Forum Topic

Food Market #2

Another great For Market today. Lots of people again despite the less favourable weather. 
And good to see local business Le Vacherin and Ma Ma joining the party.

Paul Campbell ● 541d32 Comments

I don’t know how anyone can enjoy eating at a market at this time of year, whatever the cost.  Christmas Market for gifts maybe but not food. Maybe it’s my age 👍

Maggie Dodge ● 532d

I meant to ask how much a glass of  mulled wine was when I was there but forgot. I do know a free mince pie came with it.I was told they are changing £15 a pop in one London market.To coin a phrase, stuff that for a game of soldiers!

Adrian Irving ● 532d

But Maggie, we've mentioned before that years ago there was a large INDOOR MARKET around there .. on the site of the old Police Station building.BTW I visited the BOROUGH HIGH STREETMARKET (opposite London Bridge Station)and it was a knock out!

Jim Lawes ● 533d

They must have read my post. Perhaps I should ask for a commission! Obviously the people pointing out that the market itself doesn't have an alcohol licence are correct so this is an elegant solution.

Felicity Caborn ● 533d

I see  The Old Fire Station are offering mulled wine this Sunday and no doubt every market day during the season.I think we can guess how they would feel if a market stall were to start offering the same.

Adrian Irving ● 535d

There was a stall selling hot chocolate with marshmallow on top at a cold and wet Ealing Jazz Festival evening - and that was very welcome.

Philippa Bond ● 536d

Wouldn't that require an alcohol licence? A hot punch (sans alcohol)  stall though would do a roaring trade on a day like this.

N V Brooks ● 536d

I've just been down on the High Road and, cold as it was when the Street Food Market was on, it is bitter today. While you might not have to worry about piles from sitting on the brick wall you do need to be careful not to be frozen stuck to it.Hopefully, it will be a bit warmer on Christmas Eve but if not, a mulled wine stall would do terrific business.

Felicity Caborn ● 536d

Thanks for responding in detail Anita.

Mark Talbot ● 538d

That would also be misleading. Judging by what I saw, the most popular item at the market was their frites covering in raclette (the aforementioned cheesy chips).

Anita Blake ● 538d

What his photo seems to show is the Le Vacherin stall with no customers.

Richard Greenhough ● 538d

Mark, the other Chiswick business was Ma Ma Bakery the gluten free baker which has a shop further east on the High Road. I don't know how much business they did but it was possibly more about raising awareness of their business than selling product.

Anita Blake ● 538d

Yes but who takes Paul’s posts seriously

Maggie Dodge ● 538d

You just need to read Paul Campbell's posts to see the 2 Chiswick businesses with presence at last Sunday's food market.

Michael Robinson ● 538d

Of course you didn’t Anita, only Paul Campbell could possibly try and twist what a post says like he did. Very interesting to note Le Vacherin took a stall given where they are located in Chiswick. I very rarely go to CHR on a Sunday due to other commitments so wouldn’t see for myself - did any other Chiswick businesses do the same?

Mark Talbot ● 538d

Glad you cleared that up and pleased to see your support for local businesses who are taking advantage of the opportunity the food market presents to promote their offerings to a wider foodie audience.

Paul Campbell ● 538d

Well this is a car park after all and that’s a fact. Nor is it actually Old Market Place much as some underhand people tried very hard to get it called this without any authority. Hounslow under a FOI confirm this is not the correct name of the area.

Maggie Dodge ● 538d

Have you got shares in the market Paul? Your version is always slightly different and your photos are often described as showing a different picture of what others see.

Maggie Dodge ● 538d

Just to be clear I never said that the prices of meals at the market were generally £14. There were several stalls whose price point was in this range but sandwiches were available for £6-7. Le Vacherin's stall was excellent value which may be an indication they understood the local customer better.As for sitting on a brick wall to eat your meal on a day like last Sunday, it won't actually give you piles but it will give you a very cold bum. Most people would think that this distracts from the experience.

Anita Blake ● 538d

More than enough car park spaces in Sainsbury's car park now that a chunk of their catchment is excluded.

Mark Talbot ● 539d

Won't someone think of the cars needing somewhere to park?

