Every Saturdays, from 7 am to 5pm, on Upper Gardner Street there is a lot of independent stalls…read morethat sell everything from secondhand books, antiques, records, clothes to street food and vegetables. Every time I go there I usually manage to find and buy a vintage cookery book. I have now four cookery books, they were published between 1911 and 1970. On Upper Gardner Street there is also a very big two storey antique shops which I really like: North Laine Antique & Fleamarket, it is the perfect place to find old fashioned plates and cups of tea for example.

The best thing about this market is it has such a variety of stalls, which makes it much more fun…read moreto walk around than if it was just fashion or organic vegetables. This street really does come alive every Saturday with sellers and prospective buyers. I sometimes wonder how these people have the energy to move larger items like bookcases and tables from place to place, especially first thing in the morning. You've got to have a passion for it is all I can say. Personally I'm a fan of perusing the vintage jewellery, the second hand books and records, the retro clothes stalls and the cakes!

What a fantastic way of showing kids where food comes from and how it's grown…read more Staff very helpful. Place very clean and tidy. Pick Your Own. From May till September. Free entry. Tractor rides to get you to the fruit or veg you want. ( also free ) So much choice. Great day spent with kids. Got loads of goodies very cheap. Played Peter Rabbit in the strawberry fields. Really was a great day out. Really recommend. Then stopped at the tea rooms for a drink and some food. Very tasty and still quite reasonable. They also have car boots on a Sunday ( I haven't been to this one but have heard it's quite good ). All the fresh air, the kids slept well. I thought we'd be there maybe 2 hrs? We were there nearly 4 1/2hrs completely lost track of time.

Great day out for all the family. Used to go here, and still do with my kids for strawberry…read morepicking, and other fruits. Do a picnicthat's nice, but there is a farm shop that does a nice little lunch/teas/snacks. You save quite a bit of cash by picking your own, especially here. This was THE original garden centre in this areawell established

Muesli Mountain is great- if you haven't yet stumbled across it, I suggest you check it out pronto!…read moreHidden away in a yard behind Queen's Park Rd, it is essentially a mini open market, with stalls selling all sorts of yummy food and interesting arts and crafts produced locally. The ethos is basically local local local! It's a really lovely alternative place to pick up freshly made bread (from the Lighthouse bakery) and organic fruit and veg. At the moment there is a stall selling and renting (!) live Xmas trees in pots and there is also a great selection of Christmassy gift ideas. You can even pick up sustainably sourced logs and kindling for lovely winter open fires. The market is open every day except Sunday and if you live in the Hanover area it's a really great resource. Even if you live further afield, Muesli Mountain is worth a trek. It is an inspired project with a lovely atmosphere- one of those little gems that makes you so grateful you live in Brighton.

Think Local, Buy Local, BE Local…read more As straplines go, Museli Mountain Market's is short, sweet and spot on. Run by a team of Hanover residents, it's an open market that aims to provide other locals with a space to meet, chat and learn how to be more sustainable. There's fresh organic fruit, salad and vegetables from local farms and allotments, gorgeous bread from Lighthouse Bakery and store cupboard essentials like pasta, rice, flour and cereals. They also sell local seeds and plants, cleaning products and Ecover refills. As a girl with a sweet-tooth, my only grumble is the lack of fresh and tasty, locally baked cakes!

Middle Farm is a really lovely farm in Firle, near Lewes, and not far from Brighton. I've often…read morevisited purely for their amazing farm shop, which is packed with tasty locally-produced goodies. However, Middle Farm is also a working farm, making it a great place to take children. There is an outdoor playground and a nature trail and of course all sorts of exciting farm animals for the kids to learn about, including cows, chickens, pigs and donkeys. You can even watch the beautiful Jersey cows being milked! Adults, be sure to check out the cider shop, home to a large collection of draught ciders and parries, from all over the country. . Magners drinkers beware- these are real ciders, meaning they can often taste quite farmy- personally I think most of them are delicious, but they can take a bit of getting used to! Apples are pressed on site to make delicious Sussex apple juice- there are often demonstrations going on outside in fine weather. There's also a café serving cream teas and other cakes and treats as well as an outdoor picnic area. Middle Farm can serve as a great pit stop either before or after a walk, as there is beautiful countryside surrounding the site.

I like to eat a variety of animals and dairy products. Which is not to say I find quite a lot of…read morethem pretty damn cute, just that they have the misfortune to taste great with gravy. Middle Farm is a brilliant showcase of animal husbandry with the townie family in mind (wellies are not essential, but certainly useful). It is a working/show farm combination, and if you so desire, you can buy some of the local produce at the nearby farm shop - albeit at some pretty racy prices. So what have they got? Enough to give Noahs ark a run for his money I would say: Piggies, Llaamas, Goats, Cows, Wabbits, Peacocks, Ferrets and some (seriously) funky chickens to name a few. Quite a few of the chicken and bantam breeds have free roam during the day which really adds to the all-under-one barn roof kind of feel to the place. There's also play areas a restaurant and, as mentioned earlier a really fantastic farm shop. Your children/inner child will not be bored.

