London's Best Farmers Markets and What to Buy in Season Right Now

Strawberry season is at full tilt. Courgettes are piling up on trestle tables. The first outdoor-grown tomatoes are arriving from Kent and Essex farms this week, and anyone who makes it to a London farmers market before 10am on a Saturday morning will find shelves that look nothing like a supermarket aisle. This is what July tastes like — and Londoners who know where to shop are eating better for it.

The timing matters. UK food inflation has stabilised somewhat after three brutal years, but grocery bills are still roughly 25 percent higher than they were in 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics. Seasonal, direct-from-farm produce is one of the few categories where buyers consistently get more for their money: less supply-chain markup, shorter transit times, and — critically — better nutritional density in food that hasn't sat in a refrigerated lorry for four days.

Where to Go This Weekend

Borough Market, on Southwark Street near London Bridge, remains the city's most famous food destination, and it earns the reputation. Open Tuesday through Saturday, it draws more than 100 producers during peak summer weeks. Right now, the stalls from Chegworth Valley — a family farm operating out of the Kentish Weald — are worth seeking out specifically for their British strawberries and new-season garlic, which is softer and more pungent than the dried bulbs sold year-round. Expect to pay around £2.50 for a punnet of strawberries and £1.80 for a head of fresh garlic. That is not cheap, but neither is buying the out-of-season equivalent that has been shipped from Spain.

Broadway Market in Hackney, running every Saturday along the stretch between London Fields and Regent's Canal, draws a younger crowd and a tighter selection of stalls, but the quality is consistently high. The fruit and vegetable traders here tend to source from smaller East Anglian farms. In July, look for flat peaches, which are coming in from specialist UK growers for the first time this summer after a mild spring, and bunched beetroot, which roasts beautifully and keeps for a week in the fridge. Several stalls also carry British-grown salad leaves that hold up better than supermarket bags — a detail that makes a genuine difference over a working week.

Marylebone Farmers Market, which runs every Sunday on Cramer Street just off the High Street, is smaller and easier to navigate. It caps vendor numbers at around 40, all of whom must source within 100 miles of the M25. This Sunday's market is worth a visit specifically for Wester Ross salmon — the Scottish operation that has been supplying high-end London restaurants — which occasionally appears at retail price. A 300g fillet typically goes for £9 to £11, still cheaper than most fishmongers in the West End.

What to Actually Buy in July

The seasonal case this month is strong. British courgettes are at their cheapest and best — July and August are peak production weeks, and growers are practically giving them away by mid-morning. Heritage tomatoes from Kent will continue arriving through August. Broad beans are on their last stretch; buy them now and eat them within two days. New potatoes — particularly the Jersey Royal season's tail end and the early Cornish varieties — are still good for another three to four weeks.

Soft fruit is the headline act. British raspberries are sharper and more fragrant than any imported variety. Gooseberries, often overlooked, are excellent right now and high in vitamin C. Cherries from Worcestershire orchards are appearing at several markets for what producers are calling an above-average crop year.

The NHS has long advised a diet heavy in vegetables, fruit and whole foods as a foundation for cardiovascular and mental health — guidance that dovetails neatly with what British farms are producing at this exact moment in the calendar. You don't need a supplement programme or a meal-kit subscription to eat well in London in July. You need a tote bag and a willingness to be at Marylebone or Broadway Market before the good stuff runs out. Bring cash. Many stalls still prefer it, and you'll move faster.