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Farmers' market in Brixton

He had scallops and oysters until the bitter end as well.

Bit disappointed by the farmers market this week. The produce wasn't quite as good and the variety slightly lacking. Still some nice stuff there, but some of the plants looked tired and the nigh-on £4 a little pot of pesto man was irritating. Some of the traders were bemoaning the lack of buyers last week and it just felt a little flat.

I've still reservations over it being on a separate site and day to the rest of the market. It just seems a huge wasted opportunity - it's an event which could really complement the existing offering and offer 'synergies' to make marketing bods wet themselves. Instead we've got little silo'ed off sites -from Brixton Bazaar on KFC corner to a Sunday offering, all set away from the bustle of the indoor markets and Electric Avenue. It does feel slightly divisive as a separate entity, whereas it could be a central part of regenerating the market area as a whole.
 
He didn't have too much left to be fair. Aside from the aforementioned things in shells, he had three little crustaceans left in a big polystyrene box when I went past. His sign only mentioned lobsters, but these things were the size of a sickly king prawn. I half meant to ask what they were (and never got round to it)
 
tarannau said:
Bit disappointed by the farmers market this week. The produce wasn't quite as good and the variety slightly lacking. Still some nice stuff there, but some of the plants looked tired and the nigh-on £4 a little pot of pesto man was irritating. Some of the traders were bemoaning the lack of buyers last week and it just felt a little flat.
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The vendors seem to move around quite a lot, I think we will find that some will only be with us once a month. I don't think I've seen the same plant stall twice yet.

The pasta/pesto was too expensive for sure, don't see that stall lasting too long.

Speaking of variety, I noted that there was about 7 different types of cauliflower, most of them 2 for a £1. I didn't even know you could get orange caulis. 5 variety of cabbage, 3 of them @ 2 / £1. Never heard of black cabbage. This particular stall doesn't seem to be organic, which is fine, I hope its one that survives as imo it offers good value for money. It would probably do fine alongside regular market stalls.
 
It's a shame that I don't like Cauliflower then. It's only really cheapness (we get seasonal gluts) and hefty amounts of cheese sauce that convince me to choose it over broccoli
:D

I really wanted a better selection of maincrop potatoes, but there hasn't been much there so far. I've also enjoyed the Pink Fir Apples, but sometimes you crave a big fluffy roastie on Sunday.

I don't want to sound cynical - there's some genuinely good stuff down there at reasonable prices - but it does become a bit of an either/or decision with the 'ordinary' Saturday market for me. You can only buy so much stuff or want to shop so often on your precious weekend and it'd be much nicer to have a more comprehensive selection on offer rather than having to try and second guess what might be available on either day. I'm a far more committed shopper (for food) than most, but I'd be more overwhelming positive if I didn't feel the two day market set up led to competition and spend possibly being diverted away from the main market.
 
tarannau said:
I don't want to sound cynical - there's some genuinely good stuff down there at reasonable prices - but it does become a bit of an either/or decision with the 'ordinary' Saturday market for me. You can only buy so much stuff or want to shop so often on your precious weekend and it'd be much nicer to have a more comprehensive selection on offer rather than having to try and second guess what might be available on either day. I'm a far more committed shopper (for food) than most, but I'd be more overwhelming positive if I didn't feel the two day market set up led to competition and spend possibly being diverted away from the main market.
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It is the nature of seasonal fare that both the availability and quality vary. To be certain that you can get what you want when you want it and that the quality doesn't vary... supermarkets.

The main market could do with a shake up tbh, it has become bland and boring. Sure there is a lot of staple produce that can feed you well on a budget, and now there are some "speciality and organic" places opening in the arcades which imo are too exclusive and expensive, but it would benefit from some in-between stuff though, such as the veg stall I mentioned. No regular market stall sells those varieties but there is nothing to stop one sourcing them and competing. I might spend more at the regular market if there were some more variety.

It always seems like Brixton market has huge variety but imo get in there and you find a lot of stalls selling the same stuff. Very little choice in potato varieties, onions, one kind of squash/cauli/cabbage only.

I will continue to buy my fish from the regular market, I have never bought what passes for meat from the regular so I would prefer to get it from the farmer's. I will never give up the local deli on Atlantic but the odd bit of different cheese from the farmer's is welcome. The Cyprus potatoes from the deli are one of my faves and their herbs are good value. There is still lots I will buy from the regular market, if the regular incorporated some of the farmer's produce it would be fantastic and I would spend more there, so I hope the farmer's give them a run for their money tbh.

Is Iceland taking Brixton pounds? How about the pound/99p shop?
 
Sesquipedalian said:
Comparing a new day at a local market with a well established multi-national is as fruitless a pursuit as comparing apples with oranges.
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You said:
If this "Farmers Market" cannot cater for people on low incomes then.........
I suspect at some point this "Farmers Market" will also become a "has been."
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I was pointing out that Marks and Spencers does not cater for people on low incomes and yet it thrives.

