POTTED plants, home-made pies and sausage rolls, jams and the fruits of a host of home crafts ... it sounds like a world too many of us have lost or never had.

Westbury-on-Trym lies at the heart of Middle England – quietly affluent, conservative and homely.

The crowd-puller here is what used to be the WI market, still held (under another name and constitution) every Friday morning.

But, even here, things are not what they used to be.

Among the colourful aprons and cards for sale, the liveried stallholders and all those delicious-looking cakes is a sign of the times.

The credit crunch has not arrived with a fanfare. There are no gangs of unemployed young men clogging up the pavement.

But Westbury is showing signs of recession. By late morning the market used to be heaving with punters looking for quality goodies at competitive prices. Now the trade is less brisk. More room for manoeuvre for shoppers, perhaps, but tighter margins for the co-operative shareholders who run the market.

And it is the same story out on the village's main streets.

Even before the recession smaller businesses were folding – driven out, as often as not, by high rents.

Tony Burke, 65, who lived in Eastfield Road for 30 years before moving to Henbury, still feels he belongs in friendly Westbury ... just.

"I do feel, though, that – with the loss of a number of the smaller community shops – it's now full of estate agents, eating places and charity shops," he said.

It could have been worse. At one time it looked as though a new Sainsbury's store would be built behind the church hall where the weekly market is held.

In the end it did not happen. But local protesters were convinced it would have spelt the death of Westbury. That's how close the village came.

Westbury, the ward, takes in Henbury Golf Course, on the edge of the Blaise Estate, Canford Crematorium, the Coombe Dingle sports complex and the select and successful Badminton School.

To the east of the ward lies Henleaze Lake, a hidden treasure where you could wait years for a swim, so long are the queues for membership.

Unlike most wards in Bristol, Westbury has no areas that rank among England's poorest or most deprived.

House prices are well above average, and what the council charmingly describes as the "liveability indicator" is much higher here.

Home ownership rates are much higher. More people take part in sport, and Westbury folk can expect to live longer than average – 81 years instead of 79.

Fewer people here are without a car and more go to work by car than in other parts of the city. Fewer walk to work. Fewer go by bus.

Far fewer children are referred to social services. The number of people in the ward with no qualifications is half the norm.

Only a third of the usual number of people feel anti-social behaviour is a problem locally.

Official figures even reveal that there are more greengrocers here than in many other parts of the city.

Is it any wonder 97 per cent of people surveyed said they were happy (the Bristol average is 90 per cent)?

POLITICAL FORECAST

Westbury-on-Trym is a Tory stronghold and the party usually manages to poll about half of the votes at local elections.

It means there will have to be a seismic shift in local politics to see any change in this seat on June 4.