity supply
TTM can supply a certain amount of electricity per market, as we use the car charging lampposts. Electricity is an extra £2 through TTM (this needs prior arrangement via the market coordinator and only one appliance is to be used that will draw no more than 5 kw).
Stallholders requiring electricity with their own connection need to have prior approval, as availability and allocation need to be taken into consideration.
Parking
We cannot guarantee parking near to the market. However, there will be limited parking available for refrigerated vehicles. If you would like to use this please ensure you have stated that you are bringing a refrigerated vehicle on your booking form. The parking available will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Other nearby parking is available in Pound Lane (Pay and Display).
Facilities
There are public toilets in Higginson Park, opposite the market. There are also customer toilets in the George & Dragon and Burgers, both adjacent to the market. Please respect that their facilities are only available to customers. We very much encourage you to spend your hard-earned cash in both places!
Insurance
All stallholders must be insured and provide evidence of this prior to the market. If this is a problem, please contact us to discuss.
Health & safety
All stallholders must abide by Health and Safety regulations (see Appendix) and certificates must be available for verification at all times.
Publicity
We will provide a certain amount of publicity for the market but ask you to mention the market on any relevant marketing material and/or on your website.
Clear-up
You are required to clear away all your belongings, including rubbish, and leave the Causeway by 3.30 pm.
Happy
Appendix
Food hygiene and Health & Safety
Anyone handling food must have a copy of his or her current Basic Food Hygiene Certificate at each market. Anyone handling unwrapped foods must wear clean protective over clothing, such as aprons, coats or jackets. It is recommended that some form of head covering be worn, with long hair tied back.
Staff who handle or prepare foods should not travel to the market in their protective clothing. They should remove their protective clothing if they leave the stall/vehicle.
Producers must ensure the correct temperature control in accordance with Environmental Health guidelines throughout the market, as well as travelling to and from the market. This applies to products on display as well as those stored in vehicles.
Sneeze guards must be used where Environmental Health guidelines require this i.e. unwrapped foods.
Producers must bring suitable bags or bins and a brush for the collection of food waste and other rubbish. Waste must not be allowed to attract pests. Rubbish and any food debris must be removed at the end of the market.
Natasha’s Law October 2021
The new law, known as Natasha’s law, concerning allergens, came into effect on 1st October 2021.
You will by now be aware that this affects everyone selling pre-packed foods, known as PPDS – Prepacked for Direct Sale – or pre-packaged food that was packaged by another business – all of which must be labelled with ingredients and allergens. Also, even if you’re selling an item with no allergens, you should mention allergens if there’s any danger of cross-contamination.
The label for PPDS food needs to show:
- the name of the food
- an ingredient list
- any of the 14 allergens emphasised in the ingredients list, if these are present in the food
Products that will now need to be labelled include e.g. cheeses and meat that are already wrapped and ready to be served. Using an allergen infomation sheet is not a substitute for PPDS food labelling – PPDS food will (still) require a full ingredients list and allergen information on the label.
Regulations for freshly prepared street food, deli food, bread, pies, cakes etc. that are not prewrapped, (i.e. loose foods) are different. Either display lists of the ingredients used in each of your products or dishes, highlighting the allergens, or provide a clear sign
for customers, like a poster.
Safety
Any producers cooking at the market must ensure that they do not endanger any member of the public.
They must site any apparatus well away from the front or edge of their stall and should have a safety barrier placed at least 50 cm from the appliance, provide warning signs and comply with any request from the market coordinator to ensure the safety of the public.
All producers using gas-burning appliances must have on-site a fire blanket and an appropriate fire extinguisher.
All gas pipes should be of the approved type, i.e. orange, date stamped and not older than 5 years.
Although it is not obligatory, it is good working practice to have correctly attached fittings – i.e. crimped end terminations.
Ground covering
Approved ground covering must be in place during the preparation and cooking or demonstration of food.
All portable electric appliances must have an accredited test certificate available for inspection by coordinators at any given market.
All display tables must be of sound and stable construction (not boards balanced on top of boxes), as must all stall coverings – gazebos especially – and such coverings must be firmly secured, ideally using weights.