Pumpkin, kale and late season apple varieties rolled off the stalls, as the Parsons Green Farmers' Market celebrated a successful first month in operation.

There are already 25 stalls operating from the site, in the playground of New Kings Primary School, selling everything from dairy and meat products to seasonal autumn veg and locally-sourced fruit juices. Everything at the market is stocked from within a strict 100-mile radius of the M25.

Shoppers have enjoyed a bumper crop of produce and Malcolm Stone, who runs an apple stall, said they appreciate the market's 'local is best' mantra.

He said: "Our very cold winter followed by a warm spring has generated a bumper crop for autumn. But heavy cropping is typically followed by a lighter crop, so, while we’ve enjoyed this harvest, we wouldn’t expect to see the same levels next year."

Across the playground, David Emmett of Rockwell End House Farm, Henley-on-Thames, represents the fourth generation of his family to sell produce via London markets; his great grandfather, William Emmett, sold vegetables in Brentford market in the early 20th century.

Mr Emmett’s stall was this weekend dealing principally in potatoes, with varieties including Pink Fir, Franceline, Sante and King Edward, alongside free range hens’ eggs from his 2,000-strong flock, Crown Prince squash, pumpkin, and several varieties of cherry tomato.

He said: "We take a traditional approach at Rockwell End - we don’t irrigate, therefore a wet summer with a warm finale was a real bonus for our potato crop and the squash."

Glowing yields from the UK’s warm autumn were also reported by Rob Hughes of Isle of White-based The Tomato Stall, which operates where sun and shelter are recognised to provide superior growing conditions compared to mainland UK.

Mr Hughes sells tomato-based products including oak-roasted and oven-roasted specialities, which in 2009 and 2010, both clinched gold in the Great Taste Awards.

Parsons Green is one of 21 sites across the capital run by London Farmers Markets Ltd and certified by FARMA (the Farmers’ Retail & Markets Association), guaranteeing suppliers are bona fide. Other sites include Bute Street in South Kensington, Church Street in Notting Hill, Orange Square in Pimlico, and Wimbledon Park Primary School.

The Parsons Green Farmers’ Market is open from 10am to 2pm every Sunday. A Christmas market will be held on Friday 23rd December. For more information visit www.lfm.org.uk