Grasmere Farm has been selling meat on Grantham Farmers Market since it began

Meat from an award-winning farm has been sold on the farmers market since it began.

Grasmere Farm, which has shops in Stamford and the Deepings, has been selling its pork products in Grantham for over 20 years.

The stall is being featured as part of a Journal campaign to support Grantham Farmers Market.

Stuart Stables, owner of Grasmere Farm, said: “I’m a little bit vague but I think we would have started when the first farmer’s market was, which I think was 1999.

“We had started our meat business in 1995 and we had been doing a few general markets, then the trend of farmers markets started to wake up and we were ready to do them.

Stuart’s family has farmed in south Lincolnshire since 1969. He set up his own business in 1988 and later took over his parents’ operations.

The business trades on Grantham Farmers Market once a month, and used to trade on Stamford Farmers Market until opening a shop on the High Street there.

“That’s just the way the business has grown,” added Stuart. “Grantham has always been one of our very strongest farmers markets and has continued to be more resilient than others.

“We look at it from the point of view that yes, our shop is in Stamford, and the pop-up one in Bourne on a Friday and Saturday, it’s just really good to be able to go into Grantham and serve the people there once a month with a good quality product to save them travelling.

“It increases our customer base amongst people that have supported us for many years.

“The unique and special thing about it is that you are dealing directly with the customer and getting instant feedback, whether that’s positive or negative.”

Jack Webster currently runs the Grantham stall and has done so for over 10 years, but he retires in September.

Stuart explained that Jack was retired from his full-time job and was a widower.

“[Jack] wanted to get out and meet people, and have a purpose to get up and do things,” said Stuart.

“He says it’s been a huge thing to be able to do. Doing the market once a month has given him a small income on top of his pension and treats for his grandchildren and that sort of thing.

“It’s been very beneficial to him and he’s loved doing it.”

Jack and Stuart both agree that more advertising would improve the market in Grantham.

Stuart explained that the business employs around 70 people, adding “I think you can count on one hand the people who travel more than five or six miles to get to work, which I think is really good”.

He continued: “The money spent with us does go back into the local economy. It doesn’t disappear into the big corporate pockets.”

The stall sells products made from pork reared on the farm, as well as poultry, beef and lamb sourced from a “trusted network of local farms”.

You can find out more about Grasmere Farm here.

The stall will be on Grantham Farmers Market tomorrow, and every second Saturday of each following month.