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Night Walk (between Bonner Gate and Gore Gate) Victoria Park, E2 9JW
www.victoriaparkmarket.com
@VictoriaParkMk
Sunday 10am-4pm

This food market is a new arrival on the London scene, but is run by the experienced team behind Putney Market and takes place in the fantastic Victoria Park. The success of this kind of high quality food market really depends upon the local community, and the good folk of Hackney seem to have taken this event to their hearts with such a good turn out in the first few months that the opening times have been extended.

What draws the local punters is the great atmosphere and excellent food with organic fruit and veg, fresh quality breads and cakes, a good butchers and The Fresh Fish Shop selling all kinds of seasonal produce from a small dinghy. There are also several cheese merchants giving visitors a good choice of British and continental varieties. There are plenty of moorish deli ingredients such as olives, fresh pasta and a popular trader specialising in their own unique mushroom pate - with plenty of samples to allow you to try before you buy.

Not all the visitors to the market want to buy groceries and towards Bonner Gate there are a few street food stalls offering food from around the globe as well as seating so you can enjoy your meal and a good ice cream stall for something sweet. In addition there is a quality beer stall for those who fancy and early pint. The market’s location in Victoria Park is ideal for the dog deli stall that has all kinds of treats for your four legged friend

Victoria Park Market is a lot of fun and also really useful for the kind of clientele that now live around the park. Gentrification might be a bad thing for markets like Bethnal Green and East Street, but in this case it appears the making of this great little market!

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

Various London locations                         
www.classicarbootsale.co.uk
@classiccarboot
info@classiccarbootsale.co.uk

This wonderful event manages to combine just about every aspect of vintage life in one venue including retro clothing of all kinds, collectable household goods and vinyl, beautiful film cameras and of course some great classic cars, bikes and motorbikes. 

Wayne Hemingway is the man behind the event where people sell their vintage stuff from vintage cars and with his dedicated team has made this wacky idea a reality.  Mr Hemingway has not just put his name to the event but is clearly involved and can be seen wondering among the stalls and chatting with visitors and traders.  

Although not everyone has a classic car at their disposal there are enough here to keep petrol heads happy. Commitment to the wearing of vintage gear is likewise variable but there are enough people sporting a stylish retro look to keep people watchers happy.  It is also great to see so many visitors getting involved and coming in full outfit and no doubt hoping to add to their collection.  

The atmosphere is unlike any other car boot you’ll visit with the emphasis on retro style and glamour rather than the usual wandering around windy field looking at clobber.  There is always a DJ playing suitably classic soul, pop and Motown and some great food stalls if all the people, cars, bikes, cameras and clothes makes you peckish.

The Classic Car Boot Sale takes place in London about twice a year, but this makes it all the more special.  Check out their website for forthcoming events and get your vintage glad rags on, you’re guaranteed to have a ball.

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

Railton Road, Herne Hill, SE24 0JN
www.weareccfm.com
@hernehillmarket
Sunday 10am-4pm

Herne Hill Market has emerged from nowhere in the last five years and is now one of the best in London.  It takes place every Sunday on a small stretch of Railton Road just outside Herne Hill station.  The market is a fraction of the size of giants like Brick Lane or Portobello Road, but the fifty or so stalls that set up here manage to provide everything visitors need for a weekly shop as well as several unexpected surprises.  One of the surprises is the bike repair stall (Like Your Bike) that offers services, repairs and parts and is always busy. 

The Dulwich Road end of the market has quite a few local designers selling their wares including Wolle & Hide who specialise in handmade wool clothing and accessories and Stripey Squirrel with their colourful range of kid’s clothing. 

The cacti and indoor plant stall is also an unusual feature of the market with lots of healthy plants and pots and free advice for anyone needing it. 

There are also a few original jewellery stalls on the market with plenty of great value trinkets to sort through.  Those looking for more practical work wear will not be disappointed with a regular trader offering smocks and clogs and several good stalls selling original street fashion.  There are also a few bric-a-brac and collectable traders, a dealer in oriental rugs and throws and several art stalls including a selection from Planet Patrol Pop Up Gallery, and local artist Luke Adam Hawker who sells his fine drawings here and online.

