TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

Now then my dear Cropsters of Infinite Taste (oops sounding a bit Anji-ish there!)

Cropredy Traders. Food and Non Food.

Which ones were brilliant this year and which ones got your goat (No not those cute little pygmy ones!)?

Who were kind and helpful and who couldn't have cared less?

I know some reports have been posted already in other places (and that coffee stall chappie has been noted) but if you wouldn't mind your thoughts would be appreciated

Praise as well as complaints please

Jude :D

Son and hair liked the Oggies. I really enjoyed the Indian that was further up the field on the Cropredy side. The young guy in charge had a great line in patter.

Paul

The biggest copmplaint that I have doesn't actually concern what was being sold.

Please, please, please - put a clause in their contract that prevents them from playing their own music. There's no need - there's either live or recorded music playing throughout.

Several stalls were banging it so loudly that there were complaints at times that those backstage(!!) couldn't hear what was being played on the stage.....so what it must have been like for those out front?.

It seemed to be worst on stage-left - on the right looking from the audience.

The Oggie stall was the find of the festival - the Real Sausage stall is always good value for miney. The Buffalo Burger stall on the field was awful, might have been buffalo some time ago, but so processed that it made me queasy. Get the local-ish buffalo burger / ice-cream stall that was up in the village - 1000% better.

There was a lovely new silver jewellery stall this year, pricey but quality. I hope they did well enough to want to come back, they were nice chatty people too.
The lads doing the French coffee at the back of the field next to the crepe stall were very pleasant too, shame we had to queue so long, but the coffee was worth it.

The oggies were great, so was the little pasta stall close to the music room.
the music room while fun was bloody expensive, hobgoblin was better.
sausage stall was great, some of the chicken/chip/burger places looked and smelled yuk!

I heard comments about the two rather expensive stalls - they had a lot of similar / same stuff & their prices matched....what a surprise! With their prices regularly over £200 (!!), I think there's only need for one.....


There were too many run-of-the-mill yukky checken / burger / chips vans. If there's the interest, while retaining a couple of those vans, allow other, more inventive stalls in. The Oggies were a revelation - interest must have been shown by other like-minded, not-so-run-of-the-mill stalls?....

The Oggie stall is great. We were very glad to see it back. An Oggie was just the thing for a wet Saturday afternoon (or any other 'must have comfort food' time.

The Thai stall on the lane up to the Red Lion was the best of all. It would have been great to have had it on the field.

I bought nothing from the clothing and other stalls as I felt they were all too 'samey' and I had seem them at other festivals.

Maybe something different next year?

There was a great stall at Beautiful Days this year selling beautiful Indian/African lamps, mirrors and artifacts. I will try to get a pic. They would make a welcome addition.

Sandra

I agree wholeheartedly with Chris about the music played on the stalls, it really was intrusive on some parts of the site, and did seem to be worst down the right, but the stall on the other side (quite near the top, dry ice and puppets?) was getting louder by the day, and by Saturday evening it was quite ridiculous.

The veggie food stall was my favourite, because of the Humous pitta, cheap and filling :), they also did a decent cup of tea ;D

Big Big thank you to the stall selling £1 rain ponchos, (I'm still using mine)

Mic

The oggies were foul horrible disgusting non Cornish ones . I wont eat them . I want a cornish pastie stand . I`ll thqueam andthqueam until I`m thick if I dont get propper tiddy oggies. [;-) ??? ;D

Agreed.  They were playing one of my favourite Zappa albums when I wandered past and even I though it was far too loud.


Agreed again.  Looked fantastic all lit up in the dark.



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PLEASE keep the Crepe stall.. in fact can we have two please as the queue is always so long...

A couple of years ago there was a stall selling African stuff..  I bought two lovely and inexpensive tablecloths there...

AmyJen

Oggies good.

T shirt stall good.

CD stall, well, I caught the one guy without gorm, had never hear of Maartin Allcock and I had to be quite persistent to get the album, having enlsited the help of one of his more knowlegable colleagues.

Bar really quite excellent apart from running out of 6X at 18:30 Saturday.

Potato wedges with various additives notso good. Small quantity and lacking flavour of any kind.

