You’d never guess that one of Dublin’s best markets is tucked away in an industrial estate off the N2 near the Glasnevin Cemetery, but that’s exactly where you’ll find Brid Carter’s Honest2Goodness market on Saturdays.
In essence it’s more like the ideal supermarket than a farmers’ market and, while that might not be as charming as an outdoor market, it makes up for it in spades with the quality and variety of its stallholders and the fact that you can get just about everything you need for your weekly shop here, all under one roof (a definite advantage over the outdoor markets on rainy days!). Plenty of parking is another bonus.
Artisan bread, fresh fruit and veg (Irish wherever possible), meat, fish, preserves, baked treats, even cut flowers are all here. There are many specialty stallholders too, like My Mexican Shop, the gluten-free Sticky Fingers Bakery, Bart’s Chocolates and The Natural Sauce Company.
Unusually for a market, an excellent, hand-picked selection of wine from Spain, France and Italy is available to round out your shopping.
Brid also set up The Pantry section of the market specifically to stock everyday essentials like dairy products, oils and vinegars, spices, cheeses, dried goods and gluten-free products, making the market a true one-stop shop for its loyal regular customers. Credit and debit cards are accepted at this stall with a minimum spend of €10.
If all the shopping has made you peckish, the H2G Ready2Go Café offers coffee from Ariosa Roasters in Co. Meath and tea from Kingfisher Teas in Wexford, plus a range of sandwiches, hot dishes and baked goods.
Everything is made fresh that morning with ingredients sourced mere steps away at the market – provenance doesn’t get any better than that. Or treat yourself to a slice of pizza from Breanndans Wood-fired Oven from the cart just outside the front door or a sweet treat from the bakers’ stalls.
All in all, an absolute gem. If only there were more markets like this.
