You know you’ve hit adulthood when you’re less inclined to smoke behind the school bike sheds… than buy artisanal cheese there.
Running since November 2021, the Portobello Schoolyard market takes place in the grounds of Vicente Cañada Blanch Spanish School… hence the name. It’s a stone’s throw from Golborne Road, at the north end of the well-trodden Portobello Road, synonymous with its own market of a different flavour.
Portobello Schoolyard provides a table-top home for all manner of small businesses, from postcards and prints designed by Lucky Number 5 to fresh pasta from OTTO, fronted by Michelin-starred chef Phil Howard. Also on the line-up is Kamienko’s Bagels, set up by ex-Leroy chef Sam Kamienko during lockdown.
Elsewhere, you can pick up dayboat catches at The Fish Stall, supremely good charcuterie, and cheese from The French Comte – who use milk from the docile-looking Montbéliarde cows to make all their hard and soft cheeses, from Camembert to Morbier. There’s also wines from The Other Grape, who showcase winemakers from the Arab World and beyond.
As for food to-go, you won’t be disappointed with the regular rotation including umami-laden dumplings from The Ugly Dumpling; properly good baps from The Parson’s Nose made with their famous free-range sausages; and on the sweet end of the spectrum, there’s 100% vegan cinnamon buns from Benji’s Buns, plus dinky pasteis de nata from Almada Portuguese Bakery.
The vibe is neighbourhood-centric, with plenty of passing traffic thrown in the mix. Thoughtfully, the organisers have even opened a secret back entrance on St. Lawrence Terrace for locals to nip in and out.
Just in case there’s not mushroom at the main entrance.
NOTE: Portobello Schoolyard is open every Saturday, 10am-4pm. You can find out more HERE.
Portobello Schoolyard | Vicente Cañada Blanch School, 317-318 Portobello Road, London W10 5SZ
Love street food? Check out our guide to London’s best food markets