Especially as we all brace ourselves for the Big Christmas Shop, finding great ingredients at a fair price is on all of our minds - and one of the best spots to do just that can be found every Saturday at East Oxford Primary School. East Oxford Community Market has been running since 2006 offering produce with a personal touch, its stalls filled with ethically sourced and sustainable groceries and dishes all from local vendors: as they head into their 20th anniversary year, we caught up with the team to discuss what's on offer and the many benefits of buying local.
Daily Information: For newcomers, what is the East Oxford Farmers’ and Community Market?
East Oxford Farmers' and Community Market: We’re a friendly weekly market where you can buy directly from local organic farmers, bakers, chefs, and makers. Every Saturday morning 10am - 1pm at East Oxford Primary School (just behind the Tescos on Cowley Road), you can find a wide range of sustainable, ethical fruit, veg, meat, eggs, dairy and bread, as well as delicious brunch options like authentic samosas and falafel, and local crafts. We update our newsletter and social media (@eastoxfordmarket on Facebook and Instagram) every Friday with who will be selling at the market that week.
DI: Why should shoppers consider buying from a farmers’ market over your standard supermarket shop?
EOFCM: Right now, a plastic bag of supermarket carrots costs about 70p for a kilo. Who grew those carrots? Were they paid fairly, and given decent working conditions? What chemicals were those carrots sprayed with, to help them look fresh during a long journey and an even longer stint sitting in a storage fridge somewhere? Supermarkets make their produce so cheap by hiding the environmental and human costs of their practices. When you come to EOFCM and buy a bunch of carrots from George at Sandy Lane Farm, or Matt at Honeydales, you’re buying fresh, quality produce directly from a local organic farmer - and they won’t come wrapped in single-use plastic! Those carrots will taste better, be more nutritious, won’t be covered in a cocktail of pesticides, and your cash will be going back into your local economy instead of disappearing into the pockets of supermarket shareholders.
DI: The Market works with a fantastic group of local vendors; what sort of goods can people look out for on the stalls?
EOFCM: Just a few of our regular sellers include:
Sandy Lane Farm and Brighthampton Veg: Organic fruit and veg grown within a few miles of Oxford
Crudges Cheese: A suburb range of delicious, ethical cheeses
Natural Bread: Award-winning artisanal bakery, specialising in sourdough
North Aston Farms and Dairy: Pasture-fed organic beef and lamb, plus dairy products
Willowbrook Farm: Organic meat and specialty products from the UK's first organic Halal farm
Salad Daze: Delicious vegetarian salads and pastries made with organic veg
Pindy's: Artisanal Punjabi samosas made to authentic family recipes
Red Step Roasters: Family run small-batch specialty roaster, specialising in ethically traded coffee
Leafology (Ethical, natural skincare)
DI: How does community play a role in the way the Market operates?
EOFCM: We’re a ‘community benefit society’, which is similar to a co-operative. That means our purpose is to carry out business for the benefit of the community, not for profit. Our goal is to create a platform where East Oxford locals can interact directly with the people who power our local food scene, from farmers to chefs. Having a resilient local food system which isn’t purely focussed on profit, and also isn’t tied to unpredictable global supply chains, is absolutely vital for food security. Shopping locally really helps to make your local community more resilient to future food system shocks, like those we saw during the pandemic and the cost of living crisis. We are truly by the community, for the community.
Also - when was the last time you had a good natter about tomatoes with the self-checkout machine?! At EOFCM you can treat a friend to a cheeky brownie from Shand’s cakes, ask Roger at Crudges’ which cheese would go best with the olive loaf you just picked up from Natural Bread, and then chat to Khalil at Willowbrook Farm about the best way to cook grass-fed beef. We’re a weekly social hub for lots of locals, who love knowing the names of the people who produced their food.
We’re run almost entirely by volunteers. If you’d like to help out, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact us on eastoxfordmarket@gmail.com.
DI: As we head into the New Year, does the Market have any big plans for 2026?
EOFCM: 2026 is EOFCM’s 20th anniversary! When we started trading in 2006, we had just six stalls. Since then, we’ve grown into a real local institution - last week, on 13th December, we had over twenty stalls! 2026 will be all about celebrating community and good food. Keep an eye on our social media or our website for exciting promotions and stories from the market. See you soon!
East Oxford Farmer's and Community Market takes place every Saturday at East Oxfod Primary School from 10am - 1pm. Entry is free. Follow the team on their website, Facebook and Instagram for regular updates.