Walthamstow Farmers’ Market / Plot 44
Town Hall Square by Selbourne Walk Shopping Centre, off the High Street, Walthamstow E17 7JN
S London Farmers’ Markets 020 7833 0338, Plot 44 020 8531 0264 www.Ifm.org.uk/markets/walfhamstow, www.Dlotfortvfour.co.uk Open Sunday 10am-2pm, closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day
Tube Walthamstow Central Bus 20, 48, 69, 97, 212, 230, 257, 357, W15, W19
The market is wheelchair accessible
Walthamstow Farmers’ market has been in Town Hall Square for seven years now, and has a devoted following of locals who come for the biodynamic eggs and Millets farm apples. Plot 44 is one of the stalwarts who turns up, rain or shine, whenever he has a pitch. Sam
Cork has a local allotment – number 44 to be exact – and he cooks small, tasty batches of jams, chutneys, ketchups, relishes and pickles. As well as Indian spicy chutney and cauliflower-crunchy piccalilli, he has been experimenting with different flavours of jam: popular combinations include tempting jars of summer elderflower, rhubarb and gooseberry and an autumnal blackberry and apple.
Islington Farmers’ Market /Keik
Chapel Market, between Baron Street and Penton Street, N1 9EZ ® London Farmers’ Markets 020 7833 0338, Keik 07758 461598 www.Ifm.org.uk/markets/islington, www.keikltd.co.uk
Open Sunday 10am-2pm, closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and
New Year’s Day
Tube Angel Bus 30, 73, 153, 214, 274, 394, 476, 812
The market is wheelchair accessible
The oldest of all the London farmers’ markets, this Sunday morning collection of stalls is also one of the busiest. Get there early for beautiful seasonal flowers, ripe red, yellow and dark green tomatoes and organic courgettes so fresh their skins feel squeaky when you pick them up. Keik have been cooking vegetable strudels, moist coconut cakes and other delicious things to eat for over a year now, and this eye-catching stall is one of the main attractions. The chef lays out her baked goods on simple grey slates and they are usually all gone before lunchtime, so if you want a delicious brunch but are feeling too lazy to cook, her boeuf bourguignon galettes and carrot cupcakes are well worth a cycle ride to this weekly market.
Imperial College Farmers’ Market / Hand-Picked Shellfish Co.
Queen’s Lawn, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, SW7 2AZ S London Farmers’ Markets 020 7833 0338
Hand-Picked Shellfish Co. Steve Hall 07785 571 023, Matthew Baldwin 07968 176 485
www.Ifm.org. uk/markets/south-kensington-tuesday
Open Tuesday 10am-2pm, closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day
Tube Knightsbridge, South Kensington Bus 9, 10, 49, 52, 74, 360, 452
The market is wheelchair accessible
One of the most enticing stalls here on a Tuesday morning is the Hand-Picked Shellfish Company. Based in Dorset, two enterprising fishermen get up at 5am to catch their fish and then arrive in London a few hours later, paella dishes at the ready. Their sweet chilli crab noodles are warming and spicy, while their traditional Spanish seafood paella is perfect for a delicious, filling hot lunch. Fresh fish can also be pre-ordered in advance – from speckled lobsters to smoked mackerel or whatever they catch off the coast of Weymouth. There is also a wide variety of other produce for sale at this weekly outdoor market, from organic vegetables to venison and smoked garlic.
Bermondsey Farmers’ Market
Bermondsey Square, SE1 3UN
« Perry Court Farm 01233 812 302, Scarlet Rosita 07923 109 170
www.Derrvcourtfarm.co.uk,www.scarletrositafood.co.uk
Open Saturday 10am-2pm, closed Bank Holidays
Tube Borough Bus 1, 42, 88, 188, C10
The market has wheelchair access and there is an adapted toilet in the cinema cafe opposite
Perry Court Farm is one of the largest stalls in this small South London farmers’ market. As well as a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, this Kentish farm has recently started selling their own air-dried apple crisps, which are a great snack to keep you going when walking round farmers’ markets. Their unsprayed seasonal fruit and vegetables include greengages, yellow sweetcorn, purple cauliflowers and cavolo nero, the long dark cabbage leaves so beloved of Italian chefs. Their produce is very cheap as there is no middleman, so visiting this market is a great way to do your weekly shop. Scarlet Rosita’s raw food confectionery and baked cakes are also delicious – try their hazelnut biscotti or coffee and walnut cake.
