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Roman Road from St Stephen’s Road to Parnell Road, E3 5EU
Tube: Mile End (Central, Metropolitan and District)
Open: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 8.30am-4.30pm
Roman Road and its market are a strange mix of the cosmopolitan and the parochial.  Approaching the market along Roman Road you will pass a photography gallery, an art gallery and even a Buddhist Centre, and yet by the time you reach the market it feels as though you are in the heart of the East End.  Most of the people who shop here are locals and one of the stall-holders spoke of the other side of Victoria Park as though it were some distant and exotic land.  This end of Roman Road seems relatively untouched by gentrification, but the market itself is a surprisingly friendly and pleasant place to shop and  one of the best markets to find discounted high street fashion.  

The mysterious stall that sells women’s garments one at a time from a box is still going strong.  The pitch is always surrounded with eager local women waiting for the next item in the hope that it will be in a style they like and in a size that fits them – price is never a problem as most items are sold for just a few pounds. There are other more conventional clothing stalls along this part of the market with lots of basic street fashion for around a tenner and one trader at the centre of the market who always has a great selection of French Connection seconds and surplus stock for a fraction of the usual price.  
There are several shoe stalls offering a selection of fashionable footwear with prices starting from around £20 a pair and this is also a good market to find bargain bags and suitcases, bedding and even a modest flower stall offering bedding plants and cut flowers.

    Roman Road Market is still a great place to spend a morning, but it’s one of those markets that has been most affected by big shopping centres like Westfield in Stratford and matters have been made worse by the council introducing parking restrictions in the surrounding area.  Whichever way you come here, it’s worth the journey – you’re bound to leave with a few bargains and a smile on your face.  Visitors to the area should take the opportunity to explore Victoria Park and the Hereford Union Canal which are just 5 minutes walk from the market.

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

Campsbourne School
Nightingale Lane, N8 7AF
Or
Alexandra Palace Park, N22 7AY
www.weareccfm.com
Twitter: allypallyfm
Sunday 10am-3pm

The farmer’s market at Alexandra Palace is one of the largest and most successful markets of its kind in London with over 60 stalls setting out their wares and several thousand loyal customers even on the coldest and wettest of Sundays.
The appeal of the market lies in the diversity and quality of the food and goods on offer.  There’s a wide choice of fresh organic produce straight from the farm with Wild Country Organics being one of the most prominent and popular such producers.  There’s also a good choice of quality meat with High Meadows Welsh Farm offering a tempting selection of their own reared meats and the farmer always on hand to give advice and background to the meat on display.  Award winning sausages are also available from Giggly Pig with all kinds of meaty flavours from which to choose and discounts for multi-buys.  There are quite a few food specialists here with the Portobello Mushroom Man offering the kind of fungi varieties not to be found in an average supermarket, several quality cheese retailers and a very popular fish monger whose stock tends to run low by midday.

Ally Pally not only caters for the enthusiastic cook but also has a great selection of prepared foods and deli produce.  One of best is run by an Italian woman who prepares her own authentic Italian dishes ready to take home and eat, including rich lasagne and deliciously light tiramisu.  If you fancy hearty British fare, Brockley’s Pies are hard to beat, with anything from steak and kidney pies to sweet desserts to take away and enjoy at your leisure.  There are plenty of sweet treats here, with a Emma (trading as Life of Pie) offering a particularly tempting array of her own caky creations.
If all this food has made you peckish, there are plenty of street food traders with the fried fish and calamari stall proving particularly popular.  The Indian Curry stall is also a firm favourite with generous servings of curry and rice with a side dish for just a fiver.

The market is run by City & County Farmers Markets who host a number of great markets across the Capital and are not so precious about the concept of a farmers’ market as to exclude other kinds of stall.  So here you kind find a charity selling reconditioned furniture and a local ceramicist selling her unique cups and plates which adds the diversity and appeal of the market.  The market alternates between two locations around Alexandra Palace Park, so check on the website before making a special trip.

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

Rupert Street, W1D 6DS
www.streetfoodunion.com
Open: Monday-Friday 11am-3.30pm

From Monday to Friday this narrow pedestrian street on the fringes of Soho is transformed into a hive of culinary activity with about 15 stalls providing delicious street food from around the world.  The only problem for visitors is making a decision about what to eat with Korean BBQ, Jerk Chicken, Thai and Indian Curry, Italian sausage in ciabatta, duck wraps and even Venezuelan filled rolls among the options.  All the menus are great value with most dishes around a fiver and very few over £7.

The people serving are a friendly, helpful lot and more than willing to explain the menu options if they have the time, although the Salad Mafia stall (offering fried chicken and salad) had a long queue with quite a few choosing the veggie option with grilled halloumi.  Several of the traders cross national culinary boundaries and none more so than the lads selling a Yorkshire Burrito, which involves using a Yorkshire pud as a burrito – strange but delicious.

