Customer view: Frances Goodchild

25/Jan/2012

Regular customer Frances Goodchild shares her thoughts on Borough Market

When did you first come to the market?
I first came here for the Food Lovers' Fair in 1998. I came because I heard an announcement on the radio that the Two Fat Ladies – Clarissa Dickson Wright and Jennifer Paterson – were going to be demonstrating. They were on the back of a flatbed lorry and they were fantastic. You could see that the rapport they had on the television was genuine. The thing was, there was hardly a woman there. It was mainly men standing about eight deep in rapt silence. So I have been coming from that day really.

What stalls can't you leave the market without visiting?
I have to go to East Teas, their tea is wonderful and Alex is really kind and lets me sit down if I'm a bit tired. Salt from Real France. I get meat from Sillfield Farm, and of course there is New Forest Cider who make a wonderful variety of ciders. They are all wonderful really, I like the human contact, and the connection that all these people have with what they sell.

What do you enjoy about the market?
The stallholders. I have a bit of an agricultural background and I love talking to the producers. Farmers like the Bournes clearly have an intimate knowledge of their produce. But importers like Alex at East Teas also have a real depth of knowledge of their products. There is also the camaraderie that you develop with certain stallholders over the years. Having someone with real knowledge recommending produce based on your own tastes which they have come to know is something rather special.

What would you say to someone who has never been here before?
Actually it would be a case of bringing them here and introducing them to various stalls and their owners. That would ensure that they got the best out of the Market.