Dec 12

Dec 12 Canopy Market, King's Cross

CANOPY MARKET: KING'S CROSS

25/11/17

By Alex

WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT:

• London’s hidden gem. Great food, location and atmostphere
• Enjoy a mulled wine or cider with your chosen street food (well it’s nearly Christmas)
• Trendy surroundings. Lovely refurbished old buildings / very close to the tube
• Friendly traders always up for chat

The Canopy Market is almost hidden. Situated just behind Granary Square in London’s Kings Cross, it feels like a little secret that you’ve discovered. Also and importantly with our lovely British weather, it's under cover. Kind of indoors / outdoors. Market stalls and street food vans fill the space - with some nice seating areas catching the afternoon sun. As well as all the food on offer, you can buy one-off pieces from independent designers, artisan produce directly from traders, and sample some frankly amazing street food, along with craft beer and coffee. There’s also a DJ spinning tunes. What's not to like?

DECOR:

This area of King’s Cross is still being renovated. The old buildings have been sandblasted and it's full of exposed metal beams harking back to the past when this was a bustling hub of industry. Tram lines run though the market adding to its authentic feel. The whole space is decorated with overhead festoon lighting - adding to the vintage feel.

DINING:

There are several street food vendors here. Take your pick from Italian risotto balls at Arancini Brothers, Indian Street Kitchen for curry fans, Le Rac Shack for lovers of melted cheese (who isn’t) and for those with a sweet tooth - Bread Ahead with their legendary doughnuts.

The day we visited there was a special cheese festival alongside the usual market as part of the World Cheese Awards. Upon arrival we were given a tray and five £1 vouchers - the idea is to create your own charcuterie board.

With so much choice we did a circuit of the whole market, chatting with the various vendors and sampling cheeses and cured meats before choosing five favourites to make up our boards. I went for paprika spiced chorizo, melted Greek Saganaki and a sourdough roll - while Anna chose pecorino cheese with white truffle honey and thinly sliced pork loin. As self-confessed cheese lovers we weren’t disappointed. The range of flavour between the different cheeses mixed with the cured meats worked perfectly.

Drinks: We had mulled wine but there are bars here too - locally brewed beers and craft ales, and some excellent coffee on offer too.

DEBRIEF:

What a lovely market. A perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Highly recommended if you’re a Londoner, or just visiting from out of town, pop in before you get your train home. We will back soon though, specifically to sample the risotto balls from Arancini Brothers which looked incredible. And maybe the Raclette cheese, and the doughnuts.