On the rare occasion that I actually woke up early on a Saturday, and because it was a really beautiful sunny day in London, I decided to make the journey across town for some serious foodie indulgence. I've been eager to visit Brockley Market since discovering it through Twitter, drawn by artisan breads, cheese and the promise of pulled pork. As an added bonus, I took my boyfriend with me so I could eat half of everything he bought. Everybody wins.
After travelling for an hour from West to East - including a novelty trip on the DLR - we found the market which was actually much smaller than I expected; randomly located in a car park near Lewisham. The effort instantly paid off as there is no shortage of amazing food on offer, and the array of delicious smells made me feel slightly rabid with anticipation. I did a quick 360 of the market and earmarked my targets. The first stop was Flesich Mob for some Austrian grub. Before you even get to the eating, this guy is good fun to watch as he happily bops his way around the kitchen making schnitzel sandwiches to the dulcet tones of Otis Redding. Sorry, but this place isn't suitable for dieters, no matter how many 'Points' you have saved up. There's more than just a twinge of guilt (or is that chest pain?) when you see the pork schnitzel being fried in about a pint of oil and butter. Although it really does look delicious, and I'm a firm believer in the 'no pain no gain' philosophy. (There's also a philosophy which says 'Fuck it, it's Saturday' that I'm quite keen on too.) Served on rye bread with sweet and spicy homemade chutney (possibly beetroot, couldn't tell) and a squeeze of lemon, this is some seriously good schnit. |
| Pork Schnitzel |
After stuffing your face at the scene of the crime, there are also lots of nice stalls with goodies you can take away to eat in the privacy of your own bath. We had some good chat with the chicas at Flavours of Spain who were selling delicious chorizo iberico, and also Cabrales - 'the strongest cheese in spain' - which is more than a little piquante and not for the faint-hearted cheese lover (at least it didn't suit my relatively cheese-naive companion). Plus theres also a good selection of vegetables, from seasonal to weird and wonderful - I'm now regretting not buying Vitelotte potatoes for the sheer novelty of purple mash - and a friendly free-range butcher with reasonably priced, ethically sourced meats. This may not make the smoked streaky bacon I bought taste any better tomorrow morning, but it keeps Jamie Oliver happy.
As previously confessed, having halved (/stolen) the first instalment of lunch it was now time for round 2. In my mind there was no competition, it had to be buttermilk fried chicken bap from Spit & Roast (it is South London after all). Served with fennel slaw and korean hot sauce on a sesame bun this is one of the most satisfying sandwiches I have ever eaten! I'm not sure what witchcraft goes into making that chicken so perfect, but it is off the scale of tenderness (if there is such a scale). The are also serving up Poutine: fries (chips!) topped with cheese and meat stew, which, for a Glaswegian, ticks all the boxes and will definitely be top the list on my next visit. 
The market closes quite early at 2pm, so we got some cupcakes for the road from Kooky Bakes before getting the bus to "do something not food related." Reluctantly. It was slim pickin's at closing time but a cookie dough cupcake did the trick. That salty, doughy chocolatey goodness was a smart purchase as it gave me something to nibble on while we wandered through the Tate Britain afterwards, where I spent most of my time fondly remembering the buttermilk fried chicken.
All in all, this place is absolutely worth the visit, even just for a tasty al fresco lunch on a Saturday. It's got a great atmosphere too; packed full of bona fide foodies as well as locals and their families (and dogs). It might even be worth setting the alarm for on a Saturday morning, and that's saying something.
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