This little piggy went to market...

Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence - we went to three markets in as many days. But two of them were in the same place at the same time, which made it easier.

Thursday was the monthly Farmers' Market, in Durham; it had been shifted to the other side of the Market Place, to make room for a Continental Market, and the regular stallholders were not entirely pleased about it (and not just because there was a cold wind blowing, and they were more exposed to it than they would otherwise have been). I bought my usual stock of meat from the local farms (there's one lady who now gets out the packs of bacon off-cuts when she sees me coming), my cheese from the cheese stall in the covered market, and some more cheese (a little heart-shaped Neuchâtel, and some raclette), bread, jars of pâté, a kouign amann (Breton butter cake) and some fruit and veg (blue potatoes!).

Then yesterday we gathered an expeditionary force and went to the Wear Valley Food Festival; the plan was to buy goodies and then come home and eat them, but the added incentive was the opportunity to nose around Auckland Castle - the seat of the Bishop of Durham (hence, Bishop Auckland). High points were the chapel:

and scoring some goat's brie from Hunter House Farm - though the man dressed as a runner bean was also good, and I'm sorry I wasn't quick enough to get a good photo of him (he was a runner bean, he didn't hang about).

All of which provided a splendid spread for the half dozen of us, and a very easy meal to prepare and serve - I just put everything on the table and opened the bottles. But we are going to have to shop again within a day or so, for staples this time...