The Review - FOOD & DRINK- The Market Place for the local shopper with DON & JOHN Published: 20 Decemeber 2007
A giant Christmas log is just one of the amazing range of gateaux on offer at the Golden Gate Dessert House, 110 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1
Cream of Christmas markets
Don Ryan goes in search of festive fare on the streets
SPROUTS, potatoes parsnips; mince pies, Christmas puddings, and cream for the trifle – these are a few of our favourite Christmas things. Buying them is, of course, easy. Head for the supermarket, it’s simple, one-stop shopping. Just load the trolley, pay at the checkout and you’re done. You’d have to be nuts to forego this simple process and shop elsewhere.
Last weekend the streets were teeming with nutters.
Hundreds of them were to be found round the back of William Tyndale School, off Upper Street in Islington. They were there to trade with farmers, some of whom had come from as far away as Devon and Somerset. Among them was Dave Paull, a third-generation son of the soil. His family have been farming Guernsey cows on Hurdlebrook farm since 1953. “Once you’ve tasted our cream, all others will fade into insignificance,” he declared. His creams, milk, yoghurts and cheeses are untreated and made with skill and patience, without cutting corners and are consequently full of natural goodness and strong on flavour.
A couple of stalls away were ladies who grow. On display were several kinds of carrots, parsnips and other in-season root vegetables, all grown on a smallholding near the beautiful unspoilt village of Denham in Buckinghamshire. Cultivate, pick and sell is the philosophy. This ultra fresh veg does not hang around in storage depots. Some of the lettuce is picked on Sunday morning for sale later in the day.
They and other farmers will be back on Sunday (December 23) with lots of unique goodies for the Christmas holiday, including home-made organic Christmas puddings and buffalo cheese which can be eaten by those with a dairy allergy. Brussel sprouts on a stem and ideal potatoes for roasting will also be available.
Further south, Covent Garden Piazza was swarming with people. Thousands mill around a “12 days of Christmas food” market, which is in full swing.
Seafood, cheeses, mince pies, Christmas puddings and much more are available to take away, while hog rolls, bratwurst sausages, mushroom risotto, freshly cooked turkey, and glasses of mulled wine are on tap until Sunday for immediate consumption.
Sprinkled around the market, tenors and sopranos sing opera, as a choir and a stringed combo give forth. Jugglers, clowns and magicians also perform, while above the crowds a young lady cavorts on a trapeze, attached to a luminous giant balloon. Meanwhile, in a half dozen nearby supermarkets, piped Christmas music pervades the atmosphere.
I was searching for a four-bird roast. A similar beast, the three-bird turducken, was a big hit in the US during the recent Thanksgiving festivities.
Creating this dish involves stuffing a deboned chicken inside a similarly prepared duck, both are then inserted inside a partially deboned turkey. Finally, the gaps in between are filled with stuffing.
Waitrose are offering a four-bird version for £200, while at Covent Garden Christmas market a farming outfit called The Parsons Nose is offering a guinea fowl, partridge, chicken and turkey combination for £120.
Crowds were also gathering near Kentish Town Station and at the side of the Kentish Town Co-Op where a new generation of veg stalls offers a comprehensive range of produce. Cut-price pineapples and avocados jostle for attention, alongside large bowls overflowing with apples, oranges, plums, bananas and grapes.
Each bowl costs £1, and heads of garlic can be had for a few pence.
Further down the road (at 186) the Lebanese-owned Phoenicia food emporium is stuffed full of Mediterranean fare. Boxes of dried fruit and Turkish delight sit cheek-by-jowl with a large selection of Panettone fruit bread. The lighter Panettone is fast becoming an alternative to traditional Christmas puddings and cakes.
Fortunately, many of us will enjoy a bountiful Christmas, surrounded by family and friends. But for others, circumstances or the vagaries of life can make this a lonely and unpleasant season.
The Salvation Army at 10-16 Haverstock Hill NW3, opposite Chalk Farm Tube station, are opening their doors to all-comers, from 9am to 3.30pm on Christmas Day and extending an invitation to Christmas dinner.
Major James Williams, the Sally Ann’s commanding officer in Camden, assures me the ambiance will be party-like and the atmosphere easy-going.
For those who feel there should be more to Christmas then gratuitous consumption and unbridled revelry, organisations such as the London Mobile Christmas Service still require some volunteers on Christmas Eve to assist at their day centres, including one in Kentish Town. Visit www. mobilexmas.org.uk or phone 07751 164243.
A list of Christmas and farmers markets can be found at www.thecnj. co.uk
And a Merry Christmas to you all!
Marylebone Farmers Market When: Sunday 10am to 2pm
Where: Cramer Street Car park, W1
Tube: Baker Street or Bond Street
Finchley Road Farmers Market Where: 02 Centre car park, near Homebase. Finchley Road, NW3
When: Wednesdays 10am to 3pm
Buses: 13, 82 & 113. 268 & 187 go into car park
Tube: Finchley Road, West Hampstead
Train: West Hampstead, Finchley Road
Free parking if you shop at Homebase
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