Ta-ta, me old fruit

If you don't get down to the market before 4.30pm, you'll have missed your last chance to enjoy their spectacular spuds, caulis, carrots and broccoli, all grown on the family firm's own acres in Wigginton.

The Wigginton farm shop, which has become a bit of an institution for local people, will also be closing down next week.

It's the end of an era - and a real blow for those who like their veg fresh and home-grown rather than supermarket wrapped and packaged.

Brothers John and Chris Brown, who run the family business set up in 1911 by their great grandfather, also named John, stress that it is not the end of the family business. The nursery near Wigginton will continue - in fact, it's thriving and is the main reason the brothers are pulling out of market gardening.

"The nursery is doing too well!" says John cheerfully. "It's crazy down there. We just haven't got enough hands to do both."

But the home-grown spuds and caulis, available every Friday and Saturday from the same stall at York market since 1964, will be no more.

"It's a big loss to us," admits York markets manager Paul Barrett. "They can't be replaced, the sort of history and quality they have got. Customers will still be able to get local produce at the market, but it will only leave us with one home grown stall, Harrisons."

In today's world of pre-packaged food, when even the 'fresh' veg at your local supermarket has probably travelled hundreds if not thousands of miles before reaching your plate, Browns have offered something a bit special: truly fresh veg dug out of local soil just before being brought to market.

When the family business was set up in 1911 by John and Chris's great-grandfather, it was little more than an allotment. Cut flowers and home-grown veg were the name of the game back then, too - but the family also kept a few pigs and chickens.

Wigginton hardly existed, and the family didn't even have a proper house, John says - they lived in a converted railway carriage at one side of the yard, with the chicken huts opposite.

The business involved supplying local villages with home-grown produce, coming as far as the northern outskirts of York. John, now 48, distinctly remembers going round with his grandfather - another John - in a horse and cart when he was aged just two or three, supplying produce to homes off Wigginton Road.

Nobody seems to know quite how long the York market stall has been going. Browns certainly had a stall in Parliament Street long before the market moved to its present location in 1964 - and since then regulars have got used to going to the same stall week in, week out.

Today, though, tacked to one of the stall's supports, customers found a handwritten notice: "We are sorry to tell you that we are finishing the market on Saturday 13 April. May we thank everyone for their loyal custom." Time has run out at last.

John admits he does feel sad at giving up the stall. "What I will miss most is meeting people, the banter," he says. "We have had some really upset people this morning. We've been trying to tell people for a few weeks, but we've had some here this morning saying 'you're not going?'"

As if one cue, one regular pipes up. "We're getting up a petition!" she says.

"It's a shame," adds Joan Jones, who comes to the Browns stall every Friday. "Everything is fresh and nice. It is all packaged up at the supermarket. I will be disappointed that they're going."

John admits, however, that he's already looking forward to spending more time at the nursery. "I love it," he says. "It's outdoors, meeting people - and hopefully we'll have a bit more time down there to talk to people than we get here. Here it's busy, busy, busy."

Until 4.30pm today, at least.

- Browns Nursery, Wigginton, is open Monday to Saturday 9-5pm and Sunday 10-5pm. Telephone 01904 766266

Updated: 08:41 Saturday, April 13, 2002