Shopping in the fresh air at The Food Market – Dukes Meadows
14 August, 2020 / by Matt Smith
The Food Market at Dukes Meadows offers the chance to buy direct from farmers and artisan producers, every Sunday 10.00 am to 2.00 pm.
Buying direct from the producer means you can find out exactly how your food is produced. March House Farm, who have a regular stall, will tell you all about their native breed; cattle, sheep, pigs and turkeys. The farm is a model of sustainability, with a large solar array and a biomass boiler using woodchip from the farm and local woodland management projects. The best reason to shop with them though, is the excellent quality of the meat.
READ ALSO: Chiswick Food Market enabled us to survive as a family business
It’s always worth a chat with Hook & Son, who bring raw (unpasturised) milk and milk products from their herd of Fresian Holsteins, all reared from cow families that have been on the farm for generations. Animal welfare is paramount; the cows produce 50% of the milk that more intensively managed herds do, but for Hook & Son that’s fine, if it means happier cows. You can taste the difference in the quality of the milk too. They sell their milk in glass bottles, which you can bring back and re-use.
The market sells fruit and farm pressed juices from Ringden Farm’s orchards in East Sussex, who also bring the most delicious soft fruit on behalf of neighbouring farms.
An ever-changing range of seasonal homegrown vegetables and salad is provided by Ted Dawson’s farm near Boston in Lincolnshire, picked everyday for its freshness. Ted also has a regular spot at Borough Market.
Bread is provided by Astons bakery and the most delicious fresh filled pasta and sauces by La Tua a family firm that also provides fresh pasta to some of London’s best restaurants. The Pasta at the market is completely fresh, so has to be eaten within a few days, but that isn’t usually a problem!
The market has a range of home baked cakes and ready-to-eat food stalls for lunch and delicious olives and deli goods from The Olive Tree to snack on there and then.
The market was set up in 1998, by Dukes Meadows Trust and is a social enterprise.
READ ALSO: Dukes Meadows Trust celebrates 20 years
Proceeds from running it are used to improve and maintain the riverside park. The market funds projects such as the new avenue of Lime trees the Trust started planting in 2019. Make sure you take time to enjoy the park when you visit, it has two of the best children’s playgrounds in the area, although the paddling pool has been closed during the pandemic.
Images above: various stalls at Chiswick Food Market
Getting to the market; The E3 and 190 buses stop close by or you can walk or cycle along the Thames Path. Parking is available in the park along Riverside Drive.
Read More Stories on The Chiswick Calendar
See also: Chiswick Flower Market
See also: Chiswick Cheese Market