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Due of York Square, Chelsea, SW3 4LY
www.partridges.co.uk
Twitter: @partridgesfoods
Sat 10am-4pm

Started by the eponymous grocery store in 2005 with just 15 stalls, Partridge’s Food Market has gone from strength to strength and now has 70 quality food stalls setting up in this smart Chelsea square every Saturday.  The market is a great mix of food to take home and cook and street food offering all kinds of freshly prepared dishes to eat on the go. For grocery shopping there are some excellent butchers, a seasonal fruit and veg stall along with delicious breads, prepared meats, olives and deli dishes, fresh pasta as well as cakes and cheeses.  If you can’t find all that you need there is always Partridges just next to the market.

The street food here is incredibly varied with oysters freshly prepared for a pound each making a great starter to your journey through the market. Among the treats here are delicious fish burgers, substantial Greek wraps and sushi which you can see being prepared as well as substantial organic burgers prepared by the butchers who supply the meat.
The energy of this market is really infectious and the foodies here are always willing to dispense advice, cooking suggestions or simply talk about the provenance of their produce.  There are a few places to sit and enjoy your food, but most people choose to amble among the stalls while enjoying the dish of their choice.

Visit
Just behind the market is the Saatchi Gallery which is dedicated to modern art and has a busy programme of exhibitions which are always worth exploring.

This feature is taken from our forthcoming book:
London's Markets
by Andrew Kershman

Bandstand Terrace, Horniman Museum Gardens,
100 London Road, SE23 3PQ
www.horniman.ac.uk
Twitter: @HornimanFarmers
Every Saturday 9am – 1.30pm

The Horniman Museum is one of London’s most interesting venues with a fascinating Anthropological archive and collection of musical instruments.  On Saturday’s the garden of the museum transforms itself into a very different anthropological experiment as the foodies Southeast London congregate to source delicious essentials directly from independent and local producers.
It’s a great location and now attracts stalls selling seasonal fruit and vegetables, artisan organic bread, cakes, cheese, pies, scotch eggs, freshly squeezed juices, herbal infusions, organic meat, salads and herbs. On intermittent weeks you will also find free-range salami and handcrafted, ethical chocolates plus other guest stalls selling craft beer, preserves, kimchi and plants. There are also some street food stalls offering  anything from falafel to crepes – the surrounding gardens are a wonderful place to enjoy a picnic.

This feature is taken from our forthcoming book:
London's Markets
by Andrew Kershman

Southwark Street, SE1 1TL
www.boroughmarket.org.uk
Twitter: @boroughmarket
Insta: boroughmarket
Tube: London Bridge (Northern and Jubilee)
Open: Mon-Tues 10am-5pm (partially open), Wed-Thurs 10am-5pm, Friday till 6pm and Sat 8am-5pm (full market)

It is hard to believe that back in 1994, Borough was a wholesale fruit and vegetable market where members of the public seldom set foot as the restaurateurs and caterers went about their business.  Since then the market has undergone an incredible transformation, becoming one of Europe’s leading food markets with thousands of visitors each day and many fashionable restaurants, cafés and specialist food outlets with Monmouth Coffee Company and the Neal’s Yard Dairy establishing themselves in the narrow roads around the old market.  The transformation began with just a few stalls offering quality food at the weekend.  Pioneers such as the wild boar farmer Peter Gott struggled as the market found its feet but soon persuaded others to join them as the venture acquired momentum.  In the years that followed, the trustees of the market developed and improved the site with the help of architects Greig + Stephenson while still preserving the Art Deco exterior on Borough High Street and the 19th century wrought iron structure of the wholesale market.  The changes included the expansion of the market into a canopied area between Bedale Street and Southward Cathedral – enabling over 100 additional food stalls to do business here.

