Bloody Marys and market mooching in East London

Come the weekend, there’s nothing I enjoy more than a stroll around the markets of East London. Especially if I’m feeling a bit jaded. If it’s a Saturday then Broadway Market is great. I usually pick up some Hansen & Lydersen smoked salmon (they smoke it locally in a smokehouse in Stoke Newington), stop at Artwords bookshop for a flick through their beautiful coffee table books and arty magazines and take a pit stop for some delicious Bloody Marys at Off Broadway. There’s also a great little food and drink market called Netil Market where the famous Lucky Chip and various other quirky food trucks are based.

On Sundays, Columbia Road is always packed with people buying bunches of flowers but I always make a beeline for the back of the queue at Lily Vanilli’s bakery for some of her amazing cakes, pastries and delicious coffee. If it’s a nice day, I bring my dog Lola with me and we go for a walk through London Fields, which is where all the hipsters have BBQs and drink Pimms in the summer.

Photo courtesy of Lily Vanilli’s


About the Author

This lovely thing to do in London was kindly shared by Fraser Doherty – founder of 100% fruit jam company SuperJam. His jams are available from Waitrose and online at SuperJam. His books, The SuperJam Cookbook and SuperBusiness, are available from Amazon. Visit Fraser’s website for more information.