apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Brava! I am loving the Euro posts.

Toast holders work really well as toast holders too, we have one and I lust after others. Maybe we eat a lot of toast?

Thank heavens you didn't call it high tea when you meant cream tea...that drives me nuts!

regards,
trillium

Beautiful post and display of finds. Although expensive, especially now with the exchange rate (USD/GBP), Portobello market is still an amazing place to roam, if only to take in the sights, snag a few finds, and eat something yummy while walking.

Did you find the prices slightly higher than the Paris markets? I found the Berlin flea markets that I went to last Fall to be a bit on the $ side, but the finds - wow - nothing I'd ever find here in the US.

-Holly

I want the aqua and white tea cup with the saucer and plate!
Those pastel houses are beautiful, loved to know what they look like inside.

Actually, I have more fun with the London flea markets than with the Paris ones. It's the people as much as the, uh, junk. My favorite is the Angel Market, which is not quite as fancy, famous, or festive as Portobello

;;

Fun post, wish I could go there. I have that same plate as the reddish oval one in a different color. It was a present from an English friend. It is Dudley Castle and I lived in Dudley NC.

Hi Trillium,

What is the difference between cream tea and high tea?

i dip my pocket watch by its chain in a cup of water, no need to wait for the kettle to sound.

Holly,

Hard to compare price-wise as London is so crazily expensive
with the ever-weakening dollar -- the day I took these photos the pound was at a 26-year high, with more than 2 pounds to the $. And the euro exchange isn't much better. I find that the only way to not lose my mind is to think in the local currency. And as for evaluating the worth of a found flea market treasure, as the French always say, "Quand on aime, on ne compte pas."

Cream tea, high tea, who cares - tea is always good! Gekko, high tea is pots of tea and cake and bread and butter etc at about 4 in the afternoon, a once universal posh english thing which has died out, sort of a tweed-and-butlers-and-bowler-hats type affair. Still available at the Ritz (£££!) and also at Betty's tea rooms in York - AT Europe please come up north next time you visit the Uk! Cream tea is similar but a southern thing, with scones and clotted cream , still served to tourists in Devon, Cornwall etc. Yum!

PS Love that little French proverb!

"a once universal posh english thing which has died out" - no it hasn't - people have tea all the time!

The difference between tea and high tea is class

Tea is a snack in the late afternoon - usually cakes and sandwiches - it is taken after lunch and before dinner - by middle and upper classes

High tea is basically dinner for the lower classes - its a proper meaty evening meal - probably because they couldn't afford both tea and dinner

Its also a regional distinction - if someone from the South invites you to tea be prepared for cakes at 4pm - if someone from the North invites you for tea be prepared for an evening meal at 6pm

Oh and I was at Portobello not two weeks ago - if you start at the Notting Hill tube end and work towards the flyover you will get all the lovely antiques first and then you'll gradually get into the young clothes designers at the other end - and get the tube at Ladbroke Grove the other end instead of walking all the way back again

A highly recommended cafe is Mick's Cafe on Blenheim Crescent - good food at reasonable prices and the most fantastic milkshakes I have ever tasted in my entire life!!! - if you choose one of the two outdoor tables you will have to endure the endless streams of tourists taking photographs of the Travel Bookshop opposite - as used in the film Notting Hill

One thing I've found Portobello very good for in the past is door knobs - both antique and interesting new ones - and also small enough to take back in your hand luggage

Under the flyover there is also a stall that sells leather hides in wonderful finishes - I was stupid and didn't buy the metallic green hide for £40 that I saw two weeks ago - I know I'll be kicking myself forever over that one!

Another good eating place is the Lazy Daisy Cafe at 59a Portobello Road - tucked away in a beautiful little courtyard it serves vegetarian food to yummy mummies and their offspring and is very relaxed

Yes, when in Britain one does drink tea around the clock, but more often these days made with disposable bags and out of mugs. And when one says "I'll put the kettle on" that usually means pressing the button on the instant-gratification electric tea kettle (which to my mind is energy-saving, kettle-shriek-free progress!).

And of course tea does mean different things to different people -- it can mean supper and it can mean scones with clotted cream and it can mean crustless cucumber finger sandwiches and it can mean a caffeinated beverage consumed on the run and it can mean as tin angel pointed out a tourist attraction at London's fancy hotels or a lovely traditional pause in British homes, tea houses and countryside inns.

I was referring to the general fading of the elaborate ritual of afternoon tea -- where the world stopped in the late afternoon and all the trimmings and accoutrements you find on sale at Portobello were more than charming cultural relics.

I can't help but think of the Disney movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks when I hear Portobello Rd, haha...I'm singing the song in my head right now!

Kristin, how would you compare Portobello to Clignancourt? I last went to Clignancourt maybe 6 years ago and found it overwhelming even then due to the crowds and the mix. To me, it seemed to have tons of new junk (typical street market stuff), tons of super-expensive antiques and not that much in the middle - although maybe it was there, I just couldn't find it!

When I went to Paris last month I thought about going to Clignancourt but decided I couldn't face it on a 4-day trip and went to Vanves instead, much more manageable and I got a few cute things, but definitely rather limited. The reason I ask is that I am thinking of doing a combined trip to London and Paris during the January sale season, and was wondering if I should set up the trip to hit Portobello this time instead.

Two of my other favorite markets are Chattachuk in Bangkok (it gets slammed for being touristy and crowded too, but still has some fantastic stuff) and the Pasadena Rose Bowl market in LA, btw.

I love, love, love Portobello more than any other flea market, although the exchange rate is currently horrendous. I never bought housewares or furniture there, but I have gotten clothes galore. You can find tons of mod 60s Carnaby Street clothing there, which happens to be my weakness.

Dear Eeek,

I think that Portobello and Clingnancourt are similiar, and I totally agree with your thoughts on how overwhelming and extreme Clingnancourt is and think you were wise to go to the albeit more limited but better priced and less daunting Vanves. It's kind of like trying to see the Louvre on a short trip instead of tackling the more manageable Musee Picasso or Musee Rodin.

But if I tend to leave Clingnancourt to the tourists and spendthrifts and look for bargains at the smaller brocantes, I can never seem to resist hitting up Portobello on a Saturday in London. For one, it's in the middle of the city and it's easier to work it into your day, stopping for coffee and shopping at the farmers market along the way, whereas Clingnancourt is its own mini-city on the outskirts of Paris. If you've never been to Portobello, definitely start there. But there are other London markets worth checking out as well -- Camden Market, Brick Lane, Alfie's Antique Market etc.

Also keep in mind that the January sales in Europe do not extend to the flea markets! But if you want to hit the boutiques, it's worth the trip.

"I was referring to the general fading of the elaborate ritual of afternoon tea -- where the world stopped in the late afternoon and all the trimmings and accoutrements you find on sale at Portobello were more than charming cultural relics."

Nope not fading - this still happens - our visits to grandparents still have this and all the accoutrements - they are definitely still everyday tools and not cultural relics!