For 10 years Tara Toomey has been advocating a better way for New England artisans to connect to buyers from the rest of Australia.
It's finally paying dividends, as more than 120 stallholders will be selling their wares at the annual Seasons of New England market on Saturday, March 25, at the Uralla Showground.
Everything available on the day will be local - hand-poured candles, hand-made clothing, unique jewellery, gift cards, hand-made shoes, brewery sausages, cool climate wines and artisan spirits.
Some tasty things for lunch include New England sausages made with local beer, home-made gourmet pies, beer sausages, gourmet burgers, haloumi chips, smoked trout, Thai satay, Italian sodas, lemonade, apple juice, graze plates, vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options, and more.
There will also be sweet treats, including nougat, caramel, jams, cordials, pastries, hand-made confectionery and gorgeous cakes.
Real coffee with Walcha Coffee & The Herd Bar will also be available, as well as teas, chai and hot chocolates.
Toomey said more than 8000 visitors are expected to attend the market, running from 9am to 9.30pm. The markets run until 5pm, when the venue switches gear for an after-party.
Your $5 admission ticket is good for the entire time, which includes a lantern parade to celebrate Earth Hour and two live bands to close the night. Kings Canyon will play from 7.45pm to 8.30pm and the legendary band The Badloves will close out the market playing until 10pm.
"We founded it 10 years ago," Toomey said of the event. "The concept was always to support producers and artisans, including musicians.
"We've worked 10 years to draw strong out of town crowd. We know this will help us support more."
In that time the organisation has also been able to open a permanent store in Uralla, which traded well during the pandemic. It also provides a venue to operate the online operation, which has also continued post-COVID, with New England Hampers particularly popular.
"The diversity [of membership] has evolved," Toomey said. "They don't have the means or capacity to travel far. You cant find them unless you travel to this market..
"We've found, as I research - and I really scour to find people in shops and online - fine, beautiful work, or people growing things like garlic or who live off the beaten track and just need a place to sell it. The standard is very high."
It wasn't a difficult decision to base the store in Uralla, which Toomey described as "the arts capital of New England".
"In fairness to the region, we are a really natural centre point," she said. "We are a typical heritage community. Only 3000 people, the most friendly place you'll find. We've always had a huge creative network. It is the creative capital of New England."
Toomey said about 40 per cent of the visitors to the annual market come from outside the region, including a growing number of caterers, suppliers and restaurateurs looking for unique product lines.
There is plenty of accommodation available, she said, including pubs, camping, and homestays in the surrounding villages.
"I'm amazed at what has evolved," Toomey said of the local artisan scene. "The idea came out of years of experiences treading the market circuit. When we went first, we committed to those who make what they sell. We thought if we can get 25 to 30 stalls, that's good. We ended up with 52 stalls and over 3000 people. And now, we have over 120 stalls."
To their credit, Seasons of New England includes not only food, beverage and craft producers, but musicians, artists and writers. The March 25 market will reflect that mix, including Michael Burge, a journalist, author and artist who manages The Makers Shed in Glen Innes.
The burgeoning beverage, beer and distillery industry is also well represented, along with winemakers, always a presence in New England.
Among those coming are YinYang Kombucha of Armidale, Welder's Dog Brewery of Armidale, Toppers Mountain Wines of Tingha, Sun Chai of Armidale, New England Brewing of Uralla, Merilba Estate Wines of Kingstown, Little Birdy juices and coffee of Uralla, Greenhill Orchards of Arding, Great Hops Brewing of Armidale, Glen Gowrie Distillery of Armidale, Dimmy Tea Co of Moonbi, Dobson's Distillery of Kentucky (NSW), Delilah & Co lemonades, Deepwater Brewing of Deepwater, Altitude Coffee Roastery of Armidale and Walcha Roasted Coffee of Walcha.
