St. George’s Market in Belfast shows what’s fresh

Baker at St. George's Market in Belfast
We always advise friends who want to eat well while traveling to spend some time in the local fresh food market. It’s the best way to see first-hand what’s in season and fresh so that you can make good choices when perusing a restaurant menu. In Belfast, Northern Ireland, the best place to head is St. George’s Market at 12-20 East Bridge Street. It’s open Fridays from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Fishmonger cuts salmon steaks at St. George's Market in Belfast. The handsome red brick market building opened in 1890 to sell butter, chicken, and eggs. Its offerings have multiplied since then and recent refurbishments have made it one of the leading fresh food markets in the United Kingdom. You’ll find freshly dug potatoes, beets, and carrots with rich soil still clinging to them. The ice flats of the fish mongers overflow with everything from majestic whole salmon to nightmarish monkfish to vast heaps of oysters and langoustines. Butcher stalls carry every variation of Irish bacon, sausages nearly bursting their casings, beautifully trimmed lamb roasts, and richly marbled steaks. The heady aroma of fresh bread rises from every baker’s stall.

All that good food will certainly make you hungry. Fortunately, St. George’s is also a fine place for a casual bite to eat. Cooks serve up everything from burgers and curries to paella and barbecue. The hit TV series “Game of Thrones” is mostly filmed in and around Belfast so it’s not surprising that one vendor also serves a Game of Thrones Special. It consists of two 4-ounce wild venison burgers, bacon, cheese, and fried onions. Numerous vendors sell variants on the Ulster fry breakfast of fried eggs, pork sausage, bacon, patties of black and white pudding, potato and soda breads, and a tomato.

Breakfast in a bite


Jenny Holland with a tray of fry pies from Bia RebelOur favorite version, elegant in its simplicity, is the “fry pie” created by Brian Donnelly. A chef with serious credentials, including a stint in London taking abuse from Gordon Ramsay, Donnelly is happy to be home in Belfast. He and his wife, Jenny Holland, recently launched Bia Rebel. The name means “food rebel.” Essentially a catering operation, they do do lunch deliveries and pop-up dinners. They also sell a few select dishes at the market that buyers can take home to reheat.

To hear Brian tell it, the fry pie was a no brainer. “I like fries and I like pies,” he says. “But you can’t eat a fry walking down the street.”

His solution was to encase sausage, bacon, egg, and brown gravy in a rich pie shell. “Sometimes I add soda bread or bread pudding,” he says. Baked in muffin tins, the fry pies are just the right size to grasp in one hand and enjoy while perusing the market stalls.