Like east London’s Broadway Market, Herne Hill is a good balance of gifts and food and it’s possible to do a weekly shop here and get most of what you need which is sure sign of a good market.  Among the delicacies are delicious scotch eggs in all manner of flavours, fine Sicilian pastries, several stalls selling cured meats with lots of samples to try and a number of cheese sellers including the excellent London Cheese Mongers. 

The stall offering fine jams was also worth a gander with plenty of tasters so you can try before you buy.  Accompanying these fine foods are grocery essentials such as Brockmans Organic Fruit and Veg, several artisan bread and cake sellers and a choice of good butchers and fresh fish form the Portland Scallops Co.  

Street food is now an important part of most markets these days and Herne Hill has a great range of food to eat on the go including a great Moroccan food stall, one offering vast pans of hot and delicious French stews and another catering for vegans with delicious salad boxes.

It seems remarkable that such a vibrant and interesting market has blossomed in just a few years.  With Herne Hill Station in the middle of the market it’s easy to get to and one well worth making a good deal of effort to visit.

Visit
For literary types Herne Hill Bookshop is at 289 Railton Road and is open on Sundays.  Just around the corner from the market is a fabulous 20th Century furniture store called Morbleu and for more junk and collectables there’s the fabulously named Society for the Protection of Unwanted Objects.  Those who enjoy outdoor swimming should pack their cossie because Brockwell Lido is just around the corner and in the grounds of the wonderful Brockwell Park.   

Eat
If you fancy a drink there are two good pubs in the area, The Commercial (on the market) and The Florence (just around the corner).  For coffee and snacks there’s Milkwood Café and Blackbird Bakery.
 

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

St Paul’s Church Court Yard
Stoke Newington Road, N16 7UY
020 7502 7588
www.growingcommunities.org
@growcomm
Sat 10am-2.30pm

This market has been supplying organic and locally produced food to the citizens of Hackney since 2003.  The market is run by Growing Communities – a Hackney-based social enterprise who promote local farmers and sustainable food production.  The organisation also runs a vegetable box scheme supplying produce from its own urban gardens and Dagenham Farm, as well as other local organic farms and makes effort to insure that the food sold at the market is both locally produced (within about 150 miles from London) and 100% organic.

    The application of all these principles might sound a bit worthy and pious, but the market that takes place in the grounds of St Paul’s Church, Stoke Newington, is a lot of fun.  Over the years the market has acquired a loyal following among the residents of Hackney, who enjoy the food and have got to know and trust the traders.  The Saturday market has a really friendly atmosphere and all the stall holders are keen to discuss their produce and explain their work with lots of small-scale farmers including Sarah Green’s Organics who always make a real effort to display their seasonal produce.

Another small holder is Peach and Pippin who have a small Essex farm and bring a selection of their fruit and flowers as well as delicious cakes, james and chutneys, all made from their farm produce. 

The mushroom stall run by Matt is also a regular here, selling all kinds of cultivated and wild fungi and also preparing delicious mushroom sandwiches from a small gas ring which a very popular.  Like all the stallholders here he is enthusiastic about what he does and is always eager to talk about his produce and dispense advice. 

One of the jewels in this market’s crown is the wonderful Longwood Organic Farm stall offering delicious organic beef, pork, lamb and chicken, all reared on their Suffolk farm.  

Visitors are spoilt for choice for take-away food with the Turkish making traditional street food using ingredients sourced from the market and plenty of cakes and pastries on hand to satisfy those with a sweet tooth.  The organisers have thoughtfully provided a large seating area so people can enjoy their food in comfort and perhaps get a shot of caffeine from the busy coffee stall.  Leaving the market after a delicious snack and with a bag full of fresh organic produce, it’s not difficult to see why this place has become a permanent and much loved part of Stoke Newington life.