Btw, M&S was a bit of a dead horse in the 80s. It's food department specialised in Jewish fare. It had to figure a few things out before it took off here. It didn't lower its prices, but it at least offered the things that people wanted.
 
miss minnie said:
Btw, M&S was a bit of a dead horse in the 80s. It's food department specialised in Jewish fare.
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Eh? I don't remember that at all. It was one of the only places in the UK that sold Bath Chap (sadly it doesn't anymore) which can in no way be described as Kosher (cured cheeks and tongue of pork).
 
You don't recall all the shelves with matzoh and tins of gefilte etc.? All dried/tinned stuff, but more of that than almost anything else. Was a bizarre variety of foodstuffs in that shop at the time.
 
The fisherpeople were back again. There is nowhere else in London that does genuinely fresh fish at their prices.

Also I noticed the Brixton Bazaar outside KFC. Looks like Sunday is the new Wednesday in SW9.
 
Where is this market? I was along atlantic road and in the main market today and didn't see them.
 
miss minnie said:
You don't recall all the shelves with matzoh and tins of gefilte etc.? All dried/tinned stuff, but more of that than almost anything else. Was a bizarre variety of foodstuffs in that shop at the time.
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No I can't say I do particularly. Tesco always had a kosher bit when it was in Popes Road. I mainly bought underwear, meringues and tins of biscuits in Marks then. There was a bigger Jewish population until the exodus to Streatham and beyond so there was generally more kosher food. When I moved to Brixton there were a couple of NF and BNP pubs. :( Admittedly tiny little enclaves but I certainly remember anti-Semitic graffiti. I don't know whether that was a factor.
 
Twas 83/84 I'm thinking of, the shop looked almost empty in those days, I can remember footsteps "echoed" around and it always seemed dark. The tiny food dept was at the back, couldn't have been more than half a dozen small banks of shelves and a couple of fridges/freezers, so a set of shelves filled with only Jewish foodstuffs stood out in my mind as "speciality".
 
Mash the fishmonger always had kosher smoked salmon until very recently. I think it was really just that there was a bigger Jewish population. Brixton's MP was Jewish too (iirc Marcus Lipton was MP from 1945 to 1978 or 9). I can't remember when the synagogue on Effra Road closed. Anyway, I think it was a general demographic thing.
 
Went for the first time on Sunday and thought there was a good selection of stuff and some bargains to be had.

I got some very nice clams from the fish guy and will buy scallops next time. £8 for a dozen is a very good price, especially for diver scallops. Also got two lamb shoulders, some rump steak and some rib-eyes for a bargainous £20. The apples were gorgeous if a bit pricey and I also got some Kentish cobnuts, goat's cheese and some nice-looking veg. I'm going to cancel my Riverford veg box for a bit and go to the market instead. :)

I do agree with Spark and tarranau though that trade at the general market may be affected. Having said that, it looked like a very different crowd of people, and a lot of them were brought out by the nice weather.
 
I got some great stuff on Sunday: a yummy brill at a bargain price, some mussels which I'm about to chuck in a pan, venison sausages, apples and fabulous veg (black cabbage, a purple cauli, an aubergine etc etc). Missed the cobnuts...*sulk*...I loves a cobnut I does.

Also some cake from the cake lady - I took it up to my Dad's for tea and he loved it.

Too many bloody buggies though...and croc sandals. Say no more.

kitty
 
I bought some very nice veg there indeed. We got a good bargain on a bunch of stuff and I cooked it up last night - so so tasty. Got some cherry toms that were just divine and some really nice green beans. If the veg is always that good I think I'll go down there fairly often.
 
Got lovely cherry toms as well. It was close to 2 by the time we got there, so not much left, but all the stallholders were knocking a pound or so off or rounding down prices. Got a gorgeous chicken as well.
 
bah!

i am leaving brixton and there comes a farmers market!

i love a farmers market and always had to go to oval which meant an unpleasant cycle ride!
 
I'm actually going to be around this Sunday to check out the farmers market. Is it wrong that I'm more than a bit excited about this? :hmm::oops:
 
Nope :)
ShiftyJunior and I went to it last week and it was nice. Can't say I was overly impressed but we got some nice eggs and some cake. Pretty flowers too.
 
nipsla said:
I'm actually going to be around this Sunday to check out the farmers market. Is it wrong that I'm more than a bit excited about this? :hmm::oops:
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I was kind of hoping to bump into you there last Sunday with a view to a quick drink in the pub ('cos I know you're easily persuaded in that direction!)... :D may see you this Sunday though as I'm hoping to go back for some more of those cherry tomatoes which I'm sad to have just polished off for my dinner. ETA - except I've just remembered I'm going for another round of "afternoon tea" this Sunday so might have to send the boy to do the shopping - which will mean large amounts of meat!
 
nipsla said:
I'm actually going to be around this Sunday to check out the farmers market. Is it wrong that I'm more than a bit excited about this? :hmm::oops:
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Not at all. I expect we'll be round there at some point as well, but don't let that put you off.
 
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