“THANKS FOR ALL THE LOVE” – CRYSTAL PALACE FOOD MARKET
From the Crystal Palace Food Market: We want to thank Palace for all the love we have received (we’ve totally taken over the #bbcfoodawards twitter feed) and it is clear that this is the best loved community market.
For that we also have to thank the Transition Town movement, and our very own amazing Crystal Palace Transition Town, and all the volunteers that have made the market and all our other projects possible.
Doncaster Market is a council run market of 400 stalls in a struggling city, which is doing much to regenerate the centre.
We’re so happy that they have won and hope it will help bring the market more and more visitors.
We also met up with Neil Buttery from Levenshulme Market and found we had some kindred spirits in Manchester.
There were lots of London winners too, The Food Assembly for Best Food Initiative, Square Root for Best Drink and Randolph Hodgson, owner and Chairman of Neil’s Yard Dairy. Our market has much to thank him for, he fought and won the battle for raw milk cheese in the UK and Neil’s Yard Dairy has been the champion of the small cheese producer in the UK, including Blackwood’s Cheese, which is joining our market very soon.
We also met the Farming Hero Joan Bomford, 82 and her runner up, a 17 year old Cameron Hendry (who has taken on the family farm after the death of his father) and one of our heroines, judge Joanna Blythman, author of “Swallow This”, which exposes the use of the chemicals used in processed food.
One of the best things about the night was the music, and coming from Palace, we kept finding ourselves chatting or dancing with the musicians (it’s a hard life). First up was a group of Newcastle musicians who had put together an amazing percussionist piece using kitchen utensils (and an old mouldy carrot) which they had sourced in second hand shops – amazing!.
They were followed by Baraka, a unique combination of musicians from Ghana, Senegal, Dominica, Germany, Trinidad and Southern Ireland. You couldn’t keep us off the dance floor. We have to say though – the food itself was pretty pants!
There has been an unbelievable response to our BBC Food & Farming awards Best Market nomination and we’re listing some of the blogs below. We are almost overwhelmed by the things that have been written:-
Lover of Creating Flavours – Anita-Clare Field
Kitchen Counter Culture – Annie Levy
Crystal Palace Transition Town – Laura Jane Stacey
Toast and Butter – Anne Richardson
And we’ve been on the Robert Elm’s show!
Saturday 2 May at the Market:
Fish, meat, veg, fruit, flowers, eggs, butter, raw milk, bread, charcuterie, pasta, store cupboard refills, cleaning product refills, gluten free, vegan, salads, juices, cakes, pastries, lunch, gifts & coffee.
Guest lunch – Cheese Raclette: Emma tells me they’ve got a brand new dish this week – nachos with raclette cheese and choice of guacamole, salsa, sour cream & hummus. All homemade. Yum. Plus the favs – the super melty tastiest cheese on earth (raclette) on new potatoes or fresh bread, served with pickles, Cauliflower raclette cheese, Kiddies cheese toasties with various toppings optional from ketchup to chocolate.
Flowers by ClaraFlora: Locally grown blooms in pretty bouquets at very good prices.
Lunch – weekly stalls: Deli items from Comfort & Joy, beef or lamb burgers from Jacob’s Ladder, proper ham sandwiches from The Charcuterie Board.
Handmade pasta – all available gluten free or traditional – by Pastificio Mansi: Emanuela says “Ciao Crystal Palace, we have… Ravioli sun dried tomato capers, Oregano & almond ravioli, Meat tortellini , Tortelloni Verdi, Mozzarella, cotto ham Parmesan halfmoon, Mushroom & Parmesan ravioli, Broccoli and n’ duja cappellacci. Sauce – Tomato sauce.
Cakes from Cakertree: Homemade cakes full of flavour.
