What's in season at the Corn Exchange
Late tomatoes, the first leeks and a vendor with opinions about both. A short guide to the best two weeks of the market year.
1 min read
For two weeks at the end of August, the Corn Exchange market has everything at once. The summer is not quite over and fall has not quite begun, and the stalls are so full that the vendors put crates on the floor.
Tomatoes
The late tomatoes are the best of the year, and the ugliest. Ask Harold at the third stall for the ones he keeps under the counter. They are split and lumpy and worth twice what he charges.
Leeks
The first leeks arrive in the last week of August. They are thin and sweet and, according to Harold, not worth buying until October. According to everyone else, Harold is wrong about leeks.
Plums
There are plums for exactly ten days. You will miss them. Everyone misses them. Buy two bags when you see them, and make jam with the one you do not eat on the bus home.
When to go
Saturday at eight, before the crowds and after the bread arrives. Bring a bag. Bring two.
Ruth Calloway
Editor · Food
Ruth started Dispatch in 2021 from a table at Rosa's. She writes about food and the people who make it, and edits everyone else.
