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Cardiff Market

Posted by Unknown Monday, March 24, 2014 0 comments

If ever I visit a town/city that I don't know well, I always like to start with the market. The best places for food nearly always have good markets - and Cardiff has a wonderful market.

There's been a market here for a long time. As a sign above the entrance tells you, the current building was opened in 1891.

As you go through the doors, there's Sullivans, with a colourful display of fresh fruit and vegetables:

Opposite them, there's E Ashton Fishmongers:

who are Wales largest independent fishmongers, and have been in Cardiff Market since 1866!

When I called they had razor clams:

and also sea bream and Welsh sea bass on offer:

There are 6 different butchers in the market. Gary Anthony had this attractive display:

which included ribs of beef, rabbit and Welsh lamb chops.

J T Morgan have been trading since 1861:

They sell free range and organic meat and poultry to some of Cardiff's top restaurants.

Our Victorian ancestors knew how to build good markets - it's a nice light airy building.

Underneath the clock tower is Clancy's:

where vegetarians and vegans are very well catered for. They sell fresh food which is made by themselves, and also local chefs. They have an interesting range of herbs and exotic spices, including nine different sorts of dried chillies!

Another stall sells Mediterranean foods:

The Bread Stall sells fresh bread and cakes, including these Welsh cakes:

I'll finish off with another picture of Yeates Fruit and Veg:

I'm sure if more people used our markets, they would be happier (no BOGOFs to make you buy stuff to throw away), healthier, and richer (as prices are very reasonable)!

Cardiff Market
St Mary Street
Cardiff
CF10 1AU

Tel: 029 2087 1214

Web: www.cardiff-market.co.uk

Northwich - Dilworth's Fish, Poultry & Game

Posted by Unknown Friday, November 22, 2013 0 comments

Dilworths Seafood and Game (and Derek the fisherman - pictured above) have been popular with shoppers for years. This summer the shop (and Derek) relocated to new premises (not far from Marks & Spencer).

John Moore has worked for Dilworths for 42 years:

and knows a lot about fish. The fish is top quality:

I love fish, but it can be expensive. In this shop I was well looked after - John could see how poor I was, so he sold me 4 red mullet fillets for just £5:

It will be interesting to see what effect the new Waitrose supermarket has on local traders. I suspect they won't be able to compete on price or quality here.

Besides fish, there's Whitby crab, prawns and smoked trout:

and they also sell haggis, poultry, game, sauces and rubs.

Dilworth's Fish, Poultry & Game
5 Leicester Street
Northwich
Cheshire
CW9 5LA

Tel: 01606 41767

Warrington - Andrew's Fish Game & Poultry

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, August 28, 2013 0 comments

Some of the best fishmongers I've found are in markets, and Andrew's Fish Game & Poultry in Warrington Market is one of the best I've found.

In 2010 Andrew Leicester won the BBC's Young Fishmonger of the year, and so if you want some expert filleting this is the place to come.

In the competition Andrew had to prepare dishes like an exotic seafood platter, but he's just as happy telling you what's in season (and good value) and the best way to cook you purchases.

When I called fresh seat trout was in season:

They also have a good selection of shellfish including crabs and lobster

razor clams and surf clams:

and brown shrimps from Morecambe Bay:

They also sell poultry and when in season, game. Some of the game comes from the nearby Arley Estate and venison comes from North Wales and Scotland. They may also have locally farmed wild boar.

Andrew's Fish Game & Poultry
Stall 14-19
Warrington Market
Bank Street
Warrington
Cheshire
WA1 2EN

Tel: 01925 634527

Mobile: 07826724354

Web: www.andresfishgameandpoultry.com

Kington - The Grapevine

Posted by Unknown Saturday, August 10, 2013 0 comments

I love British cherries, and this year has been a great year for them. The boxes above were outside the Grapevine - a wonderful shop in Kington, which is a lovely historic market town.

Despite being to the west of Offa's Dike, Kington is actually situated in Herefordshire. It's near to Hergest Ridge, which Mike Oldfield made famous in the 1970s.

I had quite a job getting an unobstructed picture of the outside of the Grapevine :

as everyone who walked past this shop would stop, and look at the beautiful produce, and then go in. I'm not sure whether to describe this shop as a greengrocer, a fishmonger or delicatessen, - it does all three. They specialise in organic produce and also sell game when in season.

The displays of veg were stunning:

Much of the produce is very local, including these cherries.

A local supermarket was boasting "half price cherries", at the Grapevine they were a fraction of that cost (and better tasting).

Inside the shop they sold Welsh crabs and lobsters, I got there later than I intended and the lady in front bought the last one. I'll get there earlier next time!

The Grapevine
31 High Street
Kington
HR5 3BJ

Tel: 01544 231202

Bramhall - Cheshire Fish

Posted by Unknown Sunday, July 28, 2013 0 comments

Cheshire Fish was one of the first fishmongers I mentioned in this blog, when I visited their amazing shop in Roe Street (that address for a fishmonger always makes me smile) in Macclesfield.

I didn't realise, at the time, that they also have a shop in the precinct in Bramhall:

There's a good selection of fish here, with all the usual:

but you can also get less common fish, like the John Dory I spotted (excuse the pun) at the top of this post.