I've gone all of a blank ..for a moment anyway..  but I have to say the Oggi stall was magnificient  [;-)  I am not a pie type of girl really, but these were great.  BIG, really fully of yummy filling, HOT and delicious.    ..and I love the crepe stall too.. especially chocolate and banana :P

There was a good mix of veggie and non veggie, and the Mexican was, fortunately, (and unlike the Mexicans at the 2 festies I've been to since Crop) omnivorous  ;D  Must have chilli in my burrito!

I like the emporium that does the indian things - clothes and wall hangings, and i did buy some clothes from other places too but they all tend to blur into one big amalgam and i cant remember which was which and theres no easy way to describe them which distinguishes them from each other.     ..and I liiked the stall that was selling those BIG bubble sword/wands for £4 a throw - last year i bought one for £8, and I havent seen them below a fiver at any festie except at Crop this year.   Those bubbles are great  :D

I take Sandy's point about the stall at BD...  I think she meant the one which sold lots of lamps and burners and was all lit up at night...  it was warm, the goods were beautiful, it smelt great...  just gorgeous..  I just went and sat in there to soak in the atmosphere.   That would be a great addition to Cropredy.. and quite different to anything else there.

Issy

The fancy goods stalls were ok, but too much Made In China tat. Tried to find a decent diablo but had to be content with a glow in the dark plastic job.

The Indian Take Away on the right looking down the field was very friendly and efficient - the food, especially the TVP curry was exquisite.

Oh, and a mention for the Greenpeace people from the Oxford Network. The organisers must have their hearts in the right place to allow them to pitch up and run a stall for free during the whole festival - despite a few drunkards slagging them off they did a good job, it would be interesting to find out what others thought of their materials, spiel etc.

Forgive me if this appears twice but it disappeared when I posted it and I can't find it anywhere.

Oggies are Welsh and great - these were very good.  BNC mentioned them in her set.

I always like the wedges' stall although the chicken tikka, or whatever it was, was not so good this year.  There was a really tasty beef and ale topping which was fantastic although I missed out on the mushy peas as they had run out.

Beth and I were miffed by three guys who thought they were really clever by commenting on the skirts we were looking at.  We could handle that but were disturbed by the cigar smoke which we can't stand.  The point is, smoking in a clothes stall is dangerous with numerous people bumping into each other as they wander through the very tight racks.  This needs to be addressed.  

Jan

The topping's great but the crepe itself is a bit heavy.  Why can't the British make really thin, gorgeous crepes like the French - especially the Bretons?  (I'm learning about food.)

Jan

I liked the Oggies.  I also liked the pasta stand.  But, me being me (a clothes horse), I was rather taken with 2 of the stalls on the (audience) right of the field towards the top where there were some excellent bargains to be had.  More of the same next year please... ;D

Ma sampled the noodles but said they got cold too quickly.  She also wasn't very keen on the chips I brought her.  However, I did notice that she spent a rather unhealthy amount of time at the crepe stall... :D

I was looking forward to the Oggies - but disappointed in mine. It contained some inedbile gristley mean. Guess I was just unlucky! :-[

Gower Flower

LOVELY jewellery stalls, though ::)

GF

The pottery stall (just up from the bar) wasn't cheap, but was quality. Daughter of YaBB bought me a great mug that is now used for my afternoon Earl Grey.

Leons was as always. Pricey, but two meals feeds three.

The Gourmet Sausage stand was as always quality and on a rainy Saturday evening can't be toped.

I know Chutney Polly will not return, but you could try begging.

I love that 'childcatcher' bloke with his puppets on strings beats hard drugs anyday and while were at it what's an Oggie ?

i always thought it was something odd and welsh,bit like your bad self

Right.... The soap stall was a nice addition quite lovely stuff.

I liked the one Indian up from potato moon (which i also love!!!) there are some stalls that are a bit pricey and on a wet weekend I certainly wouldn't be buying handmade paper


I'd like to draw the attention of Talkawhilers to the lovely group of people who for quite a few years have been selling home made biscuits at a bag of about 5/6 for a pound in ginger, Cinnamon, mixed spice and chocolate flavours... they are fantastic and for charity the money goes to help fund canine partners (dogs for the disabled) the biscuits are cooked by the sister of the lady who runs the stall and she and her dog are lovely!

