London events in February

Broadway Market continues to thrive following its clever makeover nearly 15 years ago. This compact Hackney street, which neatly connects London Fields to the Regent’s Canal, has had a traditional fruit and veg market since the 1890s. But it went into steep decline in the ‘80s, and trade had all but petered out before the community relaunched it in 2004. Now taking place on Saturday from 9am-5pm, Broadway Market is a bustling hub for the Hackney hipsters and East End creatives who have settled down and started families. It now welcomes around 135 stalls selling a fabulous array of fresh produce, vintage clothes, flowers, coffee, books and groceries. There’s also plenty of delectable street food, including Deeney’s toasted sandwiches, Fin and Founder’s crab-cake burgers, Floris Bakery’s chocolate eclairs and the modern cult classic Yorkshire Burrito. Although there are no stalls during the week, Broadway Market is still worth visiting for its cute coffee shops, one-off restaurants and chic boutiques. Gentrification has more than crept in, but it still feels like a local high street complete with a kebab shop, post office, Costcutter, old-school barber shop and excellent hardware store. Even outside market day, you’ll find it buzzing with people pottering about, nattering over coffee and doing their weekly shop. Top Tip: Broadway Market can get very busy, especially when the weather’s good, so it’s best to allow plenty of time to avoid stress when perusing the stalls. Nick L