THE news of the week has to be the return of Croft Farm to the market with the first of the season’s plums.

Sadly this year Old Jim won’t be featuring as he is not well enough but daughter Fiona is carrying on his life’s work and tending the orchards.

Croft Farm are likely to be featuring every Saturday now until Christmas with firstly their range of plums and then their range of apples.

They operate a pick and mix system with all varieties sold at the same price, so you can get a bag of mixed varieties, each with their own unique characteristics.

Over at The Artisan Baker, whose stall is located outside the ex-Swan Inn, they have added a new loaf to their already burgeoning range of breads.

The new loaf, which goes by the name of ‘the Protein Loaf’, is delicious and super healthy.

The loaf consists of 100 per cent brown spelt with quinoa, pumpkin, sunflower and flex seeds.

Good for those who work out or have active jobs and lifestyles the loaf is full of amino acids which are the building blocks of muscle-building protein.

Other points of note include it being light on the stomach, easy to digest and it has a beautiful texture.

I put the loaf through its paces over the weekend with a scrambled egg breakfast and a peanut butter on toast afternoon tea and I can say that it is a great loaf.

Other newsflashes this week are that - the cheery cherry season continues, the farmers’ market lettuces are fantastic, if you have an August birthday that you need a present for we have Taena Pottery, Liz Dart Stained Glass, Lansdown Pottery, NG Leather, Julian Harvard Cut Flowers, Bow in the Cloud Vineyard and Three Counties Liqueurs, not to mention cakes and fudge, Jonathan crump returns with classic single and double Gloucester cheeses and finally can I mention the delicious desiree new potatoes at Newark Farm?

They are just starting and goodness me they’re lovely with a bit of butter on.