Andrew Jones ● 539d

It isn't true that the cost of food was generally £14. I bought full meal items from four different stalls where the price was £8-11. Some of the portions are generous for that amount. When it is not unusual to pay north of £7 for a pint in London I'd say a plate of paella for £8 is OK. And I sat on the wall with three family members. No piles for any of us so that guarantee needs to come with a refund.I'd agree that seating and tables will make the market even more vibrant and attractive and I am sure the organisers agree so hopefully we will see that evolve with the next incarnation after this temporary period of three installations has passed and they get a longer term for 2024.

Paul Campbell ● 539d

Plenty of bins in the area and there was a chap I noticed going around with a litter picker. I don't know about the cost of electricity but in the scheme of things it is minimal compared to the vibrancy it brings to Chiswick. I thought of having a drink in the George but it was packed so I went elsewhere

Guy Lambert ● 539d

Talking of seating one of the things that I noticed on the pictures of the proposed upgrades to the area was the absence of any seating or bins.Last weekend Hammersmith Winter Festival had plenty of temporary seating and tables.

Adrian Irving ● 539d

Are there no costs - I can think of a few.  Who pays for the clean up? Who pays for the electricity? Who pays to supervise setting up the market or do you think that people are happy to do everything for no pay?  What about the time spent organising the event or is this done on a voluntary basis by Richard?

Liz de Keyser ● 539d

Yes, interesting that the Council are being so generous to this venture

Maggie Dodge ● 539d

I'd agree with everything Anita says. We went down to have a look and enjoyed the atmosphere but didn't buy anything because of the prices and the lack of anywhere comfortable to eat. Tables and chairs must be forbidden by the licence. They are charging festival prices which must have put a lot of people off.My nephew got involved with a food stall business and worked very hard for very little return before it folded. You have to sell quite a lot before you break even. An advantage the Chiswick market might have is that the pitches are relatively cheap given that the cost to the organisers is just the application fee. This might make the breakeven point lower and the fact that you have got stalls returning does point to the market being viable.

Felicity Caborn ● 539d

Yes. Thanks for balanced feedback on the event Anita, very refreshing.

Mark Talbot ● 540d

Thank you Anita for a genuine review of the Food Market. The good and the not so good.  Paul can’t help himself and what he needs to realise that his comments are takes with a pinch of salt

Maggie Dodge ● 540d

As planned we went along to eat this Sunday and overall it was  a pretty good experience. Although the perspective on Paul's photo might give an over-optimistic impression of how many people were there, there was definitely a healthy number and no apparent decline from the first market that had much warmer weather. Perhaps there was a boost from early Christmas shoppers and a prominent mention in the Sunday newsletter but I would anticipate the next market on Christmas Eve will be heaving.Hard to judge how many people had just cross the High Road out of curiosity and how many were there to eat. Few of the stalls had much of a queue and our group sampled a number of different kinds of food and we were all served quickly.One thing that became apparent was how expensive some of the stalls were. There were no complaints about quality but some dissatisfaction at having to eat something you had paid £14 for standing at the unused end of the car park. The brick wall was too cold to sit on without the risk of piles so a few temporary picnic table and chairs here would be a huge extra benefit.The best value by far was a Le Vacherin's stall which was charging £10 for cassoulet and beef bourguignon to which you could add delicious cheesy chips. However, it is possible some of the other stalls are more familiar to having a captive market at festivals and sports events. If you are not offering a discount to nearby businesses who can serve you food that is just as good in the warm, you are not going to do particularly brisk business.Despite this the market had a nice vibe and I didn't notice and associated littering. How successful it is in commercial terms is very difficult to judge even on the ground. Many of the stalls had returned from the previous market so they must have done sufficiently well to justify paying the fee. Whether the market could support and expanded number of stalls as Richard Johnson has applied for is difficult to tell. There is a danger that spreading out the area used would make the crowds less sparse and detract from the atmosphere of the event but that's a business decision for him to make.

Anita Blake ● 540d

Indeed, they sold out of Galician octopus a la parking space.

Mark Frost ● 541d

Le Vacherin must be so pleased they came 😂

Maggie Dodge ● 541d