The Hampstead Farmers' Market sets up every Saturday on the south side of Hampstead High Street, between the tube station and the beginning of the village proper. It is not the largest farmers' market in London, but it is one of the most consistently good — a function, presumably, of the neighbourhood's combination of demanding consumers and willingness to pay for quality.
What's There
The market typically runs 10–14 stalls, varying with the season. The permanent fixtures include a Kent fruit and vegetable stall whose seasonal produce is genuinely excellent — the asparagus in late April and early May, the courgettes and tomatoes in August, the squashes and roots in October and November. A Somerset dairy farmer sells unpasteurised cheeses and cultured butter that are, for those who seek them, among the best available in London.
The Bread
A sourdough baker from East London sets up on most Saturdays, selling loaves that are properly fermented and properly baked. The seeded rye is the reliable choice; the focaccia, when it appears, goes within the first hour.
The Ritual
The proper Hampstead Saturday involves the market first — arrive by 10am before the best things go — then coffee at Ginger & White, then the Heath. Return home with bread, cheese, and whatever seasonal vegetables caught your eye. This is not a complicated formula, but it is, if you follow it consistently, a significant source of satisfaction.
## What you'll actually want to buy After a few Saturday mornings here, a handful of stalls become routine. Parsons Nose has properly aged beef and lamb from an East Sussex farm — the 35-day dry-aged rib-eye is the thing if you're cooking for someone you want to impress. The stall is usually at the east end of the car park, just past the fish van. Queues build from 10am; go earlier. The Brunswick Oyster Bar sells native oysters in season (September to April, anything with an 'r' in the month) and Pacific oysters year-round. They'll shuck them on the spot for a small surcharge, which is what most people do — eat them standing up next to the stall with a twist of lemon. Around ten pounds for six. For bread, it's a coin-toss between Bread by Bike and the Hampstead Bakehouse regulars who rotate in. Bread by Bike's sourdough is the best baguette within Zone 2, full stop. If you're not buying bread by 10:30 you'll be choosing from what's left. The cheese van is where the market earns its price premium. Ask for a taste of whatever they're pushing that week. The staff know their inventory and will steer you off the safe-but-boring cheddars toward something you wouldn't pick off a supermarket shelf. ## The produce question Let's be honest: the farmers' market is not cheap. A punnet of strawberries in June is around £4.50; Waitrose across the road will sell you the same size for £3. What you're paying for is traceability (the stallholders can tell you exactly which field your kale came out of), freshness (picked Thursday, sold Saturday), and varieties that the supermarkets don't stock. Heritage tomatoes in August, wet garlic in May, forced rhubarb in February. If you care about those things, the premium is worth it. If you're buying a bag of potatoes, go to Tesco. ## Practical tips Get there before 10am. By 11, the queues at the bread and fish stalls are fifteen deep, and by 1pm (when the market officially closes) the popular stalls are packing up. Bring cash — most stalls now take card, but the signal in the car park is unreliable and a surprising number of readers still fail mid-transaction. Bring a folding trolley or a proper canvas bag; plastic carriers from the market split halfway home. If you're driving, the Hampstead car park behind Waitrose is the closest, but it fills by 10am on Saturdays. Parking on the surrounding streets is metered and patrolled. ## Coffee and what to do after Most regulars finish with coffee at one of the cafes on the High Street. Coffee Cup, Ginger & White on Perrins Court, and Fabrique on Heath Street are all within five minutes. If the weather is fine, walk your haul up to the Heath, sit by Whitestone Pond with a coffee, and plan what you're going to cook for lunch. That is, really, the whole point of the morning.