HEREFORDSHIRE’S farmers’ markets have welcomed two new stallholders whose qualifications are, at first sight, slightly surprising as both Gerald Williams and Pam Davenport have doctorates – Gerald is a material physicist and Pam a psychologist.

Dr Gerald Williams formed The Friday Beer Company a little over a year ago with two former colleagues, all material physicists, following the closure of their company’s research department.

They all undertook a range of training courses in brewing and business management before establishing their new microbrewery in Malvern.

They have now developed four bottle conditioned ales, using hops and grain bought from Charles Farm Ltd of Malvern. Jubilee is a mild ale with a complex malty flavour; Pinnacle, a classic British bitter with the addition of rye malt; and Friday Gold, a golden ale with a citrus flavour. Black Hill Stout, also named after one of the Malvern Hills, will be launched for Christmas.

The Friday Beer company ales are on sale at Hereford, Malvern and Bransford farmers’ markets. For other stockists, visit thefridaybeer.com.

Pam Davenport, who lectures in developmental psychology for the Open University and Oxford Brookes, has a passion for chillies, and the seeds of her company, Chilli Pepper Plantation, were sown when she lived in France. She brought the seeds back to Herefordshire and now sells a range of chilli related products at farmers’ markets in Ledbury, Leominster, Ross-on-Wye, Ludlow and Bromyard.

Chilli jams, with either cumin or Vietnamese coriander, are popular as are her pineapple, lime and chilli marmalade, chilli oils, dried chilli products and ristras – string of chillies