It's impossible for me to think more highly of Crumbs Of Sussex. Once you've experienced a bacon…read moresandwich made from their locally sourced organic ingredients you simply can't go back to major supermarkets' pathetic, water-filled excuse for meat. The same goes for all their fruit and veg. Each week they offer a choice of special boxes, ranging in size, price and contents that will easily keep any family's eco/health conscience in check. For example, a mere £7 will get you a mini box, which includes potatoes, onions, carrots, a stir-fry mix and broccoli. All of which is locally sourced, organic and of the highest quality. To see all the options you should visit their website, which offers a range of delicious products all at competitive prices, delivered to your door! There is simply nothing better than eating proper, fresh food and it doesn't get properer or fresherer than this!

You cannot find a better place in Brighton to buy all your fruit and veg - when you compare it to…read morehow much you'd spend in a supermarket; it's a LOT less. I bought fresh purple sprouting broccoli, nectarines, pack choi, coriander - so much more I filled my entire rucksack with fresh produce and spent only £6. There is a great butchers, fresh egg stall, french patisserie bread show and lots of other little quirky independent shops - I strongly recommend everyone to take a trip and see how much more enjoyable and how much cheaper it is than shopping in a supermarket!

I love the Open Market, although I feel its days may sadly be numbered, as it seems to get less and…read moreless popular. Stalls here are fixed mini-shops rather than traditional outdoor type market stalls. Stalls here cover a wide range. There are traditional food market stalls - selling fish, meat, cheese and more. Then there are a couple of general, messy second hand bric a brac stalls. There are stalls selling plants and flowers, and at certain times, Christmas trees, two second hand bike shops, and a free book exchange. I would love to see the place revived by the council, perhaps with some temporary stalls to mix things up a bit, and longer opening hours. In these recession-bitten times, that seems unlilkely.

Worth a mention on it's own, this is a fantastic experience for the seasoned foodie, with the added…read morefeelgood that you've probably just said hello to the cow that's provided your pinta! There's a fantastic selection of foods here: cheeses, meats (including game), herbs, organic fruit and veg, fresh juices, cakes, chocolates and stacks of condiments. Unfortunately, prices are proportional to the scale of production - but it's worth helping out the little guy and I guarantee you can savour the difference in quality. And then there is the CIDER!!!!!! Being originally from the west country, my heart skips a beat whenever it's even mentioned. But imagine walking into a room where you can buy (or merely sample prodigiously) from a range of over 50 obscure varieties - sheer apple inspired nirvana. Better still you can buy by the pint, flagon or even barrell. There are also other fruit based wines and liquers if you wish to maintain a modicum of class - however I shall mostly be singing the wurzels top ten all the way there upon my rapid return.

The shop at Middle Farm is brilliant. No, not brilliant - awesome. They have an absolutely HUGE…read morerange of organic, locally produced, natural and / or ecologically-sound products. They have some superb local wines, including potato wine just like my Grandad used to make (God rest his distilling heart), and a few great beers. All of DrO2e's comments are right, particularly the CIDER! The separate cider shop is just the bees knees. There is an absolutely gigantinormous selection. You take a small plastic cup on entry (if you want) and you can taste to your hearts content. I'm a fairly seasoned cider drinker, and some of the varieties on offer here are fantastic. You can find all types from the oldest single-family run cider house in the country to contemporary houses that offer a wide range of tastes. Perry is also in abundance here if that's your bag, and you can even buy some delicious traditional mead. Then head over to the restaurant and avail yourself of a cream tea, and with this place staying open until 5pm on a Sunday it's the perfect place to finish the day at. Even if the farm itself isn't somewhere you want to visit, make a trip to the shop, you won't be disappointed.

CALL IN ANIMAL WELFARE! Poor goats are constantly itching and riddled with worms and mites. None of…read morethe animals have straw or hay - they're expected to sleep on the cold wet floor! Outrageous!!!

Swains is a fantastic place to go for fresh, locally reared produce. Its a huge site that also…read moreincludes a really impressive garden center too. We buy all our meat and veg from here as I drive past it a couple of times a week. It is a little more expensive than a lot of butchers or veg stalls which is why I didn't give it full marks but I think its worth it. There's some lovely animals in the grounds to keep the kids occupied too. Some very strokeable donkey's and some very smelly pigs. Incidentally, the pork here is fantastic and I'm guessing comes from the above mentioned smelly pigs!