Portobello Market

Portobello Market

Monday 9 January 2012

Lovely old suitcases (obviously)

Despite living in London for a few years (well, near London) I'd never set foot in Portobello market until this Saturday. I finally had a wandering friend, as my lovely London host Sam was off work and free to spend a day ambling with me. So off we went, coffee in hand, to manoeuvre our way through the crowds of tourists.

It's worth a visit, though probably more to have a nose than to buy. If anything, it's hard to get close enough to the bloody stalls through the masses. But I'm always a fan of strolling through a market. Always. In fact, I would say it's one of my favourite things to do in a new city. Expect a post soon featuring my favourite markets from across the globe.

When you enter the market from the Notting Hill Gate tube, you begin with antiques, trinkets and jewellery. This soon turns into the food section, where you can buy what I call Wandering Food - crepes, waffles, falafel and Churos...

Sam and her Churos

Despite quite a lot of excitement at seeing fresh Churos for sale, I have to say they were a little disappointing. We got the old dregs that had been clearly sitting there for a while, and the dipping chocolate tasted like it had been watered down. If that's even possible - can you water down chocolate? Anyway. It wasn't great.

After the food, you'll reach the clothing section, where there's an OK selection of vintage and market-new items. There's also an astonishing amount of fur, which I found a little pathetic. One day I'll return, cradling a bunny, and stand next to the rabbit fur stand, stroking him and holding him out to the browsers.

Browsing the vintage clothing

To be honest, there are better places to find vintage in London. But as with all markets, stock is changing constantly, stalls are different each time, so go and spend a Saturday exploring an iconic London attraction.