Super marché invades

By Archer reporters
East Finchley was transformed into a French market from 28-30 March by stallholders from Normandy. Dozens of stalls lined the High Road from the tube station up to Iceland.

There was a villagey atmosphere amidst the aroma of hot food bubbling away. There were queues to eat on the spot or take away, with other food stalls selling dried fruit and nuts and a range of French cheese and sausages to accompany the French bread. Other stalls sold items ranging from bed linen, floor mats, handbags, hats, jewellery, knitwear and umbrellas.

Enfin, le soleil
The French market was brought to East Finchley by Philippe Basset of Streets Alive UK Ltd. The same organisation introduced recent French markets in Whetstone and Temple Fortune.
Would the stallholders fancy returning? “Yes, but with the sun,” laughed one, obviously appreciating the return of fine weather after a rainy first day.

Customer satisfaction
Richard Gregory, an East Finchley resident, said: “I liked it. Obviously some of the produce, such as the bread, was quite pricey. I bought saucisson, which was really good and tasty, even if it was £4. Ben, the dog, got hold of the walnut bread!

“My overall view was that the market made the High Road look more colourful and more lively; it was quite a good location, too. I think for the traders it was quite successful. I look forward to having it again,” he added.
Elena, also a local resident, said: “The baguette I bought was baked next to the stall and it was nice and warm. I was expecting more prepared foods, like soups and pates and traditional produce.”

Finchley Community Development Trust publicised the event, and also talked to local traders next to the site. Trust spokesperson Rob Robertson told The Archer that any stallholders needing electricity provided and paid for their own generators. They also paid for a skip for their rubbish, which they cleared up themselves. Rob Robertson said that there had been a very positive response to the French market and another one is planned for the autumn.

The Archer

Any views published here are those of the original authors, and not necessarily representative of REEF or east-finchley.com

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