I really miss the 'real lemonade' stall, that's been missin for about 3 years now. I would love to see a jacket potato van, or did I miss it?  ??? [;-)

We had some of them (I had cinnamon which Mrs Keith hates, so she didn't want mine  ;D ) on Friday night, which filled us up nicely in the tent.

Oggies - top stuff, not cornish pasties but none the worse for that.... and anything that can keep SoN's stomach quiet for a couple of hours fro £3.50 get's my vote

The stall on opposite side of field that did the 'wild' Happy Shirts as modelled by me (flat out on the deck) get another Thumbs Up vote - anywhere I can get more shirts wihout Mrs N's intervention or threats of divorce is a stall I like.

Good having two music stalls.

I have said this before, and it will probably run counter to the Wadworth presence at Cropredy, but there are some fine breweries in the region (Frog Island and Wychwood to name a couple) - it would be good to have a showing from them. Maybe a mini beer festival on the Thursday before the bands start playing - then Wadworth can take over their 'captive' audience... just a thought.

Good selection this year I thought. The lower (in terms of gradient) of the Indians was pretty good, they certainly didn't skimp. The noodles were a let down this year. Mine had a distinct carbonised flavour. Real Sausage Stall hit the mark as well.
Pouring beer from a milk container was slightly surreal.

Didn't see much of the hippy chick clothing stalls this year as I didn't have my hippy chick with me. Attempts to borrow a similar sized lady to go shopping with failed. (I was after a birthday present, honest.)

Request from son.

Could we have a proper juggling acessories stall? They have one at Bunkfest.

Paul

I'm with Pastieboy on the Oggies.....I mean they're ok, and they are certainly large, but, they just ain't proper pasties (Hey PB....fancy starting a campaign to get Dewdneys there next time :D  n.b. not Ginsters urgh!!!)

Greenpeace were doing a great job, and I thought that Cropredy was an ideal venue for them to have a stall. They sorted out my membership problems, no bother. The girls running the stall were friendly and cheerful, even when getting a bit of, shall we say, negative comments.

Mic

An Oggie is a meal in a pastry crust. Designed in Cornwall, it was intended to survive the trip down a mine and be eaten by somebody with very grubby hands. The pastry was not eaten.
It could contain anything, savoury or sweet.
The pastie is a new fangled manifestation of this concept. Ye olde mock Tudor oggie, is feed to grocles.

and not what is on offer at Cropredy. I don't recommend Plymouth for much (well nothing really) but if you want to taste a real Oggy, next time you're in the South West, look for an Ivor Dewdney's shop..........yummmmmmm!!!! I swear you'lll think you've gone to Oggy heaven :P

Mic

I missed out on the Oggies but I'll make a bee line for them next year.  My mate got one and ate the whole thing before he got back to me greedy b*&%$*& !!!

I had a good chicken kebab at the top of the field.  Most of my food seemed to be liquid this year and there was a great stall selling liquid in it's usual place  ;D ;D

The festive ale was top notch!!

J-B-M

The Jamaican Curried goat was nice, but none of the curries match my fond memories of Chutney Polly...
Not being a frequenter of many of the larger festivals, or indeed of the touristy places where craft shops abound, Cropredy is my main source of 'alternative artefacts'. I always come away with business cards from the 'expensive' stalls to save for birthdays and special occasions later. Several of the jewellery stalls and the silk T shirt people have sent me things in time for Christmas.
I have even travelled quite out of my way to stock up from that lovely lady who used to paint cards while you wait...

I enquired whether they had Fotheringay, only to be told in a rather condescending manner that they only sold CDs by artists appearing... I just didn't know where to start with my reply!

Also, can't praise the biscuits enough - we took several packets on holiday with us, excellent!

I wasn't too keen on the proximity of the Field 7 Coffee stall to the large, unsealed chemical toilet disposal tank - a couple of small tents (used by coffee stall staff?) were within a few feet of said effluvium depository - but then their cars were French registered and we all know the reputation the French have for a rather casual attitude to cleanliness.

