To Market, To Market ....

Err I didn’t buy a pig though….

Turkish Nougart

Mark, my brother and his family have been visiting from Taupo.

If I did not take Nikki (my beautiful SIL ) to La Cigale markets in Parnell, I would have been most derelict in the SIL duties.

So off we went…

Love these markets, but if I went every week, I would be the size of the market….

Gorgeous food…which I will rattle on about shortly….

La Cigale is pretty close to a European style market, hence its name and we really don’t have a lot of that style markets in New Zealand.

We do have wonderful markets with fresh fruit and veg etc….

But La Cigale is rather unique.

KeriKeri has some wonderful markets, there is one on Saturdays at Parnell Library grounds.

There are fabulous markets in Otara and Mangere, so that is where Nikki and I will be headed next time…

Oooh and a night market too at Pakuranga.

Wonderful cheeses, even pecorino!

Every time I have been to La Cigale, it was on a Saturday.

Today was a Sunday, a little quieter and a few less stalls.

BUT STILL FABULOUS….

There are permanent shops inside that are always there and stalls outside that rotate or change.

First off today , an egg man selling organic free range eggs, a fruit lady selling apricots, cherries and plums.

 Someone selling chocolate macadamia’s and other chocolate nuts, a lovely caterer/chef called Passioneat.

An ice cream vendor, blueberries and strawberries, ham on the bone rolls, homemade preserves…

Inside the markets with permanent shops…

My all time favourite here is the Turkish stall and the Italian cheese stall…

Sadly the cheese guys were not here today:)

So sadly, I was forced to be greedy, very greedy at the Turkish stall!!

Nikki and I sampled most of the dips…

I did not like to say that I had tried them before….Very GREEDY!!

I brought some of the Hummus and Babaganoush, flatbread, Lokum and nougat….

I would have got more but that was just being over the top greedy!!

They do a lovely Moroccan hummus, a arse bitey harissa and a gorgeous Istanbul dip…

Get yourself down there to try them all!!

The start of my Turkish Gluttony!!

Nikki having a wee sample…

In all my haste and greedyness, I did not take a piccy of the Baklava, which is sublime…..mmmmmm

5 pita breads, freshly made for $2!!! What a bargain….and the turkish nougat…

Yummy, like marshmallow really, not like Italian nougat.

Greedy heaven…

Figs, dates, nuts, all sort of wonderfulness….

I brought my fruit and veg for the week at another stall there….

Look at these amazing beauties!!

Urenika….

Black maori potatoes!!!

Very strangely enough, Nikki was telling me she was growing them in her garden in Taupo the day before.

Never seen these before, so I am going to eat these ones BUT get some more and make rewena bread with it.

There were all these other wonderful varieties of maori potatoes that I have never seen, so back next week to get some more.

Gorgeous juicy pomegranates, luscious avocados, fresh herbs, kaffir lime leaves……………HEAVEN!!

Chocolate and Cup cake place

Cornish Pasty man…

We also samples some scrummy, scrummy sausage and salame from Salash…

I had some mild sausage , some tea salame, some Bachka (hot and gorgeous) salame and some pancetta….

All wonderful….I shall be paying them another visit.

Greedy greedy, greedy…

Washed down with a super strong long black from the coffee place inside…

Great coffee

There are shops inside as well,  bakeries, cheeses, cooking utensils, all sorts of wonderful things, wine, coffee, risotto’s….

Pukeko Bakery outside has heavenly breads…you can imagine me!!!

Very tasty  schiacciata bread, bacon and cheese bread, pain escargots:)….50 million hours running:)

There were a few other gorgeous stalls but too many to remember….

Ohhhh I need to lie down now….

Stuffed!!!

Baking will start tomorrow after the weekend break….

Raisins soaking for a gorgeous fruit bread…

Will also be making some buns for burgers….

Stay tuned and get yourself down to the markets….

Pukeko bakery

Lovely Flatbreads

Get dipping:)

Beautiful…