• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Views About Our Modern Markets

leonardjob

leonardjob

Great Russell St
Am I alone in thinking that our Markets are not what they were (I suppose nothing is), The Veg market has a limited range of food, the displays are poor compared to other markets, the Traders swear at each other at the tops of their voices,there is no Asian or Chinese produce,In the fish market there is less fish stalls, and now increasingly Halal stalls, Outside is the usual cheap tat that you get in most locost shops.
 
Leonard
Consider yourself lucky. i would agree that the Birmingham market probably isn't as good as it was when i lived in Brum in the 1960-70s However, if you had the misfortune to live in Reading , an old "market" ,but now often with only 20 stalls, a large percentage selling rubbish, then you would appreciate what you have.
Mike
 
Th eonly time I visited in recent years a was pleasantly surprised at the quality and the cost of fresh prduce. I bought the best garlic that I have had in years amongst other stuff.
 
I don't go that often but I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised by what I have bought. We bought a few items of cutlery yesterday and I will let you know how it lasts as it was actually made in Sheffield!! The materials especially curtain material is excellent. Some you see in the top high street stores is a fraction of the price and the choice is endless The meat I have bought has always been good. The fresh produce is as it says fresh. The onions are the best really firm potatoes excellent. I bought three cauliflower for a pound last year and they were lovely. I know sometimes the veg is not as pristine as in the supermarkets but the taste beats them hands down. As for the language I must admit I never noticed it much unlike our local high school at turning out time. The Asian fresh produce is usually in one area of the outdoor market. If we don't use our market like everything else we will loose it just won't survive. It's a bit sad that a little snobbery comes into it today as well......don't knock it give it a try. By the way I have no connection to the market or it's promotion I just like it and always have.
 
Len,
Markets seem to vary a lot,the one in Northampton is in decline,even though it is the biggest market square in the country.Our small town has an excellent farmers and local produce market,but only held once a month.
Markets are a particular love of mine,to sit in Bury St.Edmunds at 6am.and watch the market come alive is a real pleasure,and it is probably the best I have seen for a long time,with the freshest produce anywhere.
Supermarkets,are a simple way to shop,but their produce is inferior,however,who wants to trail around a market,carrying bags in the rain,well ,I do.Long live the markets,and the colourful market traders.
 
Recently my daughter needed material for a School project - the teacher told the class to go to the rag market as it would cost half the price as in the shops (that is, if you can find a shop that sells material nowadays!). We went up one Saturday morning and got exactly what we needed at a good price. I enjoyed looking round all the stalls and saw a lot of things at good prices - I also liked the atmosphere up there - I don't know if I just went on a good day but I found the stall holders were friendly and I didin't notice any swearing - and I tend to notice it more if I have my daughter with me.
I didn't look at the fresh produce so can't comment on that.
Polly
 
we are extreamly lucky to live in Cambridge the market here is 7 days and very good value but in 1/2 hrs drive we have Ely and Newmarket and Royston and Saffron Walden and many others, many different goods on sale.from veg to shoes to meat and many others, nothing like the old Brum markets though , rag, meat, and the greens barrows of the 50/60's.
 
Thankfully we don't have a market in Droitwich , I remember been dragged round them in Brum in the 50's . I much preferred going round Greys and Lewis's . I can remember going into the Kings Hall Market and seeing the strangely dressed people with there vibrantly coloured roll of cloth.
 
Hi Mike, There was a market in Droitwich at one time (don't know how long you have lived there) If I remember right it was in a building that was knocked down to build Waitrose.
Polly
 
I have always had a great time when I have ventured down to the Indoor Markets and the Veg Market in Brum. Firstly, I hate giving money for any goods and services when I know I can get the same things and that includes brand name things, in other places at much lower prices. Having worked in the markets area and knowing the Bull Ring from the days when the vendors had carts that lined the street, I have no problem shopping in all of the markets. As Wendy has said it is very important that the Markets are supported. These days the bottom line is everything and unsupported stores and goods that don't sell are gone in a flash these days.

