18 March 2010

Ben Monk

If you look in your copy of Bryce’s Thumb Gazeteer of the World, published 1893 (I’m sure you all have one), you will find Manchester described as the ‘greatest manufacturing centre in the world’. Look up Bolton and you find a one word entry: ‘cotton’. I imagine that, at the time, there was a lot of to and fro between the two centres as merchants totted up the figures that can still be seen on the boards in the Royal Exchange. It is a long time since the magnificent Town Hall was constructed in Bolton (1873), and one glimpse of the area will tell you a lot about the town.

Like Manchester, it has suffered in the industrial decline of the 20th Century. Many of the areas around Bolton are recognised by the government as ‘deprived’. However, one thing that is clear (and perhaps you need to have lived there to really get this) is a sense of community cohesion and pride – the people are friendly and feel an investment in their community. The very first time I went to Bolton, I was offered a lift into town from the station, and then as I fumbled with my A to Z, a passerby came over to offer directions.

There are three main pillars that exist within Bolton. There’s the university, relatively new and low in the tables, but developing and facing an exciting future. The Octagon is one of the best producing theatres in the North West, with an inspiring new director at the helm. And then there’s a football team which is among the 20 best in the country (at the time of writing!). Pushing into these ranks, however, is a lost treasure of Bolton and a place that everyone in the area with an interest in good food should visit - Bolton Market. I have to admit that I lived in Bolton for a year and never properly explored this rich resource.

At the end of January, the market won Best Indoor Market from the National Association of British Market Authorities. In 2006 it was the winner of the Manchester Food and Drink Festival Best Food and Drink Outlet Award. It’s not hard to see why. Although parts of the market tend towards the predictable and uninspiring – stalls of clothing, hardware and DVDs - the star of the show is the food market, with fish, meat and fruit and veg to suit anyone.

The market opens on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. There are at least four entirely separate sections. Starting outside, you get a typical selection of standard market stalls offering clothing, handbags, electrical goods, flowers, sweets, and a few more intriguing displays of carpets and fabric.

Going inside (furthest from the centre of town) there is a tiny bar on one corner and a café on the other. There’s a variety of good quality shops and you pass kitchenware, olives and bread of all shapes of sizes. There’s a herbalist with large tin boxes up to the ceiling, purporting to contain such fabulous ingredients as ‘violet leaves’ and ‘bladderwrack’. A spices stall will sell you a 25kg bag of Chapatti flour if you need it and an excellent cheese shop contains a great selection – I shall have to try ‘Sticky Toffee Cheddar’ another time!

As you move further in you discover a host of greengrocers with impressive displays. HJ Grundy and Colliers had clearly spent so much time arranging their wares that I was scared to touch anything – fruit has never looked so good. Less common produce is in evidence – Chinese pears and golden plums sit alongside apples and oranges.

The next section is the one which has gained Bolton Market national renown - the fish and meat hall, where stallholders shout out their prices and smells grab you from every side. Traditional produce is most in evidence, with salmon and cod, sausages and bacon, but a little looking will reveal octopus, cuttlefish, gurnets, tilapia and codfish, with a bucket of ox hearts proudly displayed on one stall.

You can buy a whole sirloin the size of your thigh for £50 and a fillet of beef the size of your forearm for £25. You can find chicken breasts at a pound a time, which not only competes favourably with the supermarkets next door, but you can also be sure to get large, good quality meat. £3.40 will get you 30 eggs. Staff on the stalls are experts, willing to advise and help with complex requirements, juggling slabs of meat and razor-sharp implements with alarming skill.

Unusually, on occasion there is an in-house cookery demonstration kitchen which has been used by local chefs and celebrities including the Hairy Bikers. Events are often launched to tie in with nation-wide programmes such as healthy eating campaigns.

The final section of the market is slightly less exciting but still offers cards, DVDs, white goods, pet food, saris, antiques, books and vacuum cleaners. But it is the food hall that is the main focus here. Meat, fish and vegetables are all good quality – some locally produced - and the rest coming from all over the world. Given the food on offer here, it is surprising that Bolton is generally perceived to lack high-quality restaurants around the centre.

Talking to the stall holders there is a mixed feeling about the future of the market. They are clearly busy on a Saturday, but competition from three supermarkets within walking distance has created problems. Parking is not ideal, with a fairly small area just outside, which had a big queue out onto the road when I was there. Generally, there is a feeling that, given the financial situation throughout the country right now, shoppers are being more cautious about how and where they spend their money. Ironically, this has pushed people into the supermarkets, which often offer inferior products and are frequently more expensive.

In the market there is a sense of authenticity, like stepping back in time. This is a ‘real’ and compelling experience that may come as a shock to those who prefer the sanitised and soul-less supermarket environment. I guarantee one visit will have you telling everyone you know to follow in your footsteps.

So here’s an idea – take a day, go to Smithills Hall, maybe for lunch, see a matinee at the Octagon and perhaps visit the Steam Museum or Ye Olde Man and Scythe, but make sure you pay a visit to the market – you won’t regret it.

Bolton Market
Ashburner Street
Bolton
T: 01204-336825