If someone suggested going to Kew as a destination, you'd be forgiven for immediately thinking of its most famous attraction: Kew Gardens. However, Kew itself is a lovely little village with some interesting independent shops and cafes, and on the first Sunday of every month they hold a local market.

Kew Village Market sign
The roads around the station get closed off to cars, and about 35 independent traders take over the streets for four hours between 10am and 2pm. You'll find all sorts of tasty food on offer - including meat, fish, cheeses, olives, cakes and bread - as well as lots of local crafts and some live music.

Stalls at Kew Village Market
A lot of the food stalls are there regularly, but if you're after something in particular you can check a week before each market is on to see who has a stall that month.

Cake stall
The Kew Village Market is run by the community and all of the organisers are local volunteers. Any profits made by the committee go straight to neighbourhood charities, which is lovely, and you can show your support to the scheme just by visiting the market. If you get off the tube at Kew Gardens Station, which is on the District Line, you'll immediately be immersed in the bustle of the busy market. For more information you can visit the Kew Village Market
website, where you can check what stalls are attending, apply to be a stallholder and see which local charities are being supported. There is also a
Facebook page and
Twitter page.

Kew Village Market information point