The Totnes Good Food Sunday and Saturday Market: A Guide to the Market Town’s Best Days
If you want to understand Totnes in a single morning, time your visit for the Totnes Good Food Sunday market. It runs on the first and third Sunday of every month in and around the Civic Hall and Market Square, 10am to 3pm, and it is the closest thing the South Hams has to a producers’ parade. Add the regular Friday and Saturday Totnes Market on top and you have three reliable days a week when the town comes alive around food.
This is not a tarted-up tourist event with fudge and fridge magnets. It is where small Devon farms, dairies and bakeries actually sell. Locals shop here. So should you.
What Happens When at Totnes Market
There are two distinct markets to keep straight. The regular Totnes Market runs every Friday and Saturday, 9am to 3pm, in the Market Square and the covered Civic Hall. Expect a mix: street food stalls, vintage clothing, plants, hot food, and a rotating cast of bakers, jam makers and growers. It has a market-of-the-week feel rather than a strict farmers’ set.
The Good Food Sunday market is more focused. Held on the first and third Sunday of the month, also 10am to 3pm, it is curated around food producers, often described as the biggest fine food and farmers’ market in Devon. This is where you find the small-batch cheesemakers, the seafood smokers from Brixham, the rare-breed pork charcutiers and the proper organic veg.
Both are free to wander. Stallholders take cash and most take card, but bring some notes for the smaller traders.
What to Look For on Good Food Sunday
You will see Sharpham Cheese, made from Jersey milk in the Dart Valley since 1981, in its various forms (a young Brie, the harder Rustic, and seasonal washed-rind specials). Pick up half a wheel of Brie for around £8 and you have lunch sorted.
Look out for Almond Thief sourdough from Dartington, who fire the wood oven from the early hours. A loaf is around £4 to £5. There are usually two or three growers from the valley with whatever is in season, plus a couple of charcutiers and smokers. Coffee tends to come from local roasters like Crankhouse or Voyager.
If you eat meat, watch for Riverford and the small Dartmoor farms doing slow-grown lamb, hogget and rose veal. Hot food stalls (£/££) cover everything from sourdough pizza to dosa to proper paella. You can eat well for £8 to £12 and find a bench in Civic Square.
Where to Park and How to Plan
Parking in central Totnes on a market day is tight. The two practical options are the long-stay car park at Steamer Quay (free after 6pm, paid in daytime, ten minutes’ walk along the river) and Heath’s Nursery off Coronation Road. Avoid The Plains on Saturday lunchtime unless you have luck on your side. If you can come in by train, Totnes station is fifteen minutes’ walk and runs straight off the London Paddington line.
Practical tip: bring a sturdy tote and a cool bag if you are buying cheese, fish or meat. Plan a loop. Start at the top of the High Street, work down to the Civic Hall, then dip into the Market Square. You should be done in an hour and a half if you are efficient, two and a half if you stop for coffee at The Curator on The Plains.
Pairing the Market With the Rest of Your Day
The Saturday market pairs nicely with lunch at Number Twenty One in the Civic Square (small plates, ££) or a pint at the Royal Seven Stars bar on The Plains. For Sunday, plan to graze the market until midday, then walk down to the river and either take the steamer toward Dartmouth (operated by Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company) or drive twenty minutes to Sandridge Barton near Stoke Gabriel for an afternoon wine tasting.
Dogs are welcome at both markets on a lead. Most cafes around the square (The Curator, Brioche, the Bull Inn front bar) take well-behaved dogs.
Why the Totnes Good Food Sunday Market Is Worth the Trip
You can buy artisan cheese in any city now. What you cannot easily buy is the conversation that goes with it: the cheesemaker who can tell you which field the milk came from, the grower explaining why the broad beans are late this year, the baker reminding you to let the loaf rest. The Totnes Good Food Sunday market still does that. It is small enough to feel personal, big enough to fill a morning, and serious enough that the town’s best chefs shop here too.
Once you have done the market, you will want to know where to eat the rest of the weekend. Have a read of our piece on the best pubs around Totnes, Dartington and Buckfastleigh for the obvious next step.