Bloomsbury Farmers' Market

A whole hog roast chopped up into pulled pork sandwiches served with stuffing, applesauce, and a pork crackling.

Bloomsbury Farmers' Market.

Bloomsbury, London.

 There is no way to eat more happily than to eat like a local. So why not take it one step further and shop for ingredients like a local? 

That is exactly how I came across my best find since coming to London, the Bloomsbury Farmers' Market. Every Thursday, dozens of UL students, businessmen, and natives converge on the sunny neighborhood spot for food, grocery shopping, and general lollygagging. I haven't found a more delicious or welcoming lunch spot yet.

Farmers' markets can be a blessing to urban communities; they bring fresh seasonal foods to consumers while increasing farm incomes, keeping money in the local community, and lessening waste/pollution. As part of the London Farmers' Market organization, the Bloomsbury market seeks to connect rural and urban communities, help farmers make a solid living, and supply quality local ingredients to an area filled with supermarket chains. Since there is no middleman, everything goes straight from farmer to Londoner. And so, the produce, dairy, meats, cooked foods, and baked goods, all which comes from within 100 miles of Greater London, are lovingly explained and offered by the people who actually planted the seeds or fed the hog. On top of that, the market supports heritage/heirloom produce and sustainable methods of food production which definitely doesn't hurt.

Festive vegetable and seafood paellas from the Hand Picked Seafood Company.

Expect the unexpected! Even local farmers' markets can offer exotic flavors made with regional ingredients.

Meat pasties!

Or right across the way, The Parsons Nose hawks the very traditional meat pie and mash.

"Might as well take a picture of us too! £2 for a picture and  £10 for a nude" they said.

Never pass up a chance to sample the different wares or ask what/when/where/why/how about the food. Chances are you'll get a lot more info than you asked for but it's still way more fun than reading "Ingredients: garlic, preservatives" on a supermarket label.

A most beauitful display of quiche, made by Popina.

Baked goods from Aston Bakery and Flourish Craft Bakery.

Farmers' markets are a good place to score delicious rarities like oak smoked garlic.

Farmers' markets always look like a photo shoot. The vibrant rainbow of fruits and vegetables is as much decoration as it is food while the heritage (or heirloom) varieties seem to swell with pride at their provenance.

Game sausages, venison and cracked pepper burgers, rabbit legs, and whole pheasant can be found at the Mersham Shoot stall.

Keep your mind out of the gutter...

Giggly Pig Co. usually runs out of spare ribs before noon, but ask to dip your oversize sausage in the spare sauce and you won't regret it.

The abundance of produce and meats also translates into cooked local foods. Mix and match pies, quiches, hamburgers, pastas, paella, and more for a cheap, homey lunch. For me, lunch is an oversized sausage slathered in spare rib barbecue sauce and mustard on a roll washed down with sweet freshly pressed apple juice. 

Raspberry-vanilla brownie sundae and raspberry cone.

There's always room for dessert. Amidst the freshly baked croissants and cakes is the small green Opera Ice Cream cart where you can customize your brownie sundae with two flavors of ice cream.