Wimbledon Christmas Market 2014

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Sat 29 Nov 2014 - Tue 23 Dec 2014

Wimbledon's Christmas Market has returned to the piazza for another year. Popping up every weekend until Christmas, it is abound with crafts, gifts, and a Frozen shed. I was drawn to the piazza by the beautiful voice of a busker, playing the guitar. I don't know if it was her talent, the attraction of the market, a strong sense of Christmas spirit, or a combination of the three, but she was being tipped more than any other street busker I can ever remember seeing. Maybe it was her charming personality, for although she was in mid song, she took the time to personally thank everyone who put in a coin, by integrating it into her song.



Everyone watched while chowing down on yummy street food, and there was a lot to choose from. In the centre of the piazza were two hot food stalls, standing back to back; one selling authentic Indian cuisine, and the other Asian noodles.



If you like your Asian food, then Bamboo Living design durable and sustainable kitchenware using bamboo. They had sushi plates, rice dishes, spoons, etc.



There was also a Turkish market with a pick-a-mix of sweets, Turkish delight, baklava, and marinated olives.



The stall that tempted me featured a range of tropical flavours, such as from Brazil, with a guava and orange cake. They also had an extremely moist and delicious carrot cake with polenta and coconut, fig and almond tart, lavender cake, unique vegetarian pasties, brioche, and more.



My favourite craft stall was True Linen , which sold handmade knitted bears, rag dolls, and homeware from linen.



Next door you could find crafts for the garden, including bird houses, elf and Santa gnomes, and wicker-made wildlife.



The inside of your home won't be left wanting either. French graphics designer, Fanita , creates personalised paper-cut themed creations starting from £49. Tiff Howick is a wildlife printmaker – her portfolio included an adorable fox cub, red squirrel, and bunnies reminiscent of Peter Rabbit and General Woundwort.



For those who like to be pampered, there were several jewellery and beauty stalls. Trinite Village make ethereal looking soaps, bath blasters, and bath melts.



If you like candles but are looking for something different from what's on the high street, at the market you can find a stall selling beautifully scented candles that crackle like a fire when lit.



Bookaholics also have something to cheer about, because at Peirene Press you can find books to widen your cultural spectrum. Peirene Press are a boutique publishing house committed to first class European literature. All under two-hundred pages long, they are perfect for a bit of light reading. Named after a Greek nymph that turned into a water spring, poets used to drink from the spring for inspiration.



For the younger generation of readers, you can get a real bargain. Buy one book, get two free. In fact, had I wanted to buy anything I would have got three free. Two people waked up to me and asked if I would like them to buy my books for me. Initially this sounded a bit weird, but then they went on to explain how they were part of a group giving to the community, and decided to do so by buying books for people.

This is just the kind of spirit you are looking for around Christmas time, and the mooch around the market definitely lifted my mood.

#christmas
#craft
#markets
#shopping
#street_food
#wimbledon
#november
!date 29/11/2014 -- 23/12/2014
%wnlondon