This small street does get busy during the lunchtime rush but there are enough tables and benches to allow customers to sit and enjoy their food – avoiding the need to walk and munch which is often unavoidable at some street food events.

this in a feature taken from our forthcoming book:
London's Markets
by Andrew Kershman

London Fields Primary School, E8 3RU
Faceb: @LFSUNDAYMARKET
Insta: @LFSUNDAYMARKET
Twitter: @LFSUNDAYMARKET
www.lfsundaymarket.com
Sun 10am-2pm

This little farmer’s market is a regular Sunday fixture with a small group of long-standing traders and loyal customers keeping things going despite a few changes of management over the years.  Here on a Sunday you can find great seasonal produce from Eden Farms and Perry Court Farm.  Carnivores can also source quality free range poultry and other meat from Pastures Farm and there are plans for a cheese and fishmongers to join the market. Bread Winners offer a selection of breads and pastries and there’s even a coffee stall if you fancy some caffeine with your carbs.  Bob’s Bikes is a recent addition to the market offering a great selection of bikes and bike parts at very reasonable prices.  The market is run with a community spirit and there are regular activities arranged around the market from craft classes to yoga sessions.  This is the only Sunday market in this corner of hackney and well worth a visit if you’re in the area.

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



St Paul’s School, Primrose Hill Road, NW3 3DS
www.thespreadlondon.com
Twitter: @TheSpreadLDN
Instagram: thespreadldn
Sat 10am-3pm

This wonderful market is run by the intrepid folk at The Spread who host several food markets across London.  Every Saturday about forty stalls set out their tempting wares in a playground at the very northern tip of Primrose Hill Park.  Foodie visitors to the market will not be disappointed with fresh organic fruit and veg from the likes of Wild Country Organics and there are even specialist tomato and mushroom traders if you’re after something unusual.  Pick’s Organic Farm is always here catering for the carnivore community with a skilled butcher on hand to make sure visitor get exactly the right cut.  Primerose Hill can also boast of an excellent fishmonger with Veasey & Sons providing a spectacular display fish and shellfish fresh from the south coast with a selection of produce from their own smokehouse.

Primrose Hill is also a great place to visit for deli foods with specialist Italian, Greek, Spanish and French stalls offering anything from hand-carved Jamon Iberico to freshly made ravioli and there’s also a stall offering a bewildering range of olives and stuffed peppers.  For the best British produce, Hook & Son have delicious butter, honey and raw organic milk, while The Borough Cheese Company are regulars here with a small but tempting selection of British cheeses  with little tasters always on hand for the curious.  There are lots of sweet things to be found at Primerose Hill, but a real favourite is the German Wholefood Baker, which is one of the few places in London offering genuine German cheese cake.

For those who want to eat on the go, there are several street food stalls offering anything from meatballs with pasta from Liberty Kitchen to mouthwatering meaty sandwiches prepared by The Parsons Nose.  
After a visit to this wonderful vibrant market it’s easy to see why the good citizens of Primrose Hill have taken this market to their hearts.

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

St Augustine’s School, Kilburn Park Road, North Maida Vale, NW6 5SN
www.thelondoncarbootco.co.uk
Entry 50p
Sat 11am-3pm

Kilburn’s car boot sale has been going for donkey’s years and is a firm favourite with the locals of NW6.  About 100 sellers set up here on a Saturday selling anything from a vintage wireless radio to cheap phone accessories. There are always bargains to be found here with recent discoveries including a top quality iron pan for just a few quid, an expensive Ortlieb pannier for just a fiver and mountains of clothing to sift through for fashion bargains with most items going for just pennies.  The atmosphere is friendly with lots of characters more than willing to have a chat and a laugh and there is a great café within the school building if you get peckish.

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

13-25 Church Street, NW8 8DT
Tube: Marylebone / Edgware Road
www.alfiesantiques.com
Twitter: @AlfiesAntiques
Insta: alfiesantiques
Open: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-6pm

Alfies is situated in the midst of Church Street Market and acts as a fascinating contrast with its more down-to-earth neighbour. Within this lofty five storey Edwardian building there are over 70 dealers selling jewellery, furniture, costume and retro clothing, lighting, tableware, objets d’art, paintings, clocks and books. There are some great items of furniture to inspire a retro revamp from Art Deco chairs to large angle-poise lamps, but you’ll need fairly deep pockets to get your hands such authentic collectables.

If such things are a little beyond your budget there are plenty of traders dealing in attractive but less collectable items with lower price tags. Among these are several good costume jewellery dealers with lots of appealing goodies to sift through for just a few quid.

Several art dealers ply their trade here, but I was particularly drawn to the poster dealer with huge French advertising posters of the 1920s and 30s adorning his walls. A large poster was several hundred pounds, but Gallic style is an expensive commodity.

Alfies certainly has a good deal of charm. The dealers are friendly, knowledgeable and occasionally eccentric, the building is huge with numerous staircases and various levels within each storey and there is even an iron staircase with glass roof and a small water feature on the ground floor. Another good thing about Alfies is its diversity with lots of 20th century items as well as the more traditional antiques for which it is better known. Alfies has an excellent roof top café which does a selection of Mediterranean food as well as established British favourites and has a fantastic outdoor terrace.

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