Brixton Cornercopia "local open-sauced foods"

I promised more on Brixton Village!

Brixton Cornercopia is run by husband and wife Ian and Anne Fairbrother, a small cornershop, deli and cafe serving delicious simple food made from tasty seasonal ingredients at reasonable, recession-worthy prices.

Located in unit 65 of "Brixvill", you'll notice it from the pretty red and white tablecloth bedecked tables garnished with fresh flowers and fashioned out of upturned crates. Oh, and the constant buzz of people wanting to eat there...

The point of Cornercopia is not just about using the resources of a market within the market space, but sharing the food experience with locals, interacting with the local community around the table and encouraging the people of Brixton (and beyond!) to invest in their markets and be part of a community in an active, invested way.

I ate here on a gloriously sunny Saturday, although I was really looking for a place to park myself for a quick coffee and a read of the paper, the menu caught my eye, as did a couple of very content looking customers enjoying a brilliantly green looking bowl of soup.

Despite having tucked into pasta only half an hour earlier, I decided to make some space in my bottomless gullet for more food and sat down.

A charming, very attentive waiter came whizzing out with a menu. Two courses for £9 or three for £12, generous sized portions, but not exaggerated and everything in season and bought locally. I had a cox's apple juice and ordered poached egg with leek vinaigrette and bacon. A yummy combination of unctuous yolk, crispy salty bacon and the tangy leeks and mustard seed went down a treat.

This was followed by a sweet cured salmon fillet, served just warm on a bed of English asparagus (cooked to perfection), green beans, rocket and a saffron and orange sauce with orange segments. It was perfect for the weather, with spring colours, good flavours, not too heavy and enjoying my nosh whilst watching both the chef and the waiter chatting away to the locals and catching up on the Brixvill gossip was very enjoyable. In fact, I pretty much ignored my paper and just sat back to enjoy everything going on around me. Which I suppose is the point of a relaxing lunch in your local market.

I'll definitely be back, and would encourage local business people to take advantage of their cheap lunch deals, which include Meze platters for £4.50. Oh and they serve yummy jars of preserved lemons and jams and chutneys and all sorts too...

Catch up with all their activities and read the latest menu online at their Ning network site:

http://brixtoncornercopia.ning.com/

Other Brixton restaurants include: Bellantoni's pasta shop.