Brockley Market - righting a great wrong with Scotch eggs and dark fluid
Other than the Rivoli, there are very few reasons for London's lifestyle media to bother with Brockley. But Brockley Market is doing a great job, forcing its way in to the Standard (which loves its Scotch eggs) and Time Out, which (as many BCers have pointed out) reviews it this week. They say:
What started out life as a small market in a college car park has since blossomed into a weekly social event for local residents who want to sample the colour and flavour of Borough or Spitalfields without wandering far from their front doors. The focus is on locally-sourced seasonal food, whether that's a joint for your Sunday lunch, your basic supply of fresh fruit and veg, or cakes, artisan breads, cheese and charcuterie for a special occasion. As well as being a good spot to tick off your shopping list, Brockley is great for brunch. Arrive early and enjoy an award-winning Dark Fluid Coffee and breakfast burrito from Luardos Mexican Street Food van - the perfect way to kick-start your weekend.
50 comments:
People before Profit hit the ITV 6 o'clock news in the week as well
Yes, the Night Stalker managed to generate a few headlines for Brockley too, but that's not quite what this article is about!
"The focus is on locally-sourced seasonal food, whether that's a joint for your Sunday lunch, your basic supply of fresh fruit and veg, or cakes, artisan breads, cheese and charcuterie"
Oh come on Nick, you're just trolling now!
Finally visited Brockley Market the other week and sadly I was pretty disappointed.
The main problem is the location. The tarmac in the car park is crumbling away, throw in a bit of wind and there's dust everywhere, and this was in February not even after being baked in the summer.
Was looking at some cakes when the wind showered them with dust from the ground and the exhaust fumes of the bus on Lewisham Way, the guy on the stall seemed completely oblivious to this and nothing was covered up. So bought nothing. Pretty much every stall was like this.
What's the point in paying a premium for all this high quality artisan stuff, when it's literally covered in dirt from the street! I could pretty much taste grit in my mouth just from walking about, and it didn't even seem to be that windy.
At least the market on Hillyfields although a bit more out of the way had nice untainted surroundings.
I'm astonished that no one seems to have mentioned this problem on here before...
That dust is 100% organic and petrol fumes are from petrol which is made from oil which comes up from out of the ground and used to be a dead dinosaur, which used to be a living dinosaur- also organic.
WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM???
I've not noticed it and I've been almost every week. Did have one windy day, didn't notice anything.
Still waiting for the predicted closure "in the new year"
I haven't noticed either.
Reading the comment I can imagine it, just. But to say that the produce is damaged by the exhausts of the buses down Lewisham way is a bit excessive really.
I go to the market every week - NEVER noticed a problem of dust billowing over the car park like a Saharan storm or clouds of fumes settling on us like a Beijing taffic jam.
Some people just dont have enough in their lives to keep them occupied, do they? Get thee to Tescos - you can get everything hermetically sealed there.
I fear that anyone disappointed by Brockley Market has some crazy high standards.
I don't really like the "little bit of Shoreditch" bit in the TO article. BM is all Brockley.
NO
Went once,enough.
Too many 'yummy mummies' and some 'yummie daddies' in their own selfish space, not just coming, shopping leaving, but coming and settling with sprogs for an 'experience'
The Brockley Jack Theatre features quite widely!!
"NO
Went once,enough"
Thank christ for that.
not just coming, shopping leaving
It's the militant wing of the BDS
We are currently compiling a list, as you well know.
Enough of being ignored
Enough taxes on wet wipes
Enough *currently with the committee for a third demand
I find it's becoming somewhere for lunch. Nice for a £5 bacon sarnie. But I refuse to pay, on ideological grounds, a 200-300% mark up on stuff I can get in Tesco. There was a run of very cheap apples and pears, but actually a good percentage were pretty rotten, so no real saving really.
"What's the point in paying a premium for all this high quality artisan stuff, when it's literally covered in dirt from the street! I could pretty much taste grit in my mouth just from walking about, and it didn't even seem to be that windy."
Clearly you are a neurotic, with deep seated problems. Even pollution obsessed mungs don't go on like you. Get help, soon.
What "ideology" would that be?
It's a roaring success. Whatever the professional cynics say, it works. Don't want to visit or buy stuff, don't. Best thing to have happened to the area for ages and shows how ridiculous the critics were when they confidently predicted its failure.
Brockley optimists 1 - whinging misanthropic anons 0
At least the apples are from England, Kent even. Apples in supermarkets are more likely to be from New Zealand.
Yeah defs becoming more of a lunch place, reminds me of the worst aspects of Borough Market.
I actually also experienced a dust storm there a few weeks ago as well, it wasn't all that pleasant to be in, and put me off buying the food too.
1) I'm there almost every week and I've never noticed the dust.
2) Fruit and veg from the non-organic Perrycourt stall is a good bit cheaper than any supermarket. The organic one too, if you compare like-for-like. If you can get a big bag of purple sprouting broccoli from any supermarket for £1.50, I've yet to see it.
Still, eating broccoli probably marks me out as some sort of "yummy mungy" or whatever meaningless buzzword the idiots are droning on with this week. Moan away, cynics, you're cultivating that ulcer nicely. Organic, obv.
Can I disassociate myself from the comments of the above uncapitalised Nat.
