Levenshulme Market aka “Levy Market”, Manchester

Levenshulme Market or Levy Market (as known by the locals and their web / twitter addresses: www.levymarket.co.uk / @levymarket) is held on the fourth Saturday of each month in the car park next to the train station. 

With 50 plus stalls gathering to sell crafts, plants, music, vintage and food (lots of food) it is a “community market” and “social enterprise” set up by traders and local residents, not the local council; as such there seemed to be a special community spirit gracing the gazebos.

For me, it was way better than your typical “Farmer’s Market” that I’ve not been able to think of in the same way since watching the Armstrong & Miller Show’s sketch - see here.

The main reason I visited the market was to sample the delights of ¡Arepa!¡Arepa!¡Arepa! (@ArepaArepaArepa) with their Columbian street food! From 10 to 11am, they serve the ¡Breakfast Arepa! with a scrambled egg, pepper and onion and a crumbling of sharp fresh cheese. I had this with the recommended ‘Green Amazon Sauce’ – the best breakfast I’ve had in ages.

Cleverly timing my arrival for just before 11, I was able to have my breakfast, go for a wander around the market, before returning at 12 for my lunch… genius! (just plain greedy?). I had the vegetarian option of Citrus Black Beans & Cheese and the Shredded Beef  & 'Hogao' (a slow cooked tomato and onion sauce).

Both were great, the fresh lime added a real zing to the bean arepa but it was the beef with the addition of the smoky Chipotle Sauce that I’d most highly recommend. What I liked about the arepas themselves was the difference in texture between the crisp, crunchy outside and the pillowy centre.

From Bobbys Bangers (award winning artisan sausages @bobbysbangers), I bought a couple each of the flavours on sale that day: Welsh Dragon, Full Breakfast, Madras, Traditional, Merguez and Italian. After cooking them up and eating them for my tea, I could see how they recently won the award for ‘Best Sausage Producer’ at the ‘2013 Sausage and Beer Festival’, hosted by TV’s Jimmy’s Farm.

From The Moocher (@themoocherfoods  - a regular at the Guerrilla Eats events @Guerrilla_Eats) I bought three delicious Scotch Eggs: one Classic with pork sausage meat & hen’s egg; a rich and spicy Black Pudding & Duck Egg and an indulgent Venison & Duck Egg… each were delicious and, for my money, better than any I have bought from a supermarket.

From Trove – I purchased a delightful Garlic & Chilli Sourdough. Trove are an award winning Levenshulme based café, bakery and catering company (@trovefoods); they won the “Truly Good Food Award” at last year's Manchester Food & Drink Awards. I am yet to visit their café / shop, but based on their quality bread I’ll soon be putting that right.

So, the fourth Saturday of every month… put the date in your diaries!

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