Raspail organic market

Organic food markets may not exactly be Paris’s strength, but the one in Raspail is the grandest and most beautiful of a measly bunch. Although it shares many stalls with its rival market in Batignolles – the outstanding Italian mozzarella stand, for example – Raspail puts on a livelier show, drawing crowds of chic Left Bank residents every Sunday (we even spotted Jane Birkin and her daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg in the area). This means that it can get frustratingly congested, and the queues that form around the wildly popular English baker’s will deter all but the most ardent scone lovers. The market’s fame has also driven up prices, effectively limiting the average wallet to a quick breakfast or takeaway snack. If your heart’s set on a shopping, though, the handful of specialist grocers should be your first port of call.