As lockdown restrictions continue to be eased across the country, Penrith’s weekly outdoor market continues to grow.
New to the market, Sticky Fingers Bakery, is a new start-up business created by friends, Anne Johnston and Zena Watkinson.
They sell home baked cakes, biscuits and tray bakes, among other goodies.
Neither of them had done anything like this before, but they decided to give it a go after learning of the assistance available to new stall holders.
Since getting started, they’ve been enjoying the sense of community and camaraderie at the market.
“It’s been a bit of a steep learning curve, but the help and encouragement we’ve received from Eden District Council and our fellow market stall holders has been wonderful,” said Anne.
“The weather’s also been great, which helps and we’re really keen to give this a good go.”
The Little Bakery of Dumfries stall boasts an award winning Scotch Pie, plus a wide variety of pies and sausage rolls, with tasty vegetarian options also available.
Stall owner, Graham Brough, is a great believer in local markets and is keen to make a success of his company’s venture into Penrith.
“Although our bakery is based in Dumfries, we travel far and wide to makers and farmers markets all over the UK.
“Penrith is our latest and, so far, things have gone well. Penrith tastes are quite traditional, so our biggest sellers are the Steak and Ale pie and our famous World Championship winning Scotch Pie,” said Graham.
To encourage new traders to come on board, Eden District Council is offering new traders a chance to test the waters with a no-obligation four-week free trial for their stall, with an additional six weeks on offer at a heavily discounted rate.
Existing traders can also benefit, with incentives on offer for introducing new traders to the market.
The weekly Penrith market takes place on a Tuesday from 9am to 4pm in the Great Dockray car park.
As well as the weekly Penrith market on a Tuesday, Eden District Council runs the weekly market in Appleby.
New trader incentives are also available for this market. For more details on these and other markets in Eden, visit www.eden.gov.uk/markets or telephone 01768 817817.
