How one of London's oldest markets has become a vegan hotspot

Nicknamed the world’s larder, Fulham’s North End Road market is one of London’s hidden gems, with an eclectic mix of food from Ethiopian to Italian

During the 1960s, North End Road market was where all the locals did their food shopping (Photographs provided by Hammersmith and Fulham council)

When you think of London’s markets, you think of Borough Market with its restaurants, food stalls and undercover market, Portobello Road for its vintage fare, the corridor market of Maltby Street which sits in the archways of London Bridge, Colombia Road flowers, eating Chinese on the steps of Camden Lock, the crafts at Spitalfields, the clothes at Broadway and of course, the piazza of Covent Garden. They’re all staples of London food, drink, vintage clothes, flowers and cultural scene.

Some, it’s fair to say, have become more tourist destinations than the fully-fledged markets they once were, and nowhere is this more true than Covent Garden. Once laden with apples on wooden crates in the early 19th century; now, the likes of Channel and Burberry are just a taste of the high-end shops it now boasts.

But head slightly further south-west and there’s one that’s not on the tourist map – but it is celebrating its 130th birthday. And that’s Fulham’s North End Road market.

Beginning in Kensington Olympia and stretching all the way to Fulham Broadway, forming the heart of the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, it’s where you’ll find fruit and veg sold plastic-free six days a week; it’s one of the city’s busiest yet most fuss-free markets.

Food markets were once the epicentre of the world of food shopping: a Saturday morning event, split between visiting the cheese and fishmongers, greengrocer, the butchers, the bakers and, er, the candlestick makers.

That was until, the rise of the supermarket. Something that was convenient for the customer, but a kiss of death for family-run independent shops that survived through the loyalty of their local customers.

Clarence Saunders opened a self-service grocery shop in 1916, called the Piggly Wiggly store – a name no one thought would be at the heart of any revolution.

But it changed the way we shop, from an assistant behind the counter picking up everything for us (along with a friendly weekly chat) to us being allowed to roam the shops, choosing what we want ourselves, with little to no social interaction.

In celebration of its 130th anniversary, the autumn market will feature live music and entertainment

It wasn’t until Lord Sainsbury visited America, and noted their time-saving way of shopping, that he swapped his Croydon branch to this new style in 1950, just two years after the first British supermarket opened in Manor Park.

Across the UK over the past 15 years, we’ve seen a return to a traditional style of food shopping: a stand of solidarity with supporting independent stores, and a step away from the stack ‘em high, sell ‘em low shops.

Fully vegan Picky Wops specialises in alternative dough for pizzas, including tumerica multigrain and hemp

In 2014, North End Road market slipped into decline, with independent shops closing. But thanks to locals and councils supporting the market, today it boasts three fishmongers (including Ocean Catch, which also supplies restaurants in Fulham and Knightsbridge), the Une Normande a Londres cheesemongers run by brothers Franck and Yann Le blais, two butchers (including Tariq Hala Meats who sell everything from quails to rabbit) and a whole host of fruit and veg stalls that line the streets as you’d expect.

One of the road’s market stalls in 1908, before the stratospheric rise of supermarket shopping culture

But what you might not expect from this pocket, which is dominated by Middle Eastern restaurants, along with Caribbean, Ethiopian, Italian, Korean, Filipino and Vietnamese, is that it’s become a vegan hotspot: home to one of the capital’s best vegan pizzerias and award-winning vegan food stores.

The 222 Veggie Vegan restaurant, despite its name, is 100 per cent vegan. On the menu are tofu burgers, seitan (wheat gluten) stroganoff, tofu cheesecake and raw chocolate tortes. Picky Wops, also fully vegan, specialises in alternative dough for pizzas, including tumerica multigrain, spirulina, hemp and kamut. After running it's successful stall, it's now opened a permanent shop too.

But if you're after Korean, find the best North End Road has to offer at Simya, known for their affordable kimchi.

Aside from restaurants, the Al Ghanzal and Jaffa Food House shops are the road’s go-to for dried goods and cooking supplies, while the Jaffa Bake House, which opened in 2016, offers an excellent selection of Arabic patisseries and flat breads.

The market is celebrating its milestone birthday today with its autumn market: a special edition of the daily market with 150 stalls, live music and entertainment