Try a taste of something new and enjoy the atmosphere of a family-friendly food market coming to Ealing on Sundays this autumn.
Local food experts Eat Me, Drink Me will bring back a regular W5 Food Market from October, in front of Ealing Town Hall. Keep an eye open for news of the first date. It trialled the space last year, to great success, and the council’s town hall, street trading and economic regeneration teams joined forces to help make it possible for the market to return on a regular basis.
What will W5 Food Market be like? Well, you can expect a mix of some of the tastiest street food around, alongside stalls for local producers and for speciality food and drink sellers. You should be able to try something from South America or Asia, eat lunch, chat with friends over a coffee or buy your ingredients for your Sunday roast. The plan is to have live music too, and a children’s craft table, so there should be something for everyone to savour.
The Eat Me, Drink Me Collective is a local group of food, drink and event experts. It already runs Food Stop W5, a group of food trucks selling fare from independent food traders on Fridays 10am-4pm, and Saturdays 10am-5pm, at Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre. It also runs the monthly Crafted W5 which features artisans and crafters from Ealing and beyond; and its Keep it Local initiative actively encourages Ealing businesses and residents that wish to get started in markets, by offering practical support and advice.
‘Potential to be a great community event’
Council leader Julian Bell said: “I am pleased we are able to host the W5 Food Market and I hope it becomes firmly established. It has the potential to be a great community event that brings people together around something we all love – food and drink. It gives local traders an additional shop window for their excellent meals and produce – as well as showing how Ealing is continuing its rise as a shopping destination. These kinds of events are a part of life in places like Borough Market and, once established, it is the kind of attraction that brings people in to an area to sample what is on offer. Families can try something new while enjoying the entertainment, people can meet friends there and others might just pick up ideas for something to cook that night. ”
‘Best street food and produce stalls around’
Eat Me, Drink Me was founded by Kate McKenzie, an Ealing resident. She said: “Ealing is a great place to live, and we want to make it even better by adding a high quality weekend market. We’re looking to complement the existing High Street offer and create a vibrant atmosphere for the whole community. In 2015 we set out to bring some of the best street food and produce stalls around to the streets of Ealing, selling food from around the world. The market quickly established itself as a popular weekend destination, with customers returning each week to try a whole range of street food and to stock up on produce from local businesses and specialist importers. We’re delighted to be back, mixing some of the best and most established traders in London with home bakers and makers and pop-up stalls from local venues.”
