Meet the makers at the Water Lane Christmas Market
Saturday 3rd December and Sunday 4th December
10am - 4.30pm
Water Lane Walled Garden, Water Lane, Hawkhurst, Kent, TN18 5DH
Free entry on foot or bike, or £5 per car
@water.lane | www.waterlane.net
The Water Lane Christmas Market is on the first weekend of December and will showcase a diverse and eclectic range of items for the house, garden and kitchen that are original, handmade or vintage, including ceramics, clothing, jewellery, wooden and willow crafts, bread, cheese and wine. The stalls have been carefully curated valuing quality over quantity, function and beauty, with a slower paced and small production ethos.
In addition to the home and garden stalls are some of Water Lane’s favourite food producers selling artisan breads, cheese, eggs, charcuterie and handmade chocolates, natural wines and Water Lane’s own produce table laden with local vegetables, honey, jams, chutneys and preserves, olive oil and sauces, shrubs and cordials, apple juice, Pump Street Chocolate and Christmas puddings. Christmas trees from Hole Park will also be on sale at the Market, which go on sale from Saturday 26th November.
The stalls
Norse Vintage | Rae Lifestyle | Torsten van Elten | Jumping Mouse Goods | Bloom & Burn | Sughanda | Melanie Ostler | Bear and Born | Phoebe Connolly | Josephine Doolan |
Running Stitches | Glass House | Havelock Studios | Common Clay | Sussex Willow | Craft Basketry | Kitty Clogs | Evie May Adams
Food stalls
Tillingham | Blackwood Cheese | L.A.M | Indi Farmer
To the Rise Bakery | Rowdy and Fancy Chocolate
@water.lane | www.waterlane.net
Meet the makers
The Water Lane Christmas Market will showcase a diverse and eclectic range of items for the house and garden that are original, handmade or vintage. Visitors will be able to browse and buy from stalls offering ceramics, clothing, artisan food and wine and vintage homeware. Read on to find out more about some of the stall holders.
LAM Food & Fibre will be bringing their eggs, meat and sheep skin rugs to the Market. LAM is a project established by a farmer and fashion designer to create a regenerative food, fibre and fashion system on their small-scale, mixed farm in the AONB North Downs of Kent, rearing native breeds of cows, sheep, pigs and chickens. They are making the link between farming and fashion, utilising the whole animal to produce meat and eggs, as well as wool fibre for that is yarn dyed with flower pigments.
To the Rise Bakery is an artisan and European style bakery in Eastbourne. Founded by three sisters they specialise in 100% sourdough bread using carefully sourced, organic and local ingredients. Get to the market early because these baked goods, such as sourdough loaves, sausage rolls, focaccia, almond croissants, stollen and pear and frangipane tarts, will sell out fast!
Rowdy and Fancy handmade chocolates are our new favourite treat. Based in their Forest Row workshop, the team are passionate about top quality ingredients, unique and delicious flavours – and keeping our planet green. The chocolates are hand-tempered and hand-wrapped in Rowdy and Fancy’s unique Adam and Eve packaging.
Rae Lifestyle is a bricks and mortar store in our favourite town of Rye. Alexa has curated a beautiful collection of homewares sourced in the UK and Europe, for the home and daily life. At the heart of Rae’s collection are rustic vintage interior pieces, complemented by a selection of modern independent maker collections, as well as Rae's own in-house label. All brands are carefully selected with Rae’s focus on ethical and sustainable products as well as loving what they do.
Jumping Mouse Goods is a maker of bespoke leather goods and will be coming all the way from Devon to the Market. Designed and made by Adam Kelsake these everyday use leather goods, such as satchels and day bags, are simple yet beautiful.
Running Stitches sells an extensive range of vintage kantha quilts and homewares. Based in mid-Wales, Tanya’s love of fabric started with training in textiles, before travel to India ignited a life-long love affair with Kantha. Each item is unique and responsibly and sustainably sourced, offering the very best in quality and craftsmanship.
Melanie Ostler is a Sussex based jewellery designer. After a career in commercial jewellery buying, Melanie is now settled in the South Downs, where she designs and makes her own pieces. Drawing inspiration from an eclectic mix of ancient jewellery, and textures found in nature and everyday objects, Melanie loves to work with silver and gold, often combining the two in the same piece along with precious and semi-precious stones to create simple yet beautiful jewellery.
Havelock Studios is the design practice in Kent of Jack Havelock Bailey, specialising in high quality furniture, products and objects rooted in concept and purpose. Jack believes that the enjoyment of life can be improved with simple, beautiful and functional design and uses both traditional and modern manufacturing techniques, embracing and developing manual crafts as well as digital. He will be bringing turned wooden pieces, such as bowls, plates, chopping and serving boards to the Market.