I have bought everything from household goods,food, sweets,nuts(the nut counter in the Indoor Market is one of the best I have ever seen and the prices are excellent), cosmetics,well you name it I have bought whatever they sell including a plate of mussels at the seafood counter in the Indoor Market. It's always a relief to see that my favourite stalls are still in business. The Indian ladies who run a cosmetic stall remembered me from five years ago since I had a chat with them then when I was buying from them. A great couple. The stall holders in the Veg market do put on a show and I love the atmosphere and best of all the incredibly good bargains. I must have strided right down through the Bull Ring and into the markets at least half a dozen times when I was last visiting then hauling my goodies up the hill and on to the train to Four Oaks. There are certain butchers that know me in the Meat Market and their meat and pork pies are excellent. I binned some pork pies that I had bought at a chain supermarket...they were so awful.
I enjoy Lichfield Market very much and bought some great bargains in name brand socks whilst there.

Generally, I'm not into shopping all over the place most of the time. We have a wonderful market here in Vancouver called Granville Island and several suburban markets. I miss the Bull Ring markets and can't wait to visit next time I'm in Brum.
 
I am sure i have said this before but am I the only one who despairs at our market in THE Bullring. Been there today. We live on the edge of Worcestershire....only two stalls selling English Plums. One stall selling english apples. In the asparagus season you can naver find it on sale. The there is the witty banter between the stallholders shouting the coarsest language at each other and sometimes customers.Compare this to continental markets, or even good british markets.
The fishmongers are all leaving the fish market, the meat stalls are nearly all Halal and if you ask them a question they can't answer.. Where can I go I believe Walsall market is dwindling, Lichfield has only one fruit stall.
 
I think this situation is pretty general across the country; with the possible exception of 'farmer's markets' which appear, in certain areas, to be going from strength to strength.
 
In my experience I believe it is as you say JohnO, that farmers markets are an exception to the rule but I feel it is much the same with a decent farm shop. I travel a round trip of 25 miles on Saturdays that my family before me used, just to know that they are only selling locally sourced produce.I did recommend the place to somone a while back and they said they were disappointed in the range of produce, or lack of it on sale. I had to remind them that if something was not in season it would not be on sale.
 
Sorry to hear that Sue did you ask, some of the stall holders are very helpful....sorry you couldn't find what you wanted..:(
 
Wendy did you have a look at the fish, some good bargains to be had. Will you be wearing your new b;ing at the lad in lane meet. lol
 
Just heard on Midlands News Bull ring Turnover down on last year, traders blaming the buses. As a fairly regular market visitor, my opinion is that the market is in permanent decline.
The asian Community do not use it but prefer their owbn shops.
If you go in on the train and but veg then you have to cart it all back uphill to the station.
If you drive in then the parking is extortionate.
The fruit and veg are poor. At the height of plum season they sell french, and most asparagus is Spanish. The language of the traders is awful. The Markets committee and some traders need to go to France and look at their markets.
The indoor market traders are intimidatory. shoveing stuff on the scales so fast that you can't check what they are saying,.
Every time I go I say it will be the last.
 
I don't use the markets much, but each time I go, I'm struck by the amount if foreign produce and the ever increasing costs - I know prices are going up everywhere, but the Markets are sometimes more expensive than I can get at home. Also, the traders are nowhere near as helpful if you are looking for something in particlar, some of them seem to want to carry on their conversations instead of serving - the assistant on the Nut stall didn't stop talking on her mobile last time I went!!!
All of this makes me less inclined to go to the markets especially with the uphill trek to New Street with whatever I buy - i rarely drive in with the cost of parking it's not worth it!!
Sue
 
Yes Rupert that's so true. Not forgetting the local shop's like Hickman's for the veggies and fruit.
 
The last lot of steak we bought from the meat market was disapointing and has put us off going as it's the travel costs as well. They also sell a lot of meat by the tray which can be difficult to work out the price.
 
Ive noticed as well in fruit market lots of stuff sold by the tray....no weight shown Many years ago my mother embarrassed me in Newtown Row Market when the fruit shop (Meakins???) served her apples off the back and when he refused to serve off the front she tipped them out and told him what to do with them.
 
Let's face it...it always was a 'rough and ready' market place. Never my cup of tea but my mother always went there on saturdays. Come to think of it; it was probably an outing for her back then, after being in a dreary room and kitchen all week. She loved the rag market also and this has been on here before. I suppose a little licence can be given to the system given that those involved probably had no other means of making a measly livlihood. We have farmers markets here in the summer that are very similar to your's. They sell Canadian produce that is often grown locally and it is a welcome change from the pristene clinicality of the super stores these days. No whelks though. 'Darn it' everytime I think of that place I think of whelks and the taste buds go into re-boot.
 