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

Copeland Gallery, Copeland Road, SE15 3SL
Train: Peckham Rye, Queen's Road Peckham
Website: hackneyfleamarket.com
Twitter: @hackneyflea
Open: 11-6pm on occasional weekends (see website for details)
Email: hackneyfleamarket@gmail.com

This regular event is the largest vintage market in south London and much loved by the good people of Peckham who flock here for collectable home wares, vintage clothing and oddities. One of the market's great attractions is the location just opposite Peckham Rye station, amid a complex of old industrial buildings that once housed a cricket bat factory, but now serves as a social hub with bars, a cinema and several interesting independent businesses including SeaBass Cycles.

On market days you will find about 70 traders offering a great selection of vintage and nearly-new clothing, 20th Century furniture, ceramics and glass ware from the practical to the collectable, antique luggage, vinyl, old and reproduction posters, as well as the occasional oddity such as the large plastic deer head that took pride of place on a recent visit.

One interesting stall holder specialises in vintage wooden radios which have kept their classic looks, but are updated with digital radio and wi-fi. The market is organised by the same people that run Hackney Flea Market and many of the great stalls you can find at their other events in Stoke Newington and Dalston, also trade here.

Peckham Salvage Yard takes place on occasional weekends, but this gives it a sense of occasion and always ensures a great atmosphere and lots of visitors. The closest place to relax with a drink is The Nines just outside the yard, but there are quite a few eateries in the Bussey Building just around the corner.

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

Westgate Street, E8 3RL
Twitter: @netilmarket
Open: Sat 11am-6pm

This small walled space just five minutes from Broadway Market has been hosting a Saturday market for quite a while, but in recent years it has become hub for small independent businesses who occupy permanent trading units and offer anything from smart dog accessories, to leather goods, kitchenware and hand-made scented candles.  These full time traders are an important part of the market and several of them also occupy stalls on Saturdays and many started as stall holders.

The market is not easy to miss on a Saturday with Terry's collection of second-hand furniture spread along the pavement on Westgate Street as you enter.  At the entrance there are a handful of units offering delicious street food from around the globe.  Further into the market you can find new camping gear, designer clothing, a stall dedicated to art catalogues and a record stall run by market stalwart James:

'I sold books here for years, but gradually interest wained and I started selling a bit of vinyl which was more popular.  Now I just sell records and business is pretty good… You need to change to survive these days.'

Just behind James is Pete's collectables and vintage stall with lots of good deals and a great selection of lamps and clocks.  Pete sports a Vietnam Vet look with some aplomb and really enjoys his days on the market particularly when the weather is fine.

The market also boasts an upstairs bar which serves anything from a cold beer to cocktails and is also home to the market's very own Netil Radio, playing music for the relaxed young crowd that have colonised this small square of Hackney.

If you're still in the mood for market shopping, there is also the School Yard Market and Broadway Market just a few minutes from here.

Dukes Meadows, off Alexandra Gardens, W4
@TheFoodMarketW4
www.thefoodmarketchiswick.com
Sundays 10am-2pm

The brainchild of local resident Kathleen Healy and managed with passion by local mum Alice Playle , this market was set up in 2000 as a social enterprise with profits used to improve the local area.  Residents  have taken this Sunday event to their hearts and now about 20 stalls set up here drawing good crowds with lots of regulars who know and trust the traders and their produce.  As well as bringing a vibrant food culture to this small stretch of concrete in this salubrious but quiet part of London, the venture has also raised over £1 million for local projects.

The market is well worth venturing out of your way to visit with some great stalls offering good fruit and veg, excellent fresh meat from March House Farm, who also prepare and sell their own burgers which always have a long queue of hungry customers. 

 There is also a regular fishmongers with fresh staples like salmon, trout and lemon sole as well as less common seasonal produce.  The Hellenic stall offers first press olive oil, unprocessed sea salt and a variety of single source Greek honey.  Cheeses and other dairy produce are well represent here with at least three stalls offering a great choice of English and international produce and plenty of tasters to allow you to try before you buy.

Street food is very popular these days and Chiswick Food Market has all kinds of prepared food including Mexican and Moroccan delicacies and the long established and always popular Pizza Maria.  Those wanting something sweet will not be disappointed with lots of stalls dedicated to cakes, pastries and puddings with quite a few delicious vegan options.

Chiswick Food Market is exactly what a farmers market should be with lots of character and the support of locals who cherish this small but valuable addition to their area.