shopping at the farmer's market, kensington

why go all the way to borough or brixton when there is a lovely farmer's market in my very own area? especially when it's a cold saturday and the wind feels glacial! i recently heard about the saturday morning farmer's market in kensington which is set-up in the parking lot behind waterstone's at notting hill gate, just off kensington church road, and is open between 9 am and 1 pm. i didn't want to buy too many fresh fruits and vegetables this week as i'm leaving for frankfurt this afternoon and won't be back till later in the week. i focused on finding a few interesting foods that can last a lot longer.

a beautiful jar of goat cheese with cloves and red chillis caught my attention at first glance. on chatting with the owner of the cheese stall, i learnt about the healthful properties of goat cheese with its low fat and cholestrol content. i also liked the idea of having cheese on hand always. i was told that this jar would last upto six months. look for many goat cheese recipes!

i was also very tempted to buy many jars of various garlicky spreads from the garlic farm but restrained myself to a single purchase - a sharp tasting garlic horseradish mustard which i think would be lovely on toasted bread with eggs.



i then made my way towards holland park avenue to seek out this no-name fruit and vegetable merchant on clarendon road which many of my neighbours rave about. after asking a few people, i was able to find this tiny shop tucked away in a small gulley, away from the main road.



what's most special about this store is that you are attended to individually and can be assured of the choicest selection of hand-picked fruits and vegetables you desire. you queue up and wait to be served and then you can take your own sweet time with the expert attendant helping you, picking all the produce to your hearts content. from mangoes and papayas to rhubarb and leeks, lingonberries and strawberries to jerusalem artichokes and turnips, you can find just about every fruit or vegetable. i was a bit disappointed that they didn't stock fresh curry leaves but the owner promised to have them for me next saturday. now that's personal service.

i walked through holland park on my way home enjoying a bit of sunshine despite the chill. it was a beautiful walk through this woody park which is considered one of the most natural and peaceful parks in london.

if you like, check out the photos from my food shopping trip and walk through holland park on my way home yesterday.