   Borough has flourished into a remarkably vibrant food market with all kinds of retailers selling fresh food from around the globe.  Here you can find meat sold direct from a single producer such as Rhug Estate Farm, as well as butchers like Ginger Pig selling high quality meat sourced from a number of farms.  The cheese stalls are equally varied with Kappacasein Dairy offering their own London produced cheeses and yoghurt while the established Une Normande a Londres French delicatessen sell all kinds of cheeses, sausages and other produce.  The fruit and vegetables are also exceptional with commercial greengrocers selling produce from around the world alongside specialist stalls.  At a supermarket you might be lucky to find two or three kinds of mushroom, but at Borough there are over 20 types of fungi available from dried Ceps to the gigantic Puffball. Fishmongers are rarely found at most markets these days, but here there are several elaborate stalls selling anything from sea urchins and eel to more familiar staples like cod and salmon.  Breads and patisserie are another of Borough’s strengths with big names such as Bread Ahead, Karaway Bakery and Olivier’s Bakery all regulars at the market.

 The wine and beer traders include the renowned Borough Wines and Utobeer which offers over 600 different beers from around the world.  Other traders just sell their own product including New Forest Cider.  The one thing all these dealers have in common is the use of small tasters, which is the ideal opportunity to try before you buy.

    The atmosphere at Borough Market is infectious with crowds milling from stall to stall, many people sampling the food and chatting with the stallholders.  It’s now the unrivalled food market of the capital and one that appears to be going from strength to strength.  It now produces its own magazine – Market Life – with features and recipes inspired by the market and its traders.  Visitors should also look out for the Market Hall where there is seating to enjoy your food and regular cookery demonstrations by well known chefs.  A great way to round off a visit to this incredible Mecca to food.

Eating and Drinking
In a market dedicated to food there are countless opportunities to indulge your tastebuds with the canopied market adjacent to Southwark Cathedral the best place for street food with anything from Koshari St, offering delicious Egyptian vegan dishes, to substantial meaty sandwiches from long established Borough Market favourites, Roast Hog.  If you want to sit down and eat, there are plenty of great restaurants and cafés in and around the market with Monmouth Coffee Company on Stoney Street one of the best for coffee. Maria’s Café in the heart of the market is a great place to enjoy traditional British grub and watch the world go by.

Visit
There are all kinds of things to enjoy in the area with Tate Modern just a 10 minutes walk from here.  On Saturdays you should make an effort to visit the fabulous Flea @ Flat Iron Sq.

This feature is taken from our forthcoming book:
London's Markets
by Andrew Kershman

North Cross Rd (from Lordship Lane to Fellbrigg Rd), SE22 9ET
Rail: East Dulwich
Open: Saturdays 10am-5pm

There’s been a market on North Cross Road for years, but it has experienced its ups and downs over that time and has survived by adapting to the now prosperous neighbourhood – good bye cheap fruit and veg, hello hand-made pouffe.  The longest serving stall on the market belongs to fishmonger, Jeff Bowman, who has been selling top quality fresh fish here for over 35 years and has witnessed the transformation.  Jeff trades on the corner of Lordship Lane from Thursday, but he only has company on Saturdays, when another 20 stalls line the street offering anything from reconditioned furniture to farm fresh eggs.

The market now has a regular following among the denizens of Dulwich, drawn here by the appealing mix of the practical, the unusual and the beautiful.  The egg stall is always here offering a selection of free range eggs and unusual things like Duck eggs that you don’t get in the supermarket.  It’s not unusual to have a plant stall at a market, but the regular one here is run by Cade Street Nursery and sells plants that are incredibly lush and healthy.  If your looking for a gift or just to treat yourself there are lots of options, from scented candles by Aequill to jewellery from long established trader Lisa E Moss.  Further down the market there’s a mix of vintage and second-hand stalls and three wonderful crafts people – Alice King and her hand-made ceramics, Kate Diamond and her own range of T-shirts using her designs and Tuffet.co the aforementioned pouffes which are expensive, but truly things of beauty.  If you’ve come on your bike, don’t forget the  repair stall at the Lordship Lane end of the market which offers great value services and repairs.

