Levenshulme Market

So I was reading the reviews and I must not have been at the same market??? We decided to pop down to the market for lunch and check out the Food and Drink Festival. We parked up at the Tesco down the road. We didn’t see parking anywhere else and we didn’t get a ticket, so it must have been ok. I noticed a lot of people saying there were 50 stalls when they went, but when we went there were barely 20 stalls. I guess I thought that there would still be a lot of stalls around lunch time.
There were stalls selling sausages, cheeses, bread, chocolate, coffee, and homemade cola. We ended up purchasing some Apricot and Ginger Sausages (which were absolutely delicious… we got to sample before taking them home) and a nice rustic bread that we used for sandwiches and toasted for some Bruschetta. We had a brief walkabout and decided we wanted to get some lunch from a stall serving Malaysian food. We had cod cooked on a banana leaf with coconut rice. They also included some Sambal and Cucumbers. The Sambal was quite spicy, but the sweet coconut rice and the cucumbers added a refreshing and soothing aspect to the dish. It was quite popular and they ended up running out of cod.
There was also a truck serving vegetarian food and another truck serving Caribbean food. Next to the stall serving Malaysian food was a stall serving Persian food. And the place that we bought the sausages from was serving up burgers and sausages. We also got to sample a White Chocolate Raspberry Macaron and if that wasn’t enough we may have topped it off with some ice cream from Ginger’s Comfort Emporium… the Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter ice cream was heavenly!
I did like what was there, but I guess I thought there were going to be more stalls and that we could have a nice wander after having lunch. And I was looking forward to doing a bit of shopping besides just food. However, if I can convince Mr. Snarky to get up early, I would like to try it again, but this time we’ll go before lunch :)

A great market just next to Levenshulme train station, with 50 stalls there was plenty of variety and lots to look at! It seemed the sun had brought the crowds and a lot of food stalls started to sell out early on, I’ll have to make sure I get there earlier next time! I had a beetroot burger (£4.00) from ‘Offbeat’ which was absolutely delicious and then treated myself to a Jaffa brownie which just blew me away. £1.50 for a huge slab of chocolate orange wonderfulness from the aptly named ‘Lush Brownies’!! MUST TRY.
There was artwork, jewellery, tea, cheese, clothes, candles, vintage wonders. so many great stalls! I will definitely be returning. I just hope the sun does too!

Levenshulme Market was originally once a month, but has now become a weekly event (well 4 times a month, they get a weekend off when its a 5 weekend month). Its a must for anyone who appreciates local produce and wishes to support the local community. Its run by local people for local people. But that may make it sound a bit DIY when in fact Levenshulme market actually has some of the finest local producers selling each week.
The market is different each weekend of the month from a bit of everything, to food focussed, to craft and homeware. Regardless of which week it is there is always a delicious bite to be had.
The food market is definitely my favourite and on a sunny day we can easily spend a couple of hours there, chatting and drinking and grabbing a bite to eat.
My favouriter sellers are the cheese man, the Arepa people and the venison /​game meaty peeps… oooh and the sausage man… and the scotch egg man… and the bread people. I think i’ll go away now research their actual names and post some more useful links.

In France we still have weekly markets in most towns and villages. These are mainly focused on food produces: butcher stalls, cheesemongers, vegmongers, charcuterie… Massive stalls in market halls or outside.
But the UK seem to have lost its appetite for local, artisan markets. The reliance on supermarkets is just too easy, convenient and wallet-​friendly that markets and artisan produces have all but disappeared from our urban landscape.
Thankfully a growing community is willing to reverse this trend and put the effort in to organise weekly markets for local residents.
Levenshulme is the one I heard most of. Clearly one of the most successful in South Manchester.
Local street food vendors, cheeses, coffees and teas, niknaks, wine, bread, bars… live music. Bring a little sunshine and everyone is feeling we all know each other and want the same lovely things in life.
I Boughy great baguettes from Trove and they’re as good as the French stuff. Great cheeses from a lovely old man who couldn’t believe I didn’t know Cathedral City. Yummy coffee for cheaper than the super market, freshly grounded and it came with a 10 mins coffee masterclass. And we had delicious arepas from … Arepa x 3.
My only problem is that there aren’t enough of these markets around. Maybe if more people knew how good they can be…
Can we create one is Sale/​Ashton?

Levenshulme Market is more than just a place to get your weekly wares, it’s a social enterprise and it’s helping the local community & traders come together in a way that’s increasingly being lost in Britain today.
From March this year Levy market went from a monthly affair to a weekly one, I was a little worried that it might dilute the special event feeling the previous setup had, but my fears were unfounded — the Market team had the bright idea of creating a weekly theme, rotating between Foods & Drink, Vintage, Flea Market and Craft sellers. On each of the weeks there’s still usually a chance to grab a bite to eat.
If I’m around of a weekend I’ll make sure I make the short trip to the market, dependent on weather it’ll be a quick dash — it’s an uncovered market in the car park of Levenshulme train station, save for some seating under the railway arch.
If the weather is playing nicely then you could easily while away an hour flicking through records, bartering for a vintage box or eating a variety of foods from game sausages and Colombian Arepas (the Arepa! Arepa! Arepa! dudes are ace) to cupcakes and spring rolls all washed down with a pint or two.
Levenshulme Market usually houses 50 traders per week, you’re not going to be desperate to visit all the stalls every week, which is why it was a good move rotating them — even so, it’s a small place on some underused land in an often neglected part of South Manchester and for that reason it’s remarkable that such a great little community hub is thriving.
I’d recommend keeping abreast of the weekly traders on the @LevyMarket Twitter account or their web site
— so you don’t make a trip for nothing, having said that you are likely to stumble across something you wouldn’t have known about before.
If you’re up early on a sunny Saturday morning and looking to buy some interesting bits and have a decent feed then head to Levenshulme Market, it makes for a much more uplifting experience than heading to the identikit high streets!

Having a bit more free time and with the weather getting better I enjoy exploring the Manchester suburbs and see what local produce I can get. I find it hard to find organic food in the city centre and I´m really missing some German bread.
After trying Altrincham market, which I reviewed here (
), I headed to Levenshulme market last Saturday. It´s super easy to get there, just take the train from Piccadilly for a 6min ride for 2 pounds (return ticket). You can actually see the market from the platform– so no need to get your google maps out or wander for hours!
On the day I picked up organic eggs (one of which I smashed in my handbag on the way home– OH JOY!) and hand churned butter (3,50 altogether) two delicious pies (Try the steak and chorizo) that were an absolute bargain for 1,50−2 pounds and of course some bread.
In the little vintage area I also found this lovely glass bowl for fruit, salad or trifle.
To be honest I was a bit disappointed with the market «itself», the layout and location isn´t really inviting to stay longer than your shop or to have food there. In Altrincham I loved the fact that it was covered up and had a nicely decorated seating area to enjoy food and live music. The traders also seemed far more approachable and keen on telling me about their produce, which is exactly why I prefer them over anonymous Tesco shopping.
Also I was looking to buy some fruit/​veg and flowers but unfortunately I could´t get any.
As the stalls vary every week, I will just head over again and try my luck this Saturday again.
Although this may not become my favourite market, I strongly encourage everyone to go an support local traders and buy their groceries locally!

I’ve been to Levy market several times over the last 6 months and it’s a really great place for independent shopping for everything from cheese and meat to homemade candles and vintage homeware. Plus it has great stalls selling food to eat there and then, including the most delicious Colombian street food from Arepa Arepa Arepa– seriously worth the trip just for that.
This time it was a special pre-​Christmas night market extravaganza with even more stalls than usual. We spent a good couple of hours there browsing the many stalls and came away with an array of cheese, the finest sausages and dry cured bacon from (award winning) Bobby’s Bangers, brownies and beer as well as full bellies and enormous grins on our faces (possibly enhanced by the mulled wine).
This market beat the boring overpriced European markets hands down and hopefully they’ll do some more night events in the future. In the meantime, apparently they’re due to start making the Saturday day time ones a weekly affair at some point in the early New Year. Check it out

It takes a lot to get me out of bed early on a Saturday morning, but with my wife saying for months that she wanted to check out the ever expanding ‘Levy’ market and my other biggest driver in life, hunger, coming together, I couldn’t resist the allure of going along to see what the fuss was all about.
Levy market has around 50 stalls with around half being craft, vintage and record stalls with the rest made up of super tasty foodie huts — served up by the royalty and crème de la crème of the Manchester street food scene.
Local favourites Trove are there selling their always quick to sell out loaves, while Robinsons the bakers keeps the floury items flowing from the other side of the market (don’t miss out on their Danishes which are literally the size of a gorillas hand but I’m sure a lot more tasty!!)
Being on the last Saturday of each month — and if they ever change it, it’s listed here:
there’s enough to keep coming back each month for.
My personal favourite has to be the Colombian food stall
— which were quite simply amazing. Little corn pockets of magic is how I’d describe them — stuffed to the brim with beef, chicken and guacamole and some specially imported Colombian sauces. Don’t even think about going to Levy market and missing out on these!

I have now been at the market twice and it was even better the second time around. The first time was a short visit as it was freezing cold! Outdoor markets are always more fun when the sun shines!
There are various stalls from homemade chutney to clothes and everyone is friendly and free tasters on most food stalls.
There’s a great atmosphere and its definitely one of my favourite markets near me.

Street Markets can be very tricky because the amount of fun you will have is always directly proportional to the weather — Hence the more the sun shines, the more fun you have.
Unfortunately the last time I went for Levenshulme Street Market the weather was bad, I mean really bad (remember that worst day of snow storm in England?). There were chilly winds, some stalls were almost about to collapse, and my hands were numb because of the cold even after wearing 2 pairs of gloves, Hence automatically my experience was not the greatest.
The market itself looked promising but i guess they could have done better, the variety of food stalls did not impress me massively. I was looking for some really good quality brew there considering its a street market but did not find that, nor did I find a waffle place (Is it just me who thinks waffles are essential in any out door market?). There were stalls of hot dogs, sandwiches, Indian Food, Doughnuts, Scarves and accessories. I also think a bit of music could have lifted peoples mood because of the weather catastrophe but sadly there was none or at least not audible to my ears!
Verdict: It has a lot of potential, I am probably going back next time if the weather is better.

My best information is that Levenshulme is at the leading edge of strong community spirit in Manchester. Evidence supporting this conclusion includes the grassroots campaign to save the local public baths and library, both of which are under threat of closure by Manchester City Council; and this monthly street market, now relaunched as a community-​owned enterprise.
The cold weather doesn’t bother me, as I am pretty well insulated all the year round, plus the down parka is always there for frosty days. However, it was a pleasant shock of surprise when I emerged under the railway bridge to see the crowded marketplace. This is how it must have been in the good old days, people coming together for market day whatever the weather as there was no other option, for food and socially as well. In modern time, you might think you other options, but I feel it is hard to beat the al fresco funky-​dinner party ambience of Levy Market. If everyone doesn’t know everyone, then they soon will — just be sure to excuse yourself from the non-​stop banter every now and again so your food doesn’t go cold!
As a vegetarian, I passed up on several stall offering traditional (meaty) raised pies, which seem to be the new cupcake! Always a priority for me is something sweet from The Buttery — today’s delights were a caraway shortbread, plus a mini sticky toffee pudding tart. A traditional Manchester Tart from Robinsons would have been another strong option for dessert — next time, definitely. On the savoury front, I enjoyed my first ever arancini di riso! For those of you who are not regularly paying through the nose for these as antipasto at Jamie’s Italian or wherever, these are risotto balls covered in breadcrumbs and deep fried. Macaroni cheese with peas and mushrooms done arancini-​style was another veggie option, both arancini selling for £1.50 each. Deep fried, then straight onto the napkin for some hot nibbling — just the thing for a cold winter day.
Anyway, there is a ton of other stuff — dosas, Mexican, artisan ice creams, you name it. As the Levy Market momentum continues to snowball and the weather warms up, Levy Market every fourth Saturday is a priority in my monthly diary.