As we look back on the first decade of the new millennium the noughties may be remembered as the decade of the Farmers’ Market.
Foodie shoppers have bought in to the idea of local and natural fresh food and that has been good for the bakery industry. A classic example is the occasional relationship between the bakers at St John Restaurant in London and the Islington Farmers’ Market. At St John they make very good bread. Fergus Henderson is head chef of the Michelin starred restaurant and the bakery is headed up by Justin Piers Gellatly. From time to time the bakers take a van full of loaves to the Farmers’ Market, there they up the price and still sell out briskly – they make very good sourdough (both white and brown). The irony is that the restaurant is only a short walk away from the site of the market and if the foodies of Islington had any nous they could walk down the road and get the same bread more cheaply and hot from the oven!
Back in the day when every High Street had a craft bakery, good bread was a very localised experience, different regions had different breads (see “Round Britain by bun”) and these variations are worth preserving. At St John they make the most magnificent Eccles cakes, large and heavy with fruit, they are served as a bar snack with a wedge of Lancashire cheese. No wonder they got a Michelin star.
The Bakery, St John Bar and Restaurant, 26 St. John Street London, EC1M 4AY