I havn't had the Saharan experience at Brockley market yet and if I do, then it's back home for the flying goggles and carry on.
It's rapidly turning into a place to have lunch and a natter with your neighbours? Oh god, this is the end! How awful!
The anons are really reaching for things that are apparently terrible now that it's an established success story.
I like the market very much.
I'm sorry not going to leave my child unattended at home nor ignore people that i know just some moaners on a blog.
Anonymous 9 March 2012 23:17
said...
"I find it's becoming somewhere for lunch. Nice for a £5 bacon sarnie."
Why say you refuse to pay marked up prices on ideological grounds when you are prepared to pay £5 for a bacon sandwich? There are loads of places around here you can get them far cheaper than that. You are paying well over the odds for a sandwich, so why not do so for other food as well?
Top Chef do a bacon sarnie for £2 - fresh white, crusty bread, LOTS of bacon (done to your spec) and with an extra egg if you want it (hard or runny)... seems strange to waste money.
Gulen lamb shish £6. Mike+ollie slow cooked lamb wrap £6
Had both, both good. The mike+ollie one is better, in nicer surroundings. Also bought a bag of carrots for £1, bag of parsnips £1 and 6 onions £1.
£2 for a bacon sarnie? Can get them cheaper actually, in fact can do it yourself for less.
Point?
Point is that's the going rate for having someone do it for you..
The rate is dependant on the cost of the raw materials, the price the seller is prepared to sell for and the price the buyer is willing to pay. Yep, there is a premium for its location etc.
Personally I'm not prepared to spend a fiver for one, it's not a moral choice or a choice riddled wtih class conflict. Its a great market, people smile and chat. Small producers make a living. The guys on the Motherflipper stall must be 19, 20 at most. I was still squeezing spots at their age. Be happy, that little bit of the economy is booming.
The market is the best thing to happen to the area in a long time. I did go on a very windy Saturday but didn't notice the dust.
I always bring two kids and my dog, just to annoy people.
YOU LIKE AND DO THINGS I DON'T!! I MUST GET ANGRY AT YOU ON THE INTERNET!!
Why not just move New Cross?
It hasn't been mentioned but have you noticed that Brockley has many areas where you can procure a joint to accompany your Sunday roast? In fact most days, Brockley's air is adorned with a lovely welcoming aroma just the moment after you step on to the station platform.
Plenty of people know about that particular brand of locally-sourced, artisan fare. No problems with it myself but of course the NIMBYs hate it...
The Top Chef bacon sarnie is very salty and the bread is factory standard.
Probably just the ticket for an honest son of toil in need of refueling.
The takeaway food in the market is more of a treat.
The Mexican food is particularly tasty and quite uncommon in these parts.
I am keeping a wary eye on the price of the Scotch eggs, nice as they are.
Had my first piece of Top Chef 'fare' on Sunday.
Sausages really are the pits.
(Just chose anon because it's the quickest way to post my view up here)
Went to the market for the first time today, as I expected, lots of things I would have liked to buy but none of which were affordable. I paid 3.60 for the thinnest wedge of cheese possible to actually cut. It was by no means sensational to eat. And would have liked a jar of the honey but no, just wasn't able to justify the cost. Why are all these markets so expensive when you should be able to shop for better value? I won't be returning as its too depressing not having enough doe! In my opinion, on the whole its a rip off.
I'm looking forward to going down for the Top Chef roast dinner again tomorrow. They do excellent topside of beef.
"(Just chose anon because it's the quickest way to post my view up here)"
You could have posted a name in less than half the time it took you to write all that. Click on "Name/Url" write a name. You're done! :)
Haha yes suppose I could have! Am used to typing in a load of names that are aleady taken and setting up passwords... That's what I assumed it would be like setting up an ID on here... I'm not a big blog person, just felt it was a shame it's yet another very expensive 'market'
I's not really though is it?
I mean we've all discussed it and found that some fresh stuff is astoundingly cheaper than supermarkets and some other stuff maybe isn't.
suspect you mightn't be a very good shopper, erm, what did you say your name was again?
In my experience there is nothing on the market that is cheaper than in local supermarkets. I have my own reasons for going there but I don't fool myself I'm getting bargains.
Another useless shopper.
It has been discussed here ad nauseum that Mersham Games actual real tasting eggs beat the socks off Tesco, Sainsbury et als 'Fare' to a price factor of 0.86. There are other comparable bargains to be had but if you cant be asked yourself...
Great market. Good Honest etc.
Signed,the militant wing of the Saturday Market Consumers association.
I prefer more honest fare from Tesco Value range
No reason for you to pass comment here, then?
Quite a lot of anonymous's it's getting confusing, I posted about a ridiculously thin wedge of cheese for 3.60 but not the other ones about tesco etc. Seriously, it disappeared in the bit of paper it was wrapped in! I am sure there are better deals but I didn't want a load of cheap eggs, I fancied a little bit of cheese, but it wasnt that remarkable and very overpriced. That's all I wanted to convey. I happen to be a very good shopper thanks and have no choice but to manage funds carefully.
Fair enough.
Point taken.
Brockley Market fans, why not vote for it here in the Best Food Market category of the Food & Farming Awards (sorry, still haven't learnt how to do links)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/ffa/2012/nominate/food-market/
I am not linked to the market in any way, by the way - I just think the market deserves some recognition!
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