Fish: Dan’s back from hols, and he tells me “Spring has most certainly sprung and summer is coming! With that brings our new season fish. We’ve seen some black bream and some grey mullet showing which is great news. The mixed catches are even more varied this time of year as we still have some of the winter fish hanging around and the new summer fish pushing forwards along the channel. Crab and lobster are getting better and better and we will see the mussels spawning soon as the water gets warmer. This is the time to be a fisherman – warmer days and lighter nights make life on the water better and less wind makes for calmer seas”
You can place an order in advance, or make a special request by phone on 01342 822906, by email on [email protected] and on Twitter @FishmongersFR Veasey and Sons.
Meat: 20% off Jacob’s Ladder’s handmade burgers made using fresh organic herbs from Plawhatch Farm. Jacob’s Ladder Farms is a collection of small scale organic and biodynamic farms scattered throughout Kent and East Sussex that have come together to be able to sell a full range of meat raised in natural and traditional ways. To place an order phone Jayne Duveen on 07565 303 559 or email.
British cured meats from Moons Green & Native Breeds on The Charcuterie Board stall: Owen says “Wow, I couldn’t believe how quickly our pork scratchings flew away last Saturday, so there will be double this time. They’re big, crunchy, and totally addictive. No pork belly this week I’m afraid, but plenty of pastrami and ham by the slice as well as nduja, air-dried pork buttock, a range of saucisson, beer sticks and beef sticks. Proper ham sandwiches all day too.”
Storecupboard refills from The Grain Grocer: Wade says “Hiya, we’ll be grinding coffee beans by Source Climate Change Coffee. We also have a lovely selection of herbal teas. Washing up liquid is back in stock and a fresh batch of apricots have just landed.” Wade, Tara & Tomasz’s new website is up and running. If you’re in a rush on Saturdays you can now pre order on the website for “click and collect”.
Raw milk, butter, cream etc: From Hook and Son’s farmer Steve’s own organic herd near Eastbourne. The cows went back out into the pasture last week so everything will start tasting sweeter. There may also be some ethically raised rose veal from their own herd. Meet the farmer’s son Will Hook on the stall – we even had Steven Hook himself on the stall recently – you can find out more in the great film, “Moo-Man” or Check out Hook farmer Steve on telly. Available until 14 May.
Preserves by Imogeni: Beautifully preserved traditional homemade jams, jellies & chutneys.
Virtue or Vice: Chrissie will have her trademark raw chocolate bars in different sizes and flavours as well as espresso truffles sold in bags of 4 or 6, and if time allows her chocolate honey nut caramel cookies (I hope so – those bikkies are amazing).
Fruit, veg & salad: Stein & crew at Brambletye, Jason, Paul, Tim etc at Brockmans, Adrian et al at Wild Country Organics and our own CP Patchwork Farm posse.
Jobs at Brambletye Fruit Farm: Stein says “we have 2 full time job openings coming up. The job would include working on site at our farm and also trading at farmers markets on Saturdays and Sundays. The applicant must hold a full uk driving license. If you cannot do full time then we are open to job sharing. We also have part time weekend work available. For more information please call 07867740040. Thanks.”
Brockmans: Jason says “Thanks this week go out to mother nature for her boundless energy and ability to provide wonderful things like the above wild garlic. The farm has also been very productive and all markets will benefit as a result. If you have never tried them, purslane, corn salad and land cress are interesting and tasty and are usually tucked away on the stall somewhere.
Topaz apples are new this week. Please ask staff for a sample. On the apple front, we have been sampling some new organic apple and pear juices and we have been impressed. I will give you a heads up when they are available. This will be the last week of Moro (blood oranges) but next week we will have Sanguinello.
Also on the stalls: wild garlic, lettuce, spring greens, mixed salad, black and green kale, kohl rabi, mustard leaf, broccoli, beetroots, carrots, onions, squash and much more. For market news, tweets & photographs: Brockmans Farm
On The Farm: There was a flurry of activity at the start of the week as forecasts dampened ideas of a week in the fields planting; the fields have been cultivated, de-stoned and bed-formed all ready for onion sets to be planted. One team used a transplanter to try and help speed up work along with a another team working by hand to make sure everything went safely into the ground. That evening Patrick Brockman dedicatedly rolled them in before the nights rainfall took hold – check out more pictures and videos on the farm Twitter feed!