Potato Moon! - The Chilli was excellent, as was the Chicken Tika Kebab from the lower Indian. Leon's, although still a favourite was more expensive and had smaller portions then he did at Glastonbury, which is extracting the urine a little I thought.

Didn't buy much 'non food' this year as it was all a bit samey.

Can we have a 'proper' CD stall back please? the lack of choice means I don't spend anything like as much as I used to - And if it was 'festival artists only', why were they selling the Martin Carthy boxed set eh? eh?

The stall pictured with all the lanterns - in a big berber tent right? Either they or someone like them used to come to Cropredy in the mid-late 80's, and they are at Glastonbury each year. I would love one of those tents....

Where is the moderator when I need one . I feel you are just rubbing in the fact that me  living in Lincolnshire (exile) cannot obtain a good Cornish Pastie. Please stop mocking the afflicted  . Or send me a regular supply of IvorDewdneys .they will keep me sweet  and quiet. Please no more OGGIE talk . There is only one Oggie and that comes from Cornwall .  ??? :( ;D

Liked both the musical instrument shops, but thought it a strange place to buy an expensive guitar instrument when tipping down with rain, and being under the influence of 6X.  Too much veggy stuff, but I will eat nearly anything particulary if it contains chilli's. 

Cloths shops just bore me, thats where MrsMs MarkV likes to spend her my money!  Sooner someone makes an honest women of her, the less shop lifting there will be ;D

Curry in any shape or form ,veg or juicy yummy meaty goodness is ok with me. Oggies were good, but not Cornish, would prefer onions to leeks, but any port in a storm!

Mark

Liked the instrument stalls too,very helpful and not patronising to my daft/naive questions also the veggie stall selling the pitta humus thingies

These were Welsh and very good.  I ate a Welsh oggie today whilst waiting for my car's MOT.  Scrummy.

J

Sorry pastieboy..... now come on folks, let's not upset PB here....

Whispers.... I loved 'em.... hope they are there next year... did they do a cheese and onion one ?  ;D

Spicy potato and chickpea curry flavour on St Ives beach in the April sunshine.......  hope that's Kernow enough Pastieboy ;)

AmyJen ;D

There should have been a WI stall selling homemade cakes. I think there was one similar a few years ago down the front on the left. Cake is essential food when on the ale.

(Pastie - there's a cornish pastie shop  over the border in Newark.)

Molar: there was something along those lines up at the top of the field.  Ma consumed the offerings several times over the weekend. :)

Nottingham's got three take away pastie type shops now makes a nice alternative to sandwiches, n Macs AND (Keith note) they are not over packaged you get 'em in a nice paper bag.

The two music shops were ace and please note music shop owners the ability to just pick up a fine instrument and get on with it unmolested is much appreciated. Even if they don't sell that much on the field I bet there is many an instrument identified and sold in the months following...

Food that Foxy led me to the Pitta place. Nice innards but let down by the pitta that had the consistency of blottin paper. Real sausage was, and remains my fav ..........

Tee shirts I bought the 6x one this year in preference......... never known before.... however, how could a Crop pass without the real thing so I now have one (luv the plum colour). Interestly the Puglets recon it is the best in years ..... odd wot? I also recon it will become one of the sought after ones in years to come cos it's different... get them while you can  ;D tee hee

Puggs  

Oh rats - missed that one.

fave stalls:

Foodwise:  Potato Moon (as ever)
Non foodwise: The organic/fairtraded Panama hat stall
Drinkswise: Main bar, pavillion bar

Jackdaw

Just dragging this back once more as traders are being selected very shortly

So any more loves or hates? And if you can remember whereabouts on the field they were that is very useful

Jude ;D

Would be nice to see the lantern tent that a few others have mentioned, it's just so nice to look at  ::)

Real Sausage Company
Potato Moon

Nearish the bar and side by side would be triffic  ;D ;D

MikeC

So long as we have Potato Moon, Leon's, the Real Sausage Co and a decent indian with meat and veg options, all our family will dine well. ;D
The most essential product comes from the bar.  ;D ;D
Hobgoblin Music ends up costing me too much buying stuff for the wife & kids,  :( so they would say it's essential.  ;D
Never taken much notice of the other non food stalls, (apart from the CD stall, which I assume we can take for granted). Too busy enjoying music beer and food, but the rest of the family always enjoy a wander round them.