There are quite a few food stalls here offering things like hand-made chocolates and artisan breads, but the majority of food is to eat on the go rather than take home with various options including Burritos and substantial Hogg roast sandwiches.

North Cross Road has a great atmosphere and it’s clear that the traders and customers really value the place.  There are plans to extend the number of stalls and pedestrianise more of the street on Saturdays – a sign that this market is still looking to the future.

Eat & Drink
There are a few good cafés along the North Cross Road including Bonne Bouffe at number 49 and further up at number 18 the Blue Mountain Café.  The Palmerston (on the corner with Lordship Lane) serves a good pint and has a great menu.

Visit
The fabulous independent bookshop, Rye Books, has relocated to 47 North Cross Road and not only offers a great selection of books but also has a great little coffee shop. Further afield, The Horniman Museum and Dulwich Picture Gallery are both just a bus ride away and are well worth exploring.

This feature is taken from our forthcoming book:
London's Markets
by Andrew Kershman

Haynes Lane, SE19 3AP
Twitter: @Hayneslanemkt
Overground: Gypsy Hill or Crystal Palace
Fri & Sun 11am-5pm, Sat 10.30-5pm

Located in old workshops behind Sainsbury’s, this little market is a great place to rummage for antiques, collectables and good old fashioned junk.  The old workshops that have become home to the market  are a little chaotic, but that’s part of its charm.  Among the interesting things to be found here are all kinds of discarded toys and figurines, one trader dealing in books and DVDs and on the first floor there is a unit dedicated to vintage clothing.  There are also a few more selective 20th century vintage specialists with some genuinely collectable furniture at a reasonable price.

This little market is a good place to while away an hour and you’re sure to emerge with something interesting to treasure from a Penguin paperback to a genuine 1960s coffee table.  The market is best visited on a Saturday when the outside courtyards are the site for the wonderful Crystal Palace Food Market.

This feature is taken from our forthcoming book:
London's Markets
by Andrew Kershman

21-23 Tooting High Street, SW17 0SN
www.tootingmarket.com
Twitter: @TootingMarket
Tube: Tooting Broadway (Northern)
Open: Mon-Thurs 8am-6pm, Fri-Sat 8am-10.30pm, Sun 9am-5pm

Tooting Market still has it’s traditional fruit and veg stall on the High Street selling cheap veggie basics by the bowl, but beyond the old exterior this market has undergone a real transformation.  At the centre of the L-shaped avenue, Brickwood coffee bar has a large illuminated sign saying TOOTING - SO COOL RIGHT NOW, and this really sums up what’s been happening here.  Tooting Market now has a vinyl specialist, lots of trendy bars and eateries including Koi Ramen, Boom Bap Burger and a branch of Franco Manca.  There are also some great gift shops including the fabulous Love Art which runs regular art classes, a gin distillery and at the back of the market there’s even a trendy gentlemen’s barbers.  The market still has a few pockets of the old Tooting, with the traditional butchers and Portuguese café doing well and it’s great to see that the market thriving when back in the 90’s it looked on it’s last legs.

This feature is taken from our forthcoming book:
London's Markets
by Andrew Kershman

155a Northcote Road, SW11 6QB
www.northcoateroadantiques.co.uk
Twitter: @NorthcoteRd
Rail: Clapham Junction (319 Bus)
Open: Mon-Sat 10am-5.30pm, Sun 12noon-5pm

Just a five minute walk south from Northcote Road Market is this inconspicuous little shop front.  Appearances can be deceptive, and beyond the narrow entrance the space opens out, Tardis like, to reveal two floors and a central atrium complete with a glass roof that allows light into the further recesses.  This quaint antiques centre is home to 30 dealers offering all kinds of antiques and collectables from furniture, framed pictures to household goods. The place is a real treasure trove and well worth seeking out if you’re in the area. 

This feature is taken from our forthcoming book:
London's Markets
by Andrew Kershman