Thursday's Child: Kew Village Market

Last summer, we were in England for Andrew's cousin's wedding. After a lovely ceremony on Saturday, we spent our final day visiting Kew, a village just west of the City of London. We went to see Kew Gardens, but we were fortunate to be there at the beginning of May, the first day in 2013 that their village market was open.

One Sunday a month, the streets in Kew Village are closed and the town opens up to a pedestrian market. The market is run by the community to raise money for local charities. It's a great cause, but even without the charitable aspect, it's a fun opportunity to enjoy a lovely town and support small businesses.

We counted between thirty and forty stalls at the Kew Village Market the day we visited. There was a beautiful assortment of seasonal produce; one retailer sold a great selection of British apple varieties. Quack's Pickles, whose sign is pictured at the top of this post, apparently specialized in Preserved Patagonian Squirrel Fish Organs. (Sorry, I can't vouch for those personally.) Other vendors sold an incredible array of goods from venison to ginger marmalade, from black pudding to Earl Grey macarons.

We were well-fortified by a delicious lunch at the Kew Greenhouse Cafe, and ready to tackle Kew Gardens. I'll write about that next week!