Grainger Market (Newcastle)

Newcastle upon Tyne's Grainger Market opened in 1835. Architect, John Dobson and developer John Grainger were together responsible for giving the central part of the city the classical buildings for which it is still well-known today. In honour of Grainger, who must take most of the acclaim, this part of the city is now known as Grainger Town and much money has been spent to promote the area in recent years.

Most of these buildings ...
...of the market (away from Grainger Street was cleared last year: it used to house some octagonal shaped units but these have since been dismantled and the stall-holders housed elsewhere in the market. This open area is now used to house a craft market one Saturday each month.

When the market first opened it was one of the largest covered markets in Europe. Now, sadly, it has gone somewhat into decline, most probably because customers ... more

Newcastle upon Tyne's Grainger Market opened in 1835. Architect, John Dobson and developer John Grainger were together responsible for giving the central part of the city the classical buildings for which it is still well-known today. In honour of Grainger, who must take most of the acclaim, this part of the city is now known as Grainger Town and much money has been spent to promote the area in recent years.

Most of these buildings are in the neoclassical style with elegant pillars and porticos - the Theatre Royal is one such example and Grey Street, on which it stand was voted most impressive street in Britain in recent years by listeners of Radio 4.

Although elements of the original architectural style can be seen from the exterior, new shops which line the outer part of the market have detracted from the former grace and beauty. Let me explain more clearly: the market takes the shape of a large rectangle. There are entrances to the market on all four sides. On the exterior of each side there are shops, cafes and pubs. These have there own individual fascia bearing the name of the firm and these are in bright colours which seem to drown out the classical beauty of the building.

Each entrance is blocked off overnight by ornate, concertina iron gates. The market is open for business roughly between the hours of 8.30 am and 5.00pm, Monday to Saturday (I say roughly because I sometimes go along after work about 4.45pm and find that some traders are busy packing up.

Inside the market there are four aisles running the length of the building which are cut across by four other shorter aisles. The stalls which line the inside walls of the market are lucky to have the lovely panels over the stalls and you should look up to see the ceiling - very high and ornate. The northern section of the market (away from Grainger Street was cleared last year: it used to house some octagonal shaped units but these have since been dismantled and the stall-holders housed elsewhere in the market. This open area is now used to house a craft market one Saturday each month.

When the market first opened it was one of the largest covered markets in Europe. Now, sadly, it has gone somewhat into decline, most probably because customers prefer to do all the shopping under one roof, somewhere with close parking. As a result, the quality of some of the stalls has declined, although I still rate it for fresh produce.

There are a couple of fruit and vegetable stalls I favour because they sell things I can't always get in the supermarkets and because they are alot cheaper than the supermarkets: this would be things like big bunches of coriander (the nearby supermarkets only sell tiny plastic containers of it at extortionate prices), chilli peppers (again I can buy them in bulk whereas my local supermarket sells a couple in a plastic box) and sweet potatoes - getting these in the supermarket is hit and miss but it's rare that the market doesn't have any. I also favour the market because I resent having to pay for all the packaging which comes with my fresh produce in the supermarket.

In addition to the things I want but can't find in the supermarket, a couple of stalls in the Grainger market will buy in items that were available at the wholesalers that morning. These tend to be more unusual items of the kind you might see in Oriental or Asian foodstores like daikon (a Japanese root vegetable, sometimes called Japanese radish - it's a large, long white root vegetable), pak choi (used alot in Thai or Chinese cooking) and okra ,or Ladies Fingers as it's sometimes known, (an essential ingredient for an authentic Cajun gumbo). With thses items I tend to just buy them while they're on sale and then lok up a recipe when I get home. You can't always plan a menu using these ingredients and expect to find them in Newcastle.

I can normally pick up two bags full of fresh fruit and vegetables from the Grainger market for less than a fiver and that would include some of the more exotic and unusual items.

One or two of the fruit and vegetable stalls are self-service, the majority pick and pack the items for you but I have a good relationship with the stalls I regularly use and so I trust them to give me nice stuff.

There are loads of meat stalls selling everything ou could think of from top quality steaks throught to every kind of offal you can think of - brains, heart, tongue, tripe - you name it, it's here. Many of the butchers make their own recipe burgers and sausages and many also do prepared, marinaded chicken drumsticks or pieces for stir fries.

In additon to the meat products, several of these stall also sell game - rabbit, pheasants, venison, etc and these are very reasonably priced.

There are no fish sellers but there is a dedicated fish market just across the road in the Greenmarket.

One of my favourite stalls is the cheese stall on the north interior wall and the staff are only too happy to cut you off a piece of cheese you would like to try. The stall sells all the usual kinds of cheese (Edam, Cheddar, Cheshire, etc) but also sells more unusual cheeses such as ones flavoured with thistle, one with flakes of dried chilli on the outside and some wonderfully creamy feta as well as a good selection of goats cheeses.

Pumphrey's a locally based coffee supplier have a stall in the market where they will grind the coffee beans freshly for you on the spot and will even make up a recipe according to your request from the many different beans they have. Follow your nose, you'll soon find it!

Other food stalls are not as exciting - there are a few stalls selling pre-packaged biscuits and dried goods, often out-of-date offers or cheap brands you've never heard of (sorry, I'm a bit of a brand snob!).

If you're in need of refreshment there are a couple of pubs on the outside of the market building although I wouldn't personally recommend any of them. They're a bit rough and ready, "spit and sawdust" joints, very smoky and frequented by the less desirable resdients of the city. If you want something in the market then the choice is limited but there is a small sit-down cafe - more of greasy spoon really but entertaining in terms of watching other customers! (Again I'm being snobby but you're better of seeking refreshment further afield - take one of the exits which leads onto Nelson Street and cross the road to the Cafe Royale or Starbucks). There are a couple of takeaway places doing pies, pasties and sandwiches but be aware that eating a pasty (the Geordie spelling of it) in the street is the most common thing you can do in this city - and many, many people do it!

There is a great bookshop in the market which sells cut price books and operates a book exchange. If you enjoy crime fiction this is the place to come, they have mountains of it. It's also a good source of food books - all at cut price- you can buy books on just about every type of cuisne you could want. They are also good for books on local history and sell a good range of maps.

Another stall I like is one which sells a reasonbly priced range of silver jewellery. The designs are generally quite modern but there is plenty of choice. Just opposite this is a shop which sells a great selection of bags, handbags and purses.

Just behind here is Scorpio shoes (you'll recognise it by the massive model of a Doc Marten boot just outside the unit) - well-known in the city as it has occupied a few locations. This is the place where the rockers and goths buy their Doc Martens and Rocks - a masssive selection and available in every colour under the sun.

 

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