16.11.15

#CityCountryLife : Local & Seasonal Food

My #CityCountryLife co-host, Lizzie & I chose this week's subject because food was really the inspiration for #CityCountryLife in the first instance. Back in the summer when Lizzie & I met up here in London, she commented on how great it was to have so many amazing shops on our doorstep and I replied that London certainly is great for fashion but not when it comes to food shopping. Our main supermarket is 10 mins away.... when there's no traffic, it can take up to an hour on a bad day, meaning that we have to rely on online orders or something like Little Waitrose/Sainsbury's Local ( other brands are available!) 

Obviously, a blog post all about supermarket shopping isn't exactly inspiring so instead, Lizzie and I decided to explore what was available in the way of Local and seasonal foods in London for me and Somerset for Lizzie. I knew that there were quite a few farmers markets in Kensington & Chelsea on a Saturday so we wandered on down to Duke of York Square, just off the Kings Road for the weekly food market. The market was started by the infamous Partridges Deli back in 2005 as a way of celebrating the diverse and evolving range of food on offer in London and to give small local businesses and farmers a platform to share their expertise with the public. 


I immediately made a beeline for Souvlaki Street!!  Souvlaki is one of my favourite foods, it's always our first port of call when we arrive in Greece! There used to be a great restaurant in Earl's Court which closed a few years ago and I have been on the look out for souvlaki in London ever since. Judging by the queue of greeks waiting in line- Greeks don't do queues - I knew this would be good!!  The souvlaki itself was really delicious, light and authentic, I even got to order in Greek too!


As it was pouring with rain, the plan was to buy some food and take it home for lunch. Of course, the little people couldn't wait and wolfed down Argentine empanadas, in the middle of Duke of York square, in the rain......






Wandering around the market we came across a gorgeous stall called Cookies and Cream, that sold delicious home made English fudge. We're trying to cut down on sugar but we totally broke the rules on this occasion and it was SO worth it! There were so many delicious variations which we were able to sample and we decided on Raspberry & Chocolate, Rum & Raisin and Chocolate & Chilli. It was seriously they best fudge I have ever tasted.




There was of course some locally grown produce on sale but thanks to the rain and a hangry aka my grumpy hungry husband, I forgot to photograph it. So here are some scrummy olives....


...... and some decadent cupcakes from Crumbs & Doilies for you to feast your eyes on :)


Mr Jones finally staved off the hunger pangs when we stumbled upon these pies from Pieminister.




Although it was raining it was quite a good day to visit the Food Market as it wasn't too busy and E was able to explore a little whist Rufio chilled in the buggy. They both loved seeing the food being cooked in front of them and chatting to people at the various stalls. Visiting a food market is a great and educational way to get children interested in a variety of foods and it actually encouraged my two to try things that they would normally shy away from. There are a few farmers markets in our area, especially with Christmas coming so we will be making a point of visiting a few more in future.

If you have any Local & Seasonal food related blog posts then, please do share using the Linky below. Don't forget, sharing is caring peeps!






P.S. Next week's #CityCountryLife topic is Out and About - how do you travel around with kids, e.g. do you go everywhere by car, bus or even by scooter?


4 comments

  1. What great photos and so good that you weren't put off by the rain! Last time I was in London, I went to the Borough (I think that's right?) market with friends - under the big bridge by the Thames? It was so cool and we could've easily eaten/drunk our way through pretty much every stand. It was also raining but sheltered so an extra excuse to stay! #CityCountryLife

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    1. Yes you're right it is called Borough Market! I could definitely have visited every stand at Duke of York Square too if it wasn't for a hungry/grumpy husband and the rain :)
      Thanks so much for linking up ti #CityCountryLife

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  2. This is such a great post Becca, it makes me want to get out whatever the weather, I might need to purchase a hat I never feel quite prepared for winter. Loved the greek food and E looks like she's enjoying it! Hubby looks happy with the pie too it must be a man thing! Lizzie xo #CityCountryLife

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    1. Thanks Lizzie! the greek food was amazing but I think they were only there as a one off which is a real shame. It gives me an excuse to try other stalls though otherwise I'd be going back to Souvlaki Street every Saturday :)
      xx

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