Every month, we’re profiling one of the traders at Boston Market, finding out more about their businesses and the faces you’ll see behind the stalls.
One of Boston’s famous market stalls selling fruit and veg for over 30 years are awarded this month’s stallholder of the month.
Kelly Coombs works 14 hours a day, 5 days a week on her pitches at Boston and Stamford markets which she took over six years ago from her father who retired after 25 years.
Since her father Alan Brandon retired in 2013 Kelly stands on the family inherited stall working with her daughter Allie, market son Ben market daughter Angelica. Kelly and Allie can be seen on their stall every Wednesday and Saturday in Boston outside the Assembly Rooms on Fish Hill.
The fruit and veg industry has always been a family tradition; Kelly’s grandfather was a costermonger in East London all his working life. Starting back in 1925 having barrows on the streets selling the all-popular fruit and veg before eventually standing on a stall.
Alan moved to Lincolnshire with his family for a quiet life in 1972 and stood on Sleaford, Spalding and Boston markets every day of the week. You may all remember him as the ‘bird-whistling man’ he stood on the stall all day whistling his own little tunes and shouting “any scoop for a £1”.
Kelly said: “It makes me proud that I’ve managed to keep the family business, it has always been part of my life. I just take it as normal; it’s something I like doing.”
Pop down and see Kelly and Allie on their stall, every day they have great deals
This month is proving popular with the different flavoured winter squashes. Winter squash have a hard skin and flesh (this includes acorn, buttercup, butternut, calabaza, delicate, Hubbard, spaghetti, sweet dumpling, and Turban, as well as pumpkin). They are great for stuffing, frying, roasting and mashing. As well as making tasty soups and risottos.
We have been notified by Love Your Local Market that we are in the Top 30 of the NABMAs but voting is still open.
Voting is the closest it has ever been, so every market has a massive opportunity to be in the running.
Please help us stay near the top by voting if you haven’t yet done so, polls close on Friday 30th November.
Simply go to https://www.nabma.com/vote/ and type in the name of your favourite market to help Boston take the famous title.
