These are synopses of my past postings on markets, shops and hospitality exhibitions. Click on the links for the posts.
| October 14, 2009 |  | Seafood... Eat It! | I can't believe it's been almost two years since I last posted about a food market! It's not that I haven't been to any during that period - more that I've not found the time to take all the photos and write it all up. But I'm making amends with a post that I've been working on for a while. It's the amazing Mercado Central de València, where I've focused on the seafood section.
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| March 24, 2008 |  | Viva Alimentaria | Alimentaria - the biggest food show in Europe - came to town last week, but demands of work meant that I couldn't attend. What made this even worse was that the restaurant was packed out every day with... visitors to Alimentaria! So I had to settle for reading about the exhibition and collating together some photos and a video clip to give an idea about the show.
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| February 17, 2008 |  | Eating Out On Las Ramblas | This post was not exactly about food shops, but I couldn't bring myself to file it under "restaurant reviews". Barcelona is a city with fantastic sources of fresh food and excellent restaurants. But take a stroll down Las Ramblas and you'll find all the usual suspects of the fast food trade and both tourists and locals munching away. Sad, but unsurprising I suppose.
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| November 12, 2007 |  | A Visit To La Boqueria | On a Monday - when I'm on a rest day from work - I like to explore the sights of Barcelona, both the tourist haunts and places frequented by the locals. Last Monday I visited the amazing Mercat de la Boqueria, the city's oldest and most extensive covered food market. Boqueria is a wonderland of sights, sounds and fresh produce. It's also where many of Barcelona's top chefs source their ingredients, including my own head chef Arnau. |
| September 05, 2007 |  | Ugly Fruit And Carbon Footprints | I've been meaning to write something about my favourite supermarket, Waitrose, for a long time. Eventually I was spurred to action by a radio feature in which new MD Mark Price was interviewed about the chain's philosophy. And I found a video clip about Waitrose selling "ugly" fruit, i.e. fruit that failed to meet Class 1 standards and would normally be dumped. I don't expect everyone to agree, but these are my thoughts.
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| June 30, 2007 |  | Borough Market Tour Video | As a follow-up to the recent gastro tour of Borough Market, the organisers, Trustedplaces, have published a tour video. Taken together with the excellent photos that many food bloggers have published, this video makes a perfect introduction to the market for those who have never been there. And I'm in it!
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| June 21, 2007 |  | Destination: Foodie Heaven | On Friday I was invited, along with food writers and other food bloggers, on a gastro tour of Borough Market in Southwark - a food heaven that I already now quite well. I enjoyed some great food, wine and company and, incidentally, lost my oyster virginity while there.
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| May 02, 2007 |  | We Live In A Beautiful World | Most of us are so used to buying our food in supermarkets that we have forgotten where it comes from. Many kids in school don't know that pork comes from pigs or that apples grow on trees. We live in a beautiful world of food and Market Gardeners International is encouraging us all to make better use of it.
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| January 29, 2007 |  | Broadway Market In Pictures | Broadway Market is the street where my local farmer's market takes place every Saturday. Last weekend there was a break in the weather for a few hours and the sun came out. Here's a Flickr display of the stalls and shops in Broadway Market, Hackney.
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| December 17, 2006 |  | Borough Market In Pictures | Last weekend we went to the amazing Borough Market (near to London Bridge) with the new camera and took loads of photos. I've managed to work out how to create a Flickr display of pictures. So welcome to Borough Market!
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| October 12, 2006 |  | Prosciutto, Jambon, Presunto, Jamón! | I'm a huge fan of a good ham. Today my dad went to Gallo Nero (our favourite Italian delicatessen in nearby Stoke Newington) and brought home some of Michael's wonderful roast Tuscan ham. We buy this regularly, amongst other great imported Italian delicacies. |
| October 11, 2006 |  | Delicious In Any Language | One little place that won me over the moment I walked through the door was Marios - a tiny Portuguese oasis just down the road from the massive Wood Green shopping complex. Cross the threshold and you are transported to a Portuguese village store.
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| September 29, 2006 |  | Portuguese Food On-Line | I've been written to by this on-line food and wine supplier based in Matosinhos in the commercial zone just north of Porto. This is a location very much in my "home" territory when I'm in Portugal, and I often visit Norteshopping in nearby Maia. I'm happy to put a link on my website. |
| September 21, 2006 |  | The Restaurant Show 2006 | Yesterday I paid my second visit to The Restaurant Show, which features demos from some of the country's top chefs and promotes industry products and services. Peter Gordon of The Providores runs the NZ-UK Link competition. Last year's winner was Sophie Wright from my college and I met her and Peter at the show. |
| September 10, 2006 |  | Broadway Market | When I was young, Broadway Market was somewhere you avoided after dark. Failing businesses, graffitti-laden walls and regular gang warfare. Then Hackney Council and local traders launched the Saturday food market. Now the market is a fountain of culture, eccentricity and organic produce, flowing with a clientele of upmarket "new-age yuppies".
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| August 13, 2006 |  | Fishing For Compliments | I decided to cook sardines last night. You should always buy the freshest produce and in the case of fish this is critical. Living in Hackney, finding the best fish is a no-brainer. I got my sardines from the amazing Steve Hatt in Essex Road Islington. One of the best fishmongers in London. |
