Monday markets in London

Good for: Fruit and veg, baked goods, lunch

It lies between seedy Soho strip joints at one end and the elegant restaurant Yauatcha at the other. Bellows can be heard all around from the stallholders, vying for the attention of the harried denizens of Soho. The market is one of London’s oldest, going back as far as 1778 when people started (illegally) displaying their wares on the pavement outside their shops.

Good for: food

London’s oldest market – dating back to the thirteenth century – is also the busiest, and the most popular for gourmet goodies. Traders satisfy the city’s insatiable appetite for artisan cheeses and ham from acorn-fed pigs. If food is your thing, then Borough, with its abundance of beautifully displayed organic fruit and veg, cakes, bread, olive oil, fish, meat and booze, is a must-visit market.

Good for: food, cafés

Compared to the culinary homogeneity of Borough Market et al., Brixton is a sensory fiesta. The air is thick with the sizzle of jerk chicken stalls, tinny reggae riddims and yam-based price disputes, while the multi-coloured hues of exotic fish displays glimmer like a whiffy rainbow. And for every hipster rammed into one of the (justifiably) rave-reviewed eateries in the newly trendified Brixton Village, a stack of bargain basement exotic produce still teeters like a nutritious Jenga set.

Good for: clothes, accessories, souvenirs

Camden’s sprawling collection of markets offers a real smörgåsbord of street culture. Wander past loitering goths and punks to join the throng of tourists, locals and random celebs fighting it out at the vast and varied selection of shops and stalls. To avoid the rough and tumble visit on a weekday, though weekends are better for variety and atmosphere.

Good for: antiques, gifts

This London institution may appear too commercial and crowded to provide a characterful retail experience, but some quirky gems lift the experience. The colonnaded nineteenth-century Piazza building houses Apple Market, where tourist-friendly crafts are the staple. Over in the South Piazza, Jubilee Market is a little more eccentric: Mondays are for antiques lovers, so keep those eyes peeled for some gems.

Good for: household goods

Most of Deptford Market is your standard south/east London fare: three-pack pants, timber wolf fleeces, Duracells and lighters. Halfway down its length, though, is a distended gut of impacted bits and bobs, presided over by two tennis umpires up stepladders who take money, dispense change and guard against pilfering. Get digging.

Good for: antiques

There are plenty of stalls selling bric-a-brac, second-hand clothes, ethnic ornaments, CDs, crafts and jewellery galore at Greenwich Market. The arts and crafts market runs on Mondays, so pop down to pick up some unique handmade goods. 

Good for: household goods, clothing, lunch

Camden’s oldest market is a popular, upbeat place that formerly was a lunchtime shopping spot but is now open all day. It’s a hotspot for street food, plus stalls selling goods like household items, cut-price clothing, gifts, fruit and veg, and more.

Good for: fruit and veg

In operation since Victorian times, Lower Marsh once claimed to be the longest street market in the UK. It doesn’t quite hold that record today, but it’s still a decent spot to pick up fresh produce and yummy hot treats, plus craft goods by local makers. Shop til you drop, then go gaze upon the beautiful London skyline from the nearby river.

Good for: food, flowers, clothing

Once a produce market, you won’t find even a hint of fruit or veg at Northcote anymore. Gone are the apples and pears, replaced by stalls of antiques, jewellery, collectables, vintage clothes and more. It’s the kind of place where you could easily spot a treasure, so keep your eyes peeled.