A Wander Around Grainger Market and Afternoon Tea

If you live in Newcastle Upon Tyne you will be familiar with the Grainger Market. Situated in the heart of the city, nestled between Grainger Street, Clayton Street,Nelson Street & Nun Street the indoor market has been part of Newcastle since 1835. Richard Grainger was the developer who was responsible for the redevelopment of 19th Century Newcastle including Grainger Market. When the market was first built it was the largest market in Newcastle. The building is now a Grade I listed building and inside you will find a wide range of stalls. There are 14 different entrances into Grainger market, all of them unassuming.

I often go to the Grainger market to take advantage of the range of butchers and fruit stalls. There are also stalls selling books, CD’s, clothes and shoes and hardware items. The range of stalls is diverse and you can easily spend plenty of time browsing.

There are plenty of hidden treasures within Grainger market. On alley 2 you will find the Weigh House. During the 19th Century it was a legal requirement that all markets had a weigh house. It was used by stall holders and buyers to check the weight of anything they purchased. These days you can still get your weight checked here for a small cost. Hidden inside the weigh house you will find a copy of the oil painting painted by the artist Henry Perlee Parker showing the opening of the Grainger market.

Grainger Market is also home to the Marks and Spencer Original Penny Bazaar, the world’s smallest Marks and Spencer store.

It is a great example of how the store started life, with the slogan “Don’t ask the price – everything’s a penny”. Looking at the signs over the store is almost a trip back in time, reminiscent of the shops in Beamish Museum.

At the far end of Grainger market is Grainger Arcade which is covered by a steel glazed roof. The original roof was wooden but was burnt down by a fire in 1901.

In recent years Grainger market has become a place for artisan food shops and deli’s. If you want somewhere to eat you will be spoiled for choice. There is a range of sandwich shops, tea shops and cafes. You will also find cake shops, bakeries and places to buy gourmet coffee.  The reason for my trip today was to pick up a boxed afternoon tea from the French Oven Bakery for Mother’s Day.

The French Oven Bakery is an independent artisan bakery who have a wide range of cakes, bread and sandwiches. They bake everything locally with 98% of their products being made or baked within 1 mile of the shop. If you are unable to get into the store they also do deliveries.

I wanted to try the Mother’s Day afternoon tea box which contained a mix of sandwiches, scones, macaroons and mini cakes. I thought it would be a really nice treat. I picked up my box easily, it was all ready for me to collect.

That afternoon we enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea. There were ham and pease pudding sandwiches, chicken and bacon sandwiches, carrot cake and brownies, cheese, fruit, date and walnut and cherry scones, a frangipane and a bakewell slice. It was very nice and made a special afternoon treat. The afternoon tea box for 2 was sufficient for three of us and was good value at £12.

If you are in Newcastle the Grainger market is definitely worth a visit, especially if you are looking for somewhere for something to eat. Have you been to Grainger market recently? What are your favourite shops?

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