The seed sowing is going well and we’re almost beginning to challenge ourselves for room! The propagation tunnels are veritably overflowing and the tables outside will soon welcome more plants ready to experience their first few days in their new environment. In the tunnels room is slowly being cleared as lettuce finishes and is re-worked ready for a new crop whilst khol rabi and spring garlic slowly start to be harvested, a bounty begins, we hope you enjoy it!”
Recipe – Brockmans Rhubarb Chutney: 500g rhubarb, 1 medium onion, 100ml cider vinegar/similar, 1/2″ ginger, 200g sugar, 1/2 tbsp Salt. Trim and wash rhubarb, thinly sliced. Cook all ingredients for 5mins on a rolling boil before adding in the rhubarb. Reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes to reduce, then when thickened store in sterilised jars or enjoy!”
Patchwork Farm: Buy, sell or swap locally grown produce. This week – mint plants, salad, rhubarb and chard. Please do bring any excess seedlings you might like to exchange. We’ll have ‘Palace Produce” seedlings from our Tudor Road greeenhouse for sale to help you get started. Let’s get growing.
Want to garden, but don’t have a space of your own? Join the Patchwork Farm crew at the Edible Garden in Westow Park, or at St John’s on Auckland Road. Check the Transition Town diary for details.
Eggs: From Brambletye & Hook.
Bread: From Chas & Momo’s Thornton Heath bakery, Bread Bread (at the Grain Grocer) and Brockwell Bake (on Jacob’s Ladder).
Handmade Palace: South London inspired prints, cards, tea towels, cushions, tote bags and plates – from £2.50, French notice boards £17.50, Organic toothpaste from £4, Candles from £2, Crochet work from £4, Ceramics from £2 Handmade garments and accessories (new maker). Gift wrapping available. Email Beth for more information, or to ask about joining.
Buskers Paradise will be entertaining us from midday.
Antenna Cafe: will be open all day for coffee, cake or glass of something stronger if you prefer.
Would your kid like a taste of being on a stall? Free stalls available for kids, run by kids, swapping books, stickers, cars etc. Get in touch via email. For ages 6 and up.
Into yoga/ballet/zumba or more? Check out the classes at Antenna Studios.
Check out our next door neighbours Haynes Lane Market. It’s a treasure trove of collectables in there!
The Foodbank needs: tinned fruit, tinned rice pudding, tinned veg (except sweetcorn), fruit juice, small jars of coffee & jam. New write up here. Total donated so far 395.5kg! Thanks everyone. Collection point at the market every week.
Good stuff locally
We’re part of Crystal Palace Transition Town. There’s always something going on – check out our calendar. Wondering who we are, what we do, or how you could get involved? Our new blog section is a great place to start.
Crystal Palace Festival is starting a Street Arts Academy as funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, kicking off with an inspiration evening at the library on 14 May. If you have kids aged between 10 and 15, this may be for them. Pick up a leaflet at the market on the Patchwork Farm stall.
CRYSTAL PALACE FOOD MARKET bottom of Haynes Lane / top of Bedwardine Road. Saturdays 10 am to 3 pm.
Now on two sites – the normal Antenna car park site and also in the Haynes Lane market courtyard.
“Meat, vegetables, fruit, eggs, honey, bread, cakes, salads, hot foods, the Cafe Thing, coffee, tea, pastries, cheese, dairy and munch munch more.”
West Norwood Food bank collection: every week at the market. Their shopping list – which changes every so often. – can be found at
http://norwoodbrixton.foodbank.org.uk
(The following is copied from an email; which mentions various links – for full links please go to the market website – Thanks)
