Brixton Beckons with its Own Markets
I heard through the grapevine that Brixton Market was becoming the new alternative to Borough Market (read interest piqued!). Brixton has the reputation of being a vibrant, colourful place and the centre for the British African-Caribbean community. So I decided to go and discover what all the hype was about.
If Brixton Market is like any other food market, arriving early is essential – the calm before the storm, as they say. But since this is my first visit, I decide to just go with the flow, arrive at midday and throw myself into the crowds with the hope that I’ll get a feeling of the market’s true essence. After an easy 30-minute walk from my place in South London, I find myself being lured by the sound of reggae music in the distance. As I get closer and closer, the grey skies of London gradually give way to sunshine reminiscent of the tropics.
With no preconceived notions about Brixton Market, I am instantly transported to a warm and friendly place. Ingredients commonly used in Caribbean and Latin cooking that are often hard to find are suddenly staring me in the face (and not at London prices!). Reds, greens, yellows, purples! Scotch bonnets, pumpkins, young coconuts, plantains, cassava, yellow yams! I am smiling ear to ear. I proceed to get the lay of the land and loop the market, still revelling in the produce and meats on display: boiling chickens hanging left, right and centre, cow’s foot (Julia Child would be pleased!), fresh fish with gills that are almost talking to me, callaloo (don’t you just love saying that word!) and something called a “bun.” (I learn later that this is a traditional sweet fruit bread often served with cheese.) Delicious!
But the big question is at hand: What to cook? Recipe self-talk races in my head: Goat curry? Oxtail stew? And then, remembering that one of my husband’s favourites is jerk, I think “Bingo!” I’m inspired to do some research, so I leave the market and plan on a return trip to shop.
Food, whether it’s a taste, an aroma or a sensation, can instantly take you somewhere, and after that visit to Brixton Market I found myself reminiscing about a trip to Jamaica. My mouth began to water as I recalled Scotchies – the restaurant (or should I say roadside stand) to experience the flavours of jerk. We became addicted to the place, and we’d sneak out of our “all inclusive” for a lengthy trip down a single-track road just to get our daily fix. Scotchies must have a secret. I’m told it’s the poplar wood used on the grills, but there’s no doubt in my mind that “time and place” play a part in it. Food experiences are sometimes very powerful; they often allow us to awaken something inside ourselves.
P.S. I returned to the market for my ingredients and successfully made some kick-ass jerk chicken – twice! I was inspired by a recipe from Levi Roots, a Brixton resident and huge London success story.
Andrea Stewart
It’s not surprising that three of Andrea Stewart’s favourite foods are bread, butter and champagne, since her approach to all things culinary has always been pure and simple. This experienced, creative and enterprising chef and editor approaches cooking and eating with a solid appreciation for fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. Andrea’s journey with food began while living in France, working as an au pair for Grace Jones. While feeding the young offspring of the famous singer, she was tempted on a daily basis by the busy, colourful French food markets. Later on, she spent a summer at Ecole de Gastronomie Francaise Ritz-Escoffier and fell in love all over again with everything France had to offer. Upon returning to Canada, she was accepted at the acclaimed Stratford Chefs School and after completing her first year she headed to New York to further sharpen her skills, working alongside some of the finest (including Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto) and catering Martha Stewart’s executive meetings. Andrea returned to Toronto in 1996, and further immersed herself in her career, working at some of the city’s top food fixtures, including Mildred Pierce and Ace Bakery. She eventually took a side-step out of the kitchen and into the halls of magazine publishing, landing a position as Food Editor of Wish Magazine in 2004. While inspiring busy Canadian wonder-women to cook from scratch, she published her first cookbook, Wish, Market to Table. From street food to fine dining to unfamiliar grocery stores, food still motivates Andrea at every turn. She recently sold everything but a prized collection of cookbooks and moved to the U.K., where her culinary library spans the two floors of her London flat. She won’t rest until she has cooked from every one of them!