Blackheath Farmers’ Market / Seasonal Suffolk
Blackheath Station car park, SE3 9LA s Seasonal Suffolk 01206 617 042
www.Ifm.org. uk/markefs/blackheafh
Open Sunday 10am-2pm, closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day
Rail Blackheath Bus 54, 108, 202, 321, 386, B16
The market is wheelchair accessible
This lively market may not be in the prettiest location in London, but it has a wide range of stalls, with up to 55 setting out their wares each Sunday morning. Try the unusual pates and terrines produced by Seasonal Suffolk, made from mushrooms and berries collected from East Anglian woods and fields. The owner has been foraging for over a decade, and now shares his edible finds with London gourmets.
This is probably the only place in the capital where you can buy giant puffballs, wild damsons, windfall crab-apples, home-smoked pigeons and pork and pistachio terrine. The stall holder worked as a chef in Paris and his smoked and pickled samphire, hawthorn jelly, beef and Guinness pate and Moroccan lamb tagine are unusual treats for a Sunday tea.
Horniman Farmers’ Market
Horniman Museum Gardens, 100 London Road, Forest Hill SE23 3PQ
S Horniman Museum 020 8699 1872
www. horniman. ac. uk/visit/events/horniman-f armers-market
Open Saturday 9am-1.30pm
Train and Overground Forest Hill Bus 176, 185, 197, 365, P4 The market is wheelchair accessible and has adapted toilets inside the museum
This weekly market has the most spectacular views of any in London. With panoramic vistas over South London, this is a stunning place to find English fruit, baked goods, artisan breads, meats and other produce. Every week Brambletye Fruit Farm bring boxes of their seasonal fruit and vegetables, including rainbow chard, rocket, basil and sunshine apples to these magnificent gardens. There are also numerous stalls selling Fair Trade juice, handmade chocolates, fresh fish, scallops and different kinds of sausage rolls. The surrounding gardens are an ideal spot for an impromptu picnic, and if you buy your bread, cheese and tomatoes in the outdoor market, you won’t have to carry your lunch very far.
Pimlico Farmers’ Market/Wild Country Organics
Orange Square, SW1W 8NE, corner of Pimlico Road and Ebury Street
S London Farmers’ Markets 020 7833 0338, Wild Country Organics
01223 894 599
www.Ifm.org.uk/markets/oimlico-road, www.wildco.co.uk
Open Saturday 9am-1pm, closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and
New Year’s Day, open Easter Saturday
Tube Victoria Bus 11, 170, 211
The market is wheelchair accessible
Shopping in this small farmers’ market in the middle of a leafy Pimlico square is a really pleasant experience. Wild Country Organics’ tiny round courgettes, vivid orange squash, firm aubergines and crimson tomatoes are almost too beautiful to cook with. As well as growing their own sorrel, pak choi and mustard greens, they even print labels telling you the mineral and vitamin content of the vegetables. The stallholders are invariably friendly and helpful, and the produce is more reasonably priced than in the shops surrounding the square. Just behind the small statue of Mozart you can also buy bunches of seasonal flowers and their shaggy, meadow-like appearance will enhance any London kitchen table.
Kew Village Market / Love By Cake
Kew Station Parade, Richmond TW9 3PZ ® Love By Cake 020 8123 3194
www.kewvillaqemarket.orq
Open first Sunday of the month 10am-2pm
Tube and Train Kew Gardens Bus 65, 190, 391, 419, R68 The market is wheelchair accessible
This lively market is a treat for anyone who appreciates buying gourmet food in an informal, relaxed atmosphere. Around 35 stalls appear once a month just outside Kew Gardens station offering tasty Ethiopian dishes, bowls of black and green salted olives, bottles of real ale, French crepes and seasonal fruit and vegetables. The Maids of Honour pie stall is a local favourite, as is the enterprising Love By Cake. This young couple bake tiny meringues, rum babas, profiteroles and other sweet delicacies. Fill a pink gingham box with a selection of their hand-made petit fours for a rather special Sunday tea.
