Hey everyone, hope you are doing well! Final semester is almost coming to an end. It is definitely bittersweet. I cannot wait to be finished with my exams and assignments though hahah
Anyway, I thought I would just pop in and tell you guys about one of my favourite things in Guildford- its weekly market!
So on Thursdays, if you want to try food from different cultures or get greens, the best place to visit is the Thursday market on campus- usually held at the students union & Rubix. The food stalls take you on a world tour – sizzling paella from a Spanish stall, cool lassi and chaat from an Indian stall, and a katsu burger loaded with umami from a Japanese stall, to name a few. I’d personally recommend the spicy lamb and rice (an absolute flavour bomb) which you can find at an Afro-Caribbean stall, and also Lord Falafel, who makes the best Middle Eastern wraps (shawarmas) in Surrey in my opinion. You can find him zipping around town in his food van on other days during the week. There is also a bakery, BrownBread, as you enter Rubix, which offers a wide variety of bread loaves, pastries, and desserts. My absolute favourite thing to do on a Thursday is to buy a caramel latte from Starbucks and a heavenly slice of pecan pie from this bakery, it is one of the most comforting feelings, especially during winter.
Besides the food stalls, Rubix hosts a fresh fruit and vegetable market, where you can pick and choose from a wide selection. Things that you normally can’t find in Tesco e.g. Passionfruit, plantains, can be found in this market; it kind of reminds me of getting vegetables from the wet markets in Singapore- on a mini scale though hahaha. So that’s what you get on campus every Thursday.
Every Friday and Saturday, you can find the weekly North street market in town. North street is literally the first street you see as you enter town. It is about a 15-minute walk from Stag hill campus. If you wanted to, you could also take the bus & you’ll be there in no time. Return tickets should cost you 1.85.
The market will be pretty hard to miss because you will see a row of tents set up for the stalls. The stalls start opening from 9am and stay open till about 4pm- this does vary from stall to stall though. Again, there are food & bakery stalls, stalls selling flowers, and fresh seafood and of course, stalls selling fresh fruits and vegetables- in fact, there are two! So definitely is best to compare between the two fruits & vegetable stalls to see which is your best option. It is hard to say when is the best time to come because if you want to have the nicest and freshest option, then you got to come early but lots of the fruits become discounted towards the end of the day. Guess it might be a luck thing! I personally have never bought anything from the seafood stall but I’ve heard that it’s pretty good & fresh. They do close way earlier than the rest of the stalls so probably best to go in the morning.
The chances of you seeing Lord Falafel Van selling his Wraps and chips is pretty high too. So if you missed him on Thursday, definitely try the wrap when you head to town. One of the fruits and vegetable stalls, UniqueFruits, are the same vendors that host the Thursday market on campus. If you walk up a little more towards Pho, you will be able to find BrownBread Bakery selling their amazing cakes and pies!
So yes this weekly Guildford market is definitely worth your time. Even if you don’t need to get anything I would say it is a great way to take a break and spend your Saturday morning/afternoon.
Till next time,
Nitya
