Columbia Road Flower Market

Amongst other things, Enda has raved about the Columbia Road Flower Market. Every Sunday, a narrow old Victorian lane close to Shoreditch tube station is transformed into a crowded, colourful streetscape of flowers, plants and Eastend accents offering "two bunches for a fiver".

A market has been operating here since 1869. In the early days, a covered food market operated in a building that was demolished in 1958. Today, the market sells flowers and house plants in the open street.

We decided it was time to experience the market for ourselves. We set the alarm for an early wake-up call and duly found ourselves at the market by 11:00am. The place was packed with people and plenty of flowers. The accents were almost as colourful as the flowers themselves. More than once I turned expecting to find Dennis Waterman offering a dodgy bouquet of wildflowers.

Almost anything you'd like in a bloom or house plant was there. Aside from stunning orchids and roses, we also saw a few antipodean 'weeds' in hot demand. Australian bottle brush bushes, flowering lupins and even New Zealand flax bushes were all selling at inflated prices. I remember jumping all over flowering lupins as a kid. I'm sure I single-handedly destroyed tens of thousands of pounds worth of fresh flowers. If only I knew there was money to be made.

After several circuits, we decided it was time to buy. We'd noticed that as the clock struck noon, bunches had stopped being "two for a fiver" and were now "three for a fiver". Garry, never one to pass up a bargain, soon had us loaded up with a pile of Irises and a selection of meadows flowers. I'm pleased to report that Swiss Cottage is now filled with floral colour and spring possies. We'll have to try Petticoat Lane Market next.