London

Gifts | Pampering | Eating out | Theatre | Days out

Markets

Columbia Road Flower Market

Columbia Road Market
East London's Sunday flower market is undoubtedly the most mum-friendly in town. Full of chirpy stallholders, there are buckets full of every kind and colour of flower: common or garden daffs to exquisite long-stemmed pink and white roses. Further down, you’ll find bulbs and shrubs while at the Ravenscroft Street end, as the market is closing down, pick up cheap bedding plants: lobelia, begonia and pansies. The market is lined on both sides by a host of independent galleries and shops selling pottery,antiques (garden and home), trendy lampshades, hats, groovy baby togs and toys, making this by far your safest bet for Mother's Day.
Columbia Road Market, Columbia Rd, E2. Liverpool St tube/rail, then 26, 48, 55, 78, 242 or 243 bus. 8.30am-2pm Sun.

Greenwich Market
With its greenery, quaint streets, bucolic pubs and the opportunity for long riverside walks, Greenwch is hard to resist for a Mother's Day jaunt. The Sunday market is full of designers selling handicrafts, jewellery, home furnishings and clothes while the central hub of stalls finds a delicious range of foods including breads,cakes, cheeses, olives, honeys, juices and jams.
Greenwich Arts & Crafts Market, 11A Greenwich Market, off College Approach, SE10 (8293 3110/www.greenwichmarket.net) Greenwich rail or Cutty Sark DLR. Feature continues

Alexandra Palace Farmers' Market
If mums aren’t instantly charmed by the market’s location at the foot of the magnificent Alexandra Palace (the adjoining park is a perfect spot for laying out your post-market bounty for an impromptu picnic), then the jovial stallholders and range of hot food, fresh produce, artisan goods and general feel-good atmosphere will. Created by City & Country Farmers’ Markets, most producers hail from Kent, Surrey and Sussex, with plenty of other local English producers as well.
Alexandra Palace Farmers’ Market, entrance at Hornsey Gate, off Muswell Hill; or Campsbourne School, Nightingale Lane, off Priory Rd, N8 (8302 9010). Alexandra Palace rail, then W3 bus. 10am-3pm Sun.

Borough Market
It may not be open on Sundays, but head over to London’s oldest market on Saturday to stock up on goodies for breakfast in bed or a picnic in the park. Fill your hampers with rare-breed meat, fish and game or organic artisan loaves, though hit it early to avoid the crowds.
Southwark St, SE1 1TL (7407 1002/www.boroughmarket.org.uk). London Bridge tube/rail. 11am-5pm Thur, noon-6pm Fri, 9am-4pm Sat.

Find more London food markets

Parks and walks
Get out of the house for a good old-fashioned family day out at a London park. Battersea Park is perfect for mums with small children – not only does it feature Thames views and an art gallery, but there's the ahh-factor of the Children's Zoo (7924 5826/www.batterseaparkzoo.co.uk)

To find green spaces near you, see our guide to London's local parks and secret gardens.

For a more energetic day out, set out on a scenic route around town with a London walk.

AttractionsAs well as the special Mother's Day events being laid on across the capital, there are some longer-running attractions that always make for a mum-friendly day out:

Gifts | Pampering | Eating out | Theatre | Days out