Markets in general are practically finished.
Branded products are cheaper in the supermarkets and cheap unbranded products are usually rubbish.
Fruit and veg is cheap and nasty!
 
Yes it also the same with these dammed farmers markets ; going up and the country
they are the same not true farmers ; and people jumping on the band wagon preteding to be from farm
some are the old women s institute making pots of jam and the goods are rubbish and under weight
to me its a car boot with a different name and exstoriate prices theres no bargains to be got there
unlicenced and un registered people buying from the wholsaler and pretending to be country people scammers ; i say ;
astonian
 
I cannot speak for brum but here in cambridge the prices are nearly double that of the supermarkets, and the odd times I have shopped I will only buy what I can actually see because if you let them put goods from behind the display they are nearly always sub-standard, in saying that the cambridge market is always busy, but we have something like 6 milliom visitor's a year.
paul
 
I haven't used UK markets of any kind for years, but was always aware that they pushed in a fair proportion of junk rather than let you hand pick your own from the pile.

Here in Greece, any market trader refusing to let you pick your own wouldn't last five minutes - competition is fierce. Of course, they don't like giving change or working out the cost of less than a kilo, so always throw in a couple of extra apples or whatever to make up the weight, whether you want that extra weight or not!

You still need to watch prices as although most of the stuff is grown locally, most of the supermarkets (apart from Lidl) source locally too, and are quite often able to better the price. We prefer Lidl for leeks as we are not paying for a lot of excess greenery which is generally thrown away - the Lidl ones come nicely trimmed and cleaned!
 
We use a place called Strouds here and it is a building on the farm. The produce is always very good for the things that they grow and corn is exceptional especially when just picked and early in the season. The field tomatoes would not probably impress you. Lets face it they are field tomatoes grown on the dirt and how they are harvested is not known. Anyway they always look a bit beat up 'abused' maybe. Not at all the shiny polished ones that visually impress. It's hard sometimes to find a decent looking little basket....but 'oh' how good they taste. If they are shiny and polished ...well...perhaps a blemish or two and some dirt to boot...is better. Home grown field tomatoes have a short season and into winter all tomatoes from elsewhere used to be a bit dross but now we seem to be getting much better winter ones, from where I don't know.
 
HI RUPERT;
On the mention of growing in the fields today; out here in worcestershire there is alot of farmers out here as you can imagine
sell foods and pretend its there own grown foods of veg and eggs and alsorts ;but the fact of the matter it aint if you are out and about
and more so when you se the signs that say farm shops and shacks type huts at the lanes of farmers houses
sayin fresh farm food spuds nd every think else and as i said if you keep your eyes peeld you will see forin lorries pulling in and up delivering these things of produce to the farmer beleive me i know one particular on the a 38 to worcestershire as farm lands but he does not grow them on is land but the people passing by the score pull up and buy thining its farm fresh that to me aint right andits a scam
thats why i have said previously that hese farmers markets aint what they are made out to be
alot of farmers if not all get payed by the goverment not to grow thats why you do not see a poor farmer today just like the irish farmers
wealthy farmers i learnt this from another farmer whom i will not named i happenend to meet and done some work for him and deliver
potatoes to most chippie shos around the birmingham area he owns alot of massive land and his farm is in the doomsday book of history going back many years he led the chippies to beleive he grows is own spuds when he in fact imports them he was supplying half of worcestershire and brum and the black country chippies and he told me about how they pay farmers not to grow any think ;
thee was another well grower of plums in eversham got the small consortium to club to gether to pull all there plums together and get the contract
to a major store across the country ;when they got the contract to supply a well know super market chain ; he ditched the small growers
and started to inport them himself andditched the people he was taking here homegrown from and he uses his own baskets
then there is an old farmer whom lived in stratford sold the farm to some one else and went to live in spain he still gets his alowence for not
growing stuff he never informed the gouverment that he no longe rlived there and that he aint a farmer
every body talks about the poor and the unemployed kids and pensioners and ourkitty at the goverment is going poor
and the govererment are attacking the sick and disabled people its a free for all society we live in today
but getting back on track regarding markets you have to watch and speak out if you are being dealt with bad food and short changed in yourmoney
astonian
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top