Brockley Market has quickly established itself as one of the London’s leading showcases and outlets for artisan and small producers, with a reputation which extends far beyond our lovely patch of South London.
Researching this piece I was struck by the ingenuity and originality of the vendors who come together every Saturday in Lewisham College’s car park on Lewisham Way, and the prestigious list of their clients they supply.
The roster of traders reads like a who’s who of the movers and shakers of the slow food revolution, with a cast of colourful characters as engaging as the produce they sell. Argentinean brothers who hand make ice cream (The Ice Cream Union – try the gin & tonic sorbets), an Anglo-Austrian paring of a love of food and all things Austrian (Fleisch Mob) and a desire to initiate the unenlightened into the joys of ox tongue and cheek (Tongue and Cheek), to name but a few. This is Street Food Theatre.
Skip breakfast & skip along to Brockley this morning, where you should arrive peckish to say the least.
Snack on street food and marvel at the myriad of delights. Forgo the supermarket this weekend in favour of the joy of meeting the people who make, grow and raise what you are about to eat. After a chicken from Fosse Meadows or steak from Perry Court Farm you will never want to eat supermarket meat again. Veasey and Sons Fishmongers actually catch the fish they sell! How cool is that?! Buy farm fresh, organic and unpasteurised milk (Hook and Sons Raw Milk), perfect to wash down a whoopee pie from Kooky Bakes. Or stock up reserve preserves such as jarred Greek mezze products perfect for that impromptu picnic from Olive Branch Foods.
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Look out for some rising stars too; Nathan Mills (The Butchery) is one of a new breed of craft butchers spearheading a resurgence in this threatened trade, reinventing it for the 21st century and advocating it to a new audience. Mike and Ollie are one of the best and most happening things to happen to home catering since unsliced bread. Take a look at the duo’s imitable style - whose forays into foraging spill over unto their stunning table settings - at their website here. And whilst you are planning your party tuck into one of Mike and Ollie’s delicious flat breads; pan fried mackerel, slow cooked lamb or deep fried aubergine.
About the author: Lawrence is the owner of Roullier White, Lordship Lane, East Dulwich. You can also read Lawrence’s monthly shopping column in the SE Magazines group of magazines.
