Village markets in England don’t compare to Hong Kong’s with their live fish and snakes, but everything is fresh and the banter can be lively
- Seeing live snakes, fish and – before bird flu – poultry for sale at Hong Kong’s wet markets was unforgettable, but not something you’ll find at English ones
- What village markets in England do offer, though, is freshly caught, killed or harvested, and comes with plenty of friendly banter
Hong Kong’s markets were a handy and relatively cheap source of produce, but also a spectacle, during my years in the city.
I watched wide-eyed as fresh snake blood was consumed at a stall in Sheung Shui in 1994, soon after my arrival. In the days before bird flu, live chickens, pigeons and quail were often available at my local wet market in Mui Wo.
Visitors from the West are surprised to see fish still swimming around at the stalls. You can’t get fresher than that!
The markets in the English countryside pale in comparison. Everything is dead, for a start. But my favourite village market is worth the weekly visit. It only has a few stalls, at the village hall or outside the church.
One highlight is the fish stall. You don’t encounter many queues in this part of the world, with its low population density. But people begin to line up before 9.30am to eagerly await the arrival of the fish van from Rye.
A limited, highly seasonal and mostly filleted selection is available. It is fresh and good quality, although not especially cheap, coming from one of the day boats fishing off the nearby coast. You can never be sure what will be on offer. It depends on what they have caught.
There is usually cod, monkfish, skate and sea bass. The dabs, plaice and mackerel are popular. Last summer there was lots of crab, but it has been in short supply this year.
Being at the front of the queue presents a dilemma. There are limited quantities available. You don’t want to grab all the favourites and deprive everyone else. Sometimes people ask what others in the queue are looking for, so everyone can go home happy.
Across the road, a woman sells little eggs in various colours laid by her chickens at the attractive price of 50 pence for six. There is always a tale to be told about the life of the hens that laid them.
The meat stall, well known for its pies, is especially good for game. Last week there was a whole wild boar heart! Almost every cut of venison is on offer. I once made the mistake of asking the stallholder if it was local. “Local?” he said. “You have probably met it.”
Potatoes come from a nearby farm, which grows more than 20 varieties. This is harvest time and my son worked there for a while, starting at 7am. He became a bit of an expert. If you ever get the chance to buy “pink gypsy” potatoes, I can recommend them.
