Online farmers' market starts up in Melton

Table & Kin started up in December from a small unit at the Stockyard, on the town’s livestock market site, under co-founders Mathew Halford and Julian Ramkissoon.

Customers can order a wide range of produce and get it delivered to their homes on the day it was actually produced.

The firm deliver meat from March House Farm, at Great Dalby, bread from Rutland’s Hambleton Bakery, beer out of Round Corner Brewing’s neighbouring site at Melton market, jams from Barlows of Belvoir (Harby), free range milk from Vine Farm Dairy (Great Dalby) and Simply Cider (Market Harborough), among many others.

Mathew told the Melton Times: "In essence, we are an online farmers’ market.

"We work with lots of independent producers of food and drink.

“We have some of the finest producers in the country in this area but it is impossible for customers to shop at them all without having to travel miles and also not many people know that some of these producers exist.

"We take all of their produce and add videography and photography and list it on our site.

“Everything available on our site will have been harvested that day so it is as fresh as it gets.

“We don’t hold any stock so it cuts down on waste.”

Business is already good, with orders delivered on just Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, says Mathew: "We had 150 orders in December after starting up which stunned us as we didn’t expect that many.

"January has been quieter after the Christmas period but there is a lot of interest.

"Customers make an order online, we then put an order in with the producer, collect it the next morning and deliver it that day.”

Table & Kin say they are offering a different service to their online fast food competitors.

“We are really the antithesis of Just Eat or Deliveroo,” added Mathew.

"We feel the food system is pretty broken in various different ways and we want to get people cooking at home again.”

Click HERE to find out more about the business and to make an order.