Really great havin two music stalls this year.

There was a Veggy Army truck (ex-army all polished aluminium) at one of the fests we went to a coupla years ago. Their stuff was fab. Anyone know who they were? The old memory you know...

Puggzz :-[

Trust you, MikeC - Jude meant the location of said stalls this year, so the powers that be can more easily work out which stalls we are referring to....and not where you'd like to find 'em!!

The music stalls - I got a new whistle from there (mid-top right?).. and one of the places selling glowy things! (do the people wandering around trying to sell glowy things count?). And that stall selling the weird and wonderful t-shirts.. my dad and his friend both got one. Next year, my turn..

Doubt they paid a fee to merch.....

The nice lady from Glastonbury with her pottery (see Cropredy Pottery thread).

A mobile branch of the West Cornwall Pasty Company, if they operate one, then previous extollers of the Oggie stall can find out what a real pasty tastes like.

Can the West Cornwall Pastie  Company park their pitch just outside my tent? ;D  Now that `s called merchandising [;-)

I'm not usually a complainer but the guy with the puppets and loud rock music, really does spoil the enjoyment of anyone unfortunate enough to be close by.  He needs to turn down[a lot], off or be moved further away from the crowd..

Paul

I can't understand why any trader wants to play music, there's enough good music from the stage!

Definitely seconded, even though he was playing Zappa when I walked past...

The instrument stall that wasn't hobgoblin was great (I mean, so were hobgoblin...).  I tried a flute one evening while rather the worse for wear - spilled my beer everywhere and everything.  Liked it lots, but the guy wouldn't sell it to me just then.  Told me to come back the next day, sober, and if I still wanted it he'd sell it to me then.

Respect.

Can't remember the Hobgoblin stall much.  Just remember blithering at CL a bit and then running away in embarrassment...  Who made me drink all that beer anyway?

Foodwise.  The "Munchies" trailer by the village shop is always a welcome sight.  I know them well from bike rallies all over the country.  Their breakfast baguette (if I can remember to get it from them) is absolutely second to none!  A mobile West Cornwall Pastie place would be welcome - I often have a pastie from their St Albans shop when I'm in town.  I still like the Oggies as well though.  On the basis that Oggies aren't trying to be Pasties, and are great in their own right.  I must be one of the weirdos who isn't too taken with Leon's.  But there's space for all.

Other stuff.  I like wandering around whatever's there, but have to admit I'd not be fussy about what's there - I mostly just browse anyway.  Although I do enjoy the stalls with the mad jumpers.  I think my favourite regular is the guy who does the wooden carvings who sets up on the far side of the canal bridge.  They're marvellous.

The reason he does it is that he has a little stage and kids ...and adults can operate the puppets on the stage with strobe lights and smoke machine dancing to the music. It's quite fun - my son loves it. But it is just not compatable with paying customers trying to listen to a quiet number from the main stage[ which is difficult from towards the back anyway]

Paul

Just to make sure that everyone is aware - only the stalls in the arena (and campsites, if there were any) are under Fairport booking control. Those elsewhere in the village deal with the relevant land owner / leaseholder. No harm in mentioning them as a recommendation if you want them on the arena field though.

But I suspect that they are where they are as they find a cheaper rent....


Hmmm. I think that stall has been marked for future years. THere is a 'no music' clause in their contract....

Excellent - Common sense prevails.

Did I mention the lady who painted cards while you watched? Lovely fat cats and contented pigs... (I'm sure she could even manage a greyhound for Jude) but she hasn't been around for a couple of years, I think she came from Shropshire, and I'd love to stock up.

Don't forget the stall that sells the "Cropredy seats", the wood and canvas slatted chairs that fold neatly into themselves and allow you to sit comfortably (and drily) just off the ground without upsetting people behind you.  Whatever else they do or don't sell (and they may even be the stall with the puppets and the music - sorry if they are) the seats are absolutely vital!!