Have you had a chance to visit any of London’s markets yet? There’s a huge and colourful variety of them out there, so I thought I’d give you a few recommendations and perhaps you can explore some of them this (lovely and sunny – fingers crossed) weekend.
- Borough Market – London’s oldest food market established in 1014 is a combination of a wide variety of produce (fruits, veggies, fresh fish and meats), vendors (cheese, pastries, freshly squeezed juices, spices. flowers and soaps) and (great) restaurants. Open: Mon-Th 10am-5pm, Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 8am-5pm Area: London Bridge
- Camden Market – a collection of markets which is definitely worth a visit, even if only for perusal purposes. An eclectic place to get a variety of foods including Asian, Mexican, pasta, donuts, classic fish and chips, crepes, mediterranean, toasties, cereal (Cereal Killer Cafe) and drinks (mulled wine, bubble tea). Lots of artwork to see on the way and plenty of clothing and handmade beauties to explore while you’re there. The Cheese Bar just opened here this week, I don’t know about you but I am so there! Open: Monday-Sunday: 10am-6pm Area: Camden Town
- Columbia Road Flower Market – enjoy being surround by exquisite flowers and plants? Then this one’s for you. Also, as a non-Brit this is the place to experience some East London culture. *Great deals on flowers* and full of shops to explore. Open: Sun 8am-3pm’ish Area: Columbia Road (Hackney), E2
- Brixton Village Market – they call it a village for a reason and according to Time Out ‘A one-stop shop for culture, food and entertainment’. It boasts retail spaces in arches, an extensive food market, pop-up bars, restaurants and more. Open: Mon 8am-6pm, Tue-Sun 8am-11.30pm Area: Brixton
- Greenwich Market – worth a visit just because of the area it’s in, if you haven’t explored Greenwich just yet, please do! You can also enjoy a Thames Clipper boat ride there from central London and see London on the river – it’s a beauty. The market itself sells jewellery, photography, embroidery, arts and craft stalls, with a few food traders too. Open: Mon-Sun 9.30am-5pm Area: Greenwich/Cutty Sark
- Portobello Road Market – probably one of the world’s most known markets and famous for its antique stalls and shops, but it also features an amazing selection of fashion, food, crafts, books and music. Hundreds of traders sell all sorts of everything, old and new, and there’s plenty of delicious street food from all around the world. Open: 9am-5pm Area: Notting Hill
- New Covent Garden Market – Looking for fruits, veggies and flowers? Come here as it’s the largest wholesale fruit veggie and flower market in the UK. Market covers 57 acres and has around 200 fruit veggie and flower/plants vendors. *Definitely for the early bird* Vendors are in a warehouse whereas the other markets are more open. There are live performances and great deals on flowers. Open: Mon-Sat 4am-10am Area: Vauxhall
- Marylebone Farmers Market – Seasonal local neighborhood market with an average of 40 stalls and vendors each weekend. Huge range of fruits and veggies and locally grown and made jams, cheeses, pastries, honey and juices. Pretty much everything homemade and home grown…even eggs. Open: Sun 10am-2pm Area: Marylebone
- King’s Cross Real Food Market – Top quality artisan food, pastries, breads, honey, cheese and sweets. Do I need to say more? Tents where vendors sell their products. Unique: you can buy prepackaged smoked haddock “done the way they do in Arboth, Angus”. If you don’t want to go all the way across town to get Crosstown Donuts, stop by King’s Cross because they have a station where you can buy a variety of donuts. Also unique: a shop that just serves brownies with a twist (Bad Brownie). Yum! Open: Wed-Fri 12pm-7pm Area: King’s Cross Station
- Urban Food Fest – Food trucks, live music, vegan corner of the food truck park, free games (like jenga and board games). Food hall and healthy snacks. You can pretty much find any kind of food and drink that you want here (pork buns, pasta, hamburgers, steak, beer, pizza, mac n cheese). Party market, basically and if one area in London is cool, it’s Shoreditch! Open: Saturdays midday to midnight Area: Shoreditch
Happy eating, shopping and exploring!
Photo credit: Google (Main image: Brixton Village Market)