A guide to the English Market

Faith

If you're not used to shopping in the English Market, it can be confusing deciding where to go for what. I thought it might be useful to create one comprehensive thread where people can post about what they buy where, where you get the best value for products, hidden gems that others might not be aware of, and so on.

I know this has been discussed throughout other threads, but it'd be useful to have all the information readily available in one thread.

Loire

Great idea Faith

I buy my fish from the Ballycotton stand - K O'Connells have a superb selection but I prefer to support the "little guy". Ballycotton tend to be a bit cheaper too.

The bakery sells a fantastic "Country Baguette" - can't remember the price but it's not expensive and it will last until the next day too.

The 2 asian shops are great for rice, and very cheap for coconut milk - I buy them as solids in a carton - they are 1.10 each and I only use half of one for a thai curry that will feed 6, so superb value here compared to tins in the supermarket which are often 2e each.

The fresh pasta from Aygo is also very good and reasonably priced IMO.

If you are in the Market midweek at lunchtime, the beef butcher at the Grand Parade end (opp the palce that sells the olives) cooks burgers on a grill and they're superb.

I buy my chickens from Moynihan's - their large, free range chickens are 9e and they're great.

Loire

ABajaninCork

I buy my fresh chillis from Superfruit. They have an excellent range of fruit and veg, great quality and reasonable prices.

There's also another stand where I buy Thai and West Indian seasonings, but can't remember the name. I'm going in later, so will report back with the names!

horgan_p

Bresnan's for any beef

bluecherry74

+1 for Bresnan's, although I mostly shop in their Douglas store. They definitely have the best beef and lamb in Cork. Got some lovely lamb sausages there the other day flavoured with harissa and paprika.

Iago have a gorgeous selection of cheese which is sold by weight, so you can but as little (or as much) as you want and put together a nice tasting board without having to buy loads of big blocks of cheese. Their cooking chorizo is excellent too. Pretty much everything they sell is lovely. It's a rare weekend that I go into town and don't come home with something from there.

SteelyDanJalapeno

Can you get some good curry paste anywhere in there?

Aglomerado

TiltedBrain wrote: »

Can you get some good curry paste anywhere in there?

Mr Bell's and "the good food store" are both good places for this. Good range of spices and dry ingredients such as rice, lentils etc, too.

pwurple

+1 Bresnan's or O'Mahoney's for meat. Meat in both comes from the Bresnan farm.

The Sandwich stall for lemon hummus.

Heddermans for Hot Smoked Chilli Salmon. Special occasions only, it's expensive!

I like ballycotton seafood as well as o'connells. Ballycotton doesn't scale as neatly as I like, so I usually get things that don't need scaling or boning there. Whole fish, flat fish. That kind of thing.

Pigs Back for cold meats, pate and cheese.

Iago's for cheese.

nerwen

Great idea! Definitely going hunting for lemon hummus, I may have an addiction...

Personal favorites of mine:
- Best Meats for amazing lamb burgers (and a giggle with the guys that work there)
- O'Flynns for my those amazing Mediterranean sausages
- Alternative bread for sourdough bread that goes so well with...
- The Real Olive Co's everything, but mainly hummus, sundried tomatoes, pesto and a feta dip that blows my mind
- I tend to vary between Iago and On the Pigs Back for cold meats and cheese, where iago has a lot of international stuff, OtPB has a great selection of local goodies. The smoked salami from Gubbeen's smokehouse is absolutely amazing.

becost

It's been a while since I've bought anything there but me and my friends used to buy rotten eggs by the tray from the chicken inn for Halloween. Best price and the freshest rotten eggs in Cork.