Cheshire Fish Ltd
16 Bramhall Lane South
Bramhall
Stockport
SK7 1AW

Tel: 0161 439 1261

Clitheroe - Wellgate Fisheries

Posted by Unknown Tuesday, April 30, 2013 0 comments

Wellgate Fisheries is in Clitheroe, and is on the wonderful Ribble Valley Food Trail. They have a shop in Clitheroe Market three days a week, and I visited their shop on Wellgate:

They source sustainably caught fish where possible, and buy direct from fishermen on the Lancashire and Cumbrian coasts, and also in Manchester fish market. They also operate a wholesale business from Manchester, and supply many of the top restaurants in the area, and supply chef Breda Murphy with the ingredients for her famous fish pie.

Kippers come from Loch Fyne, or the Isle of Man.

Depending on the time of year there may be Morecambe Bay brown shrimps, or Lune estuary whitebait, and sea trout from the River Lune. There's also crabs from the Cumbrian coast.

Wellgate Fisheries
5 Wellgate
Clitheroe
Lancashire
BB7 2DS

Tel: 01200 423511

Web: www.wellgatefisheries.co.uk

Wilmslow - Northwest Fish

Posted by Unknown Tuesday, February 19, 2013 0 comments

Wilmslow, with its Incredible Edible project and fantastic Artisan Market, has already had several mentions in this blog. In fact I'd gone back to visit the latter when I noticed a new fishmonger on Grove Street.

It's a family run business, which has only been open 2 weeks, and is already doing a steady trade.

There's a wide range of top quality fresh and smoked fish.

There's also crayfish tails and brown shrimps:

crabs, mussels, oysters and prawns.

In a couple of weeks they're hoping to open a fish restaurant above the shop.

Northwest Fish
Grove Street
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 1DU

Tel: 01625 525995

Web: www.facebook.com/northwestfish

Paul Hallidays of Birkdale

Posted by Unknown Tuesday, July 3, 2012 0 comments

One of my favourite food writers is Matthew Fort. In his blog, Fort on Food, he recently had a recipe for a brown shrimp salad, and mentioned that the shrimps in Waitrose came from Holland and were not quite as good as the ones he used to get from Morecambe Bay.

I was recently in Birkdale, so went to Paul Hallidays fishmonger:

to check you can still get Southport shrimps. And yes they sell fresh brown shrimps (pictured at the top of this post), and also the potted variety.

I'm fed up of seeing not much more than salmon in some fish counters at supermarkets, but here you can buy a wide range of in season fish like hake, lemon sole, plaice, skate wings and turbot. They also some freshly boiled wild lobsters and crabs and also samphire.

They also sell poultry and game and do ready prepared sauces and meals.

Paul Hallidays
Fishmonger
28 Liverpool Road
Southport
PR8 4AY

Tel: 01704 551524

Oxford Covered Market

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, June 6, 2012 0 comments

The Covered Market in Oxford was opened 1774, and is one of my favourites. If you enter from the entrance on The High:

you'll soon find Ben's Cookies:

who started in this market and now have 10 outlets in the UK, and also trade in Saudi Arabia, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.

It was originally built for butchers (and had 40 shops), to clear "untidy, messy and unsavoury stalls" from the streets of Oxford. Today there's just four butchers, which are smart and attractive:

The market is the place to get your Oxford sausage, originally made with veal as well as pork and was also skinless.

David John:

supplies Oxford sausages:

to restaurants like The Big Bang, and also caters for vegetarians with seven types of vegetarian sausage:

He's also the biggest pie maker in Oxford:

and will also sell you some Oxford Sauce to go with it.

Hedges:

have been trading since 1896, and also sell game.

M Feller Son & Daughter:

specialise in organic meats. According to their web site, they are the proud owners of the world's oldest ham! They take their cooking seriously around here so it was nice to see bags of bones for making stock here as well.

Haymans Fisheries:

have over 50 different species available, and sell live crabs and lobster:

Baskavilles and Bonners both have good displays of fruit and vegetables.

Come again in the autumn to buy all sorts of mushrooms.

Nash's Bakery from Bicester have a stall, try their Lardy Cake:

The Cake Shop also keeps undergraduates and postgraduates in cake:

They also offer a wide variety of celebration cakes including wedding cakes, birthday cakes, corporate cakes and more, plus a good range of sugar craft materials.

Cardew & Co sell tea and coffee and ancillary equipment:

Moo Moo's has a cult status amongst the students:

and does an amazing number of milk shakes and smoothies.

Not every stall is food. I've been a regular customer at Next to Nothing over the years:

My favourite purchases include a wine stains t-shirt (sadly most of my friends think they're genuine), and the Harold I Spy t-shirt.

Towards the Market Street entrance there's Bolitas:

which are Brazilian cheese flavoured balls, made with tapioca flour, cheddar cheese, free range eggs and milk:

They're cheaper than a Mars bar, contain no added sugar, and are free from gluten, wheat and yeast.

I've saved my favourite shop for the end, Robert Pouget's Oxford Cheese Company:

There's a wide and varied selection of British and Continental cheeses here:

many are unpasteurised and sourced direct from the producer. There's a particularly good selection of blue cheeses:

including Robert's own Oxford Blue (similar to Stilton, with a creamier consistency). They also do an Oxford Isis cheese, a full fat cheese which has the rind washed in Oxfordshire Honey Mead and College White which is a bit like a brie.

In 2000, to celebrate the millennium, Robert created the previously mentioned Baron Pouget’s Oxford Sauce. It's a spicy sauce, the recipe came more or less by accident when the decimal point on the chilli content was mis-read!

Like all good cheese shops, samples are freely given: