Just one of many fantastic fruit and vegetable stalls at Espinho market
Cheese choices
Espinho market dates back to 1864 when it took place twice a month. Due to growing demand, the council agreed it could be held once a week and so fast forward to 2014 and anyone in the area will know that Monday is very much market day. After just one visit I’m addicted! I popped along yesterday for the third time in less than a month after coming to the realisation that I have been missing out big time on fantastic food in general, fabric, and every household item under the sun since I got here!
Cured meats are the norm
That’s not to say that we haven’t eaten well here in Aveiro – not on your life! The restaurants, cafés and shops do a great job at serving up amazing meat, fish and our local supermarket, Paradi, is somewhere that I’m forever nipping to for our food shopping. That said, there really is nothing quite like a market to get the blood pumping for a bargain or even just to try new food.
Garden and allotment plants for sale
So, I headed there again yesterday having sussed out the best time to go. The locals get there early and come back laden down with shopping carts (you know the ones, the grandma-style ones that are pulled along and are dangerous if in the wrong pair of hands!) and the tourists head there later on when it has calmed down a little. I’m definitely one of the afternoon visitors, arriving around 3pm.
Traditional Barcelos pottery
The market stretches covers over a km of ground. Thanks to Portugal’s textile production, which, despite the crisis, still takes place, stalls selling high quality towels, kitchen linen fabric and other sewing materials abound. There’s also a great section for clothes, shoes and bags whilst the household section has everything from plastic buckets to Barcelos pottery (Barcelos is a town in the north of Portugal, famed for its brown pottery and also its en masse market) and ducks, chickens and hens ready to head home to someone’s garden for egg laying.
Locally made biscuits
My shopping list now consists of cheeses, hams, fabric (including these fab vintage style prints) and even the odd top for pottering around in. And the best thing about Espinho is that after all of that hard work shopping you can head to the beach and have a paddle to refresh those aching toes!
Cheeselover’s dream
Fabric choices
Dotty fabric choices
potteringaroundportugal 