Markets in London

[pugster]

I'm going to London in a month for a 6-month visit and am wondering if someone can recommend any great markets where i can find fresh, quality produce, good breads, nice selection of cheese....I'd hate to blow all my money eating out all the time. I know there are supermarkets, like Tesco, but I'm curious to hear about any other markets that are a little less "chain".

[John Whiting]

Start with a search in this forum on "Borough Market". It's near London Bridge Station.

There are a number of guidebooks to London food shopping, including Jenny Linford's excellent "Food Lovers' London", available from Amazon, either .com or .co.uk. (Jenny also writes the Borough Market's newsletter.)

Edited August 25, 2003 by John Whiting (log)

[pugster]

Thanks, John! I appreciate the suggestions. I'll have to check out the book and Borough Market.

[John Whiting]

I should add that Marlebone High Street has become a gourmet haven. Here's a short write-up I did for Fine Food Digest:

Marlebone High Street: a gastronomic miracle that didn’t just happen

A decade ago London’s Marlebone High Street was sinking into shabby obscurity. There were a couple of traditional old merchants – Maison Sagne, a patisserie which opened in 1926, and Blagden’s, a purpose-built fishmonger’s from the 1890s whose trade had come to consist largely of coley sold to old ladies for their cats. Otherwise, the street was typified by its cheek-by jowl charity shops.

Then six years ago Conran opened an épicerie. This was joined by a local Waitrose, followed by a rapid progression of distinguished specialty shops including Divertimenti, Paul, Maison Blanc, Speck and La Fromagerie. Ginger Pig is about to join them. On Sunday there’s a farmers’ market with 30-odd stalls. After you’ve filled up your chic little French shopping cart you can drop in for lunch at Peter Gordon’s Providores.

Was all this new development a fortunate accident? Hardly. The whole area belongs to the Howard de Waldon estate, which runs it like a shrewd, attentive lord of the manor. The fine shops are there because they were individually approached and invited to join the community, with financial arrangements open to discussion. Another of those rare landlords who have found that they can do well by doing good.

[pugster]

Fantastic! as nice as it is to wander around and stumble onto a hidden gem by accident, it's also nice to have specifically recommended destinations! i've never been to london before, so it's all new to me. i'm really excited to try out the specialty shops and farmer's market!

[MobyP]

I came across the London Farmers' Markets website yesterday, and on its recomendation found the medium-sized one in Nottinghill. There are some excellent stalls there - dairy (butter/milk/cream) artisinal cheeses, meats (found some perfectly cut 'pot-au-fea' short-ribs), very nice veg (new season English Asparagus, great tomatoes etc). The tarts and baked goods look a little amateurish compared to Borough, but if any of you West or North London types needed a market fix, this one might just tide you over.

Interestingly, Borough isn't listed on the website - presumably not offficially a farmers' market.

Has anyone tried the one in Islington recently? When I lived there I thought it was fairly rubbish. Has it improved?

And what about the one in Marlybone mentioned above by John - any front line reporting possible?

[Stigand]

The London Farmers' Markets website has this to say about Borough etc.:

* How can we tell the difference between a farmers' market and a 'produce' market?

A French Market is not a farmers' market.

Borough is not a farmers' market.

Spitalfields is not a farmers' market, and neither are the Covent Garden Food Lovers Fairs.

So, what makes the difference? All of our farmers' markets have been certified by the National Association of Farmers' Markets so that customers can have complete confidence in the produce sold, and know that there are real farmers at the market, or their employees. If you're not sure - ask. At a produce market or food fair, the products can come from anywhere in the world and may not necessarily be reared, made or grown by a farmer.

I go to the Pimlico Farmers' Market from time to time (not as often as I should), and I think it's very good. They often have interesting stuff: really good apples, interesting meat (often goat) and fish. Cheese good but obviously not as big a selection as Borough. Lots of veg at sensible prices, although obviously since it's a famrers' market you don't have the imported stuff and so in winter kale and swede tends to dominate . Last summer there was an incredible stall selling roses - not chocolate-boxy ones but intense, musky orbs that wouldn't have looked out of place in one of those brooding C17th Dutch still-lifes.

[MobyP]

Stigand - thanks for finding that (where's your Hastings Avatar?).

Just returned from the Marylebone market (as I was leaving, Jamie pulled up in a new Porche SUV, with Jules and baby, unusually). 40-50% of the stalls were the same as Notting Hill, as far as I could tell. Fairly good veg. Superb looking asparagus (overheard farmer talking of extremely short UK season - so get it while you can). Some very nice local beef.

Still, 100ft from the Ginger Pig and La Fromagerie, and 100m from the E.Caumartin cooker in the window of the kitchen shop (left ten fingterprints and my tongue imprint on the window, so the police should have no trouble tracking me down).

[Jonathan Day]

Don't forget the market on Northcote Road. A combination of shops and stalls, the latter bringing produce from New Covent Garden but good nonetheless. Some exceptional shops: the wonderful Lighthouse Bakery, Dove's, for fine meats and superb pies, some strong independent wine shops. Stefano Cavallini's shop, plus an older "salumeria". And The Hive, a shop devoted to bees and honey -- it even contains its own beehive.

[John Whiting]

The Farmers' Market website is unnecessarily snooty about the Borough Market. Stick exclusively with the rigorously filtered Farmers' Markets by all means -- if you don't happen to like olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sun-dried tomatos, Spanish/Italian ham, French/Italian cheeses, salt cod...

[MobyP]

John.

I thought you considerded Borough to be a scam run by scoundrals - or is it just certain stalls with ludicrously overpriced wares?

[John Whiting]

John.

I thought you considerded Borough to be a scam run by scoundrals - or is it just certain stalls with ludicrously overpriced wares?

Where did you get that idea? I said, as has everyone else, that much of their produce is overpriced, especially at Turnips, or whatever the hell it's called. But I regularly buy batavia lettuce at a stall on the south edge, and damn good dirt cheap two-year-old Irish cheddar - I won't say where - and cheeses from the French and Italian stalls, Lincolnshire haslett for my wife, Nunez olive oil, rare breed belly of pork, toulouse sausages -- and a chicken wrap to nibble on while I'm shopping. It's a regular Friday ritual. I like to go pre- or post-lunch when you can actually walk under your own power.

[balex]

I think they are different things: certainly the Notting Hill farmers market is very much a farmers market -- the advantage of this is as far as I am concerned freshness, quality, and the lack of middlemen means it is cheap, though more inconvenient. The disadvantages are those that John mentions above -- England isn't very good for growing Mediterranean products (duh); I go to a separate shop for my tomatos, aubergine, zucchini and so on. But since you will inevitably have a middleman in those circumstances, there is no disadvantage to going to a shop. And the same goes for Spanish ham, Italian cheeses and so on.

I also like chatting to the stall holders; they are often interesting wierdos (a category I aspire to myself...I am halfway there.. )

[John Whiting]

Foreign produce in the Borough Market does indeed involve a middle-[person? ], but there are stalls at which their personal involvement is as intense as if they were producing their merchandise themselves. There is so much variety among them that it's worth taking the time to learn which of them are tuned to your wavelength.

[Stigand]

Stigand - (where's your Hastings Avatar?).

Removed for usurpation, schism and pluralism, I'm afraid...

(AKA I suddenly worried that he might have been a breach of copyright, so I've deleted him while I check.)

[Gavin Convery]

Can I at this time mention the Peckham Farmer's Market.......I'll get my coat

[Carlovski]

The Farmers' Market website is unnecessarily snooty about the Borough Market. Stick exclusively with the rigorously filtered Farmers' Markets by all means -- if you don't happen to like olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sun-dried tomatos, Spanish/Italian ham, French/Italian cheeses, salt cod...

Especially as a lot of the 'Official' Farmers market have stalls which are pushing the definition at the very least - Bakers (Which are a good thing I will add!), cake stalls, Womens Institute preserve stalls.

I think by loosening the definition and inviting a wider range of stall holders would be good for both the customers, and the farmers.

If the local produce isn't good enough to stand against foreign imports without artificial restrictions, then why bother? I personally think that it does, and in fact may do even better when in direct comparison (Although I am still not convinced by the English Parmesan they always seem to have a stall selling)