We are urgently developing research requirements with other European laboratories to make sure we understand and the disease (Schmallenberg) better.Borough Market: Jan McCourt, Northfield Farm, Oakham, Rutland
The Borough Market is London’s oldest food market and blends history, tradition and innovation to provide a bustling community for London’s commuters and tourists and a shop window for British producers. Clemmie Gleeson reports.
CHRISTMAS trading at Borough Market is pretty chaotic, says Jan McCourt, of Northfield Farm. But he and his experienced team were one of the founder producers at the retail market.
“We sell around 10 times more products in the run-up to Christmas but the amount of space we have stays the same. It all has to be contained within the same workforce and infrastructure,” says Jan.
“The vast majority of our customers are very supportive and tolerant, but some people can get very worked-up at Christmas – particularly about food.”
Northfield’s range of Christmas food includes turkeys, geese, cockerels, chickens and multi-bird roasts, as well as ready-meals and other prepared foods. One particular speciality is hand-raised pork pies, made with locally-produced flour. The business is one of nine members of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association.
Jan farms 40 hectares (100 acres) of grassland producing rare breed cattle, sheep and pigs and also works with 30 to 40 small or medium-sized farming enterprises who supply Northfield – its farm shop and tea room in Rutland, Borough Market stall and web sales – with meat and a wide range of other products.
Board of trustrees
The business has been trading at Borough Market since 1999. They were one of a small group of producers who were involved very early on working alongside the board of trustees and have gradually gone from trading quarterly to three times a week.
As visitor numbers have leaped, Borough Market has become central to Northfield Farm and, without it, Jan says there would be no business.
He observes the credit crunch has altered customer buying habits and is one of the reasons why the market works well as a window for produce.
“Customers are not eating out as much, but still want to eat well.” This has meant that while some catering clients have fallen by the wayside, retail sales have grown.
“Retail customers are very loyal – chefs are not.”
Building relationships with customers is particularly important.
“I am greeted like a long-lost friend by some when I go there,” he says. “That is what makes the market special.”
Jan will be working right up to the end of Christmas Eve, although he makes time to go to the village carol service where he usually gives a reading.
Christmas Day is spent with family and, although he personally prefers goose on his Christmas table, he admits the family takes whatever is left after customers have collected their orders.
“Christmas is a funny time when you’re in the food business, as the customer always has to come first.”
