If there is anything I love its discovering a new market. I relocated to KwaZulu Natal from Cape Town almost a year ago and in the Mother City one is, well, spoilt for choice when it comes to markets. I mean the Earth Fair Market and the Blue Bird Market are within 10 kms of each other and they happen three times a week! Nevertheless, Durban and Ballito are not far behind when it comes to quality and range of traders and produce.
I joined friends at the end of last month at The Food Market in Durban which takes place on the last Saturday of every month at the Hellenic Centre in Durban North. This market has won, for the third year in a row, the 2012 Eat in Award for the Best Market in the Eastern Region โ a well deserved award indeed.
I have been known to go a bit mad at a market and have had to learn, over the years to curb my enthusiasm so I donโt spend our monthly food budget in a few short hours! I naively thought R150 would be enough to buy what I wanted to โ how wrong I was โฆ R350 was the damage at the end of the morning!
There were just so many delicious things to try, from the selection of fresh veges beautifully displayed at the entrance to the hall, to the jars of honey, the fresh samoosas, the homemade, egg free mayonnaise, the huge bowls of plump, juicy olives and of course the Eat Greek stall offering tubs of marinated brinjal, sundried tomatoes, artichokes, real Greek yogurt, packets of aubergine chips and hummus to name but a few.
There are also stalls selling clothes, beaded tableware and books. These stalls are located just outside the main hall where the majority of the food stalls can be found.
There is ample seating outside โ waiters are available to take orders for tea or coffee.
