Drimoleague’s virtual farmers’ market a lifeline for producers

DRIMOLEAGUE has a new farmers’ market – a virtual one that is selling top quality produce made by top quality producers.

Local company, Glenilen Farm, was ahead of the curve when, in 1997, Alan and Valerie Kingston started selling their homemade cheesecakes at local country markets.

The company went on to become a huge success because shoppers in Ireland, the UK, and abroad, recognised that their products – their milk, cream, butter and yoghurts – all had a traditional farmhouse taste.

But with the Covid-19 pandemic placing lots of businesses on lockdown, Glenilen has, once again, found a way of making its presence felt in the market.

Together with six, or more, other local producers, Glenilen is once again to the fore through its NeighbourFood hub, Drimoleague Farmers’ Market.

Glenilen is selling its delicious live yoghurts, milk and butter, while Drimoleague’s Peter Ross, who was a mainstay of the Skibbereen Farmers’ Market – and has been in the business of growing the finest fruit and veg for the last 40 years – is selling a weekly, seasonal box straight from his garden.

Skeaghanore Duck and Caherbeg FreeRange pork are also listed among the suppliers so people can easily order meat for the Sunday roast, or the makings of ‘A Full Irish’.

The Crooked Boot Farm and Nursery are selling garden perennials, while Maya’s kitchen is selling wraps –including those that are gluten free – as well as spice mixes.

Home-cooked frozen meals, such as delicious curries, can also be purchased at this farmers’ market.

Home baking, chutneys and brown bread are a few more of the tasty staples that you can add to your virtual shopping basket. The format is easy to follow: simply google Drimoleague Farmers’ Market and create an account in two simple steps. Then, you simply message your order and collect it at Glenilen in Drimoleague between 10am and 12 noon on Saturday morning.

The initiative is designed to make it easy for people to access the foods they have come to rely on at the weekly markets, such Bantry, Clonakilty and Skibbereen, but it is also good for the economy because people are not only buying Irish, they are buying directly from local producers.