Do you shop in Islington’s markets? You should, they are amazing places to meet people, grab a bargain or have a tasty bite to eat. During Love Your Local Market fortnight, from 17-23 May, we highlight some of our fabulous street traders. Meet Will…

Will serves up delicious jerk chicken from his stall in Whitecross Street. He’s traded here for four years and this is his first and only pitch.

“I stumbled into it because I was in the midst of looking for a new direction for myself career wise. I’ve been a chef for years prior to this and an opportunity came up to set up my own company. I had two options, I could go down the route I was pursuing or down the other that I had experience in, so opted for the food side.

“I started selling sauces initially, for about 18 months and then transitioned into doing food. Doing the sauces and food alongside each other was a little tricky. But I’m finding ways to simplify things.

“Whitecross Street is a definitely a great community. I wouldn’t be on the market if it wasn’t for the other traders. I spoke to quite a few of them before I came onto the market to trade and I got quite a bit of support from them and the traders association, which was a good thing.

“There’s not one thing that I love about Whitecross Street in particular, it’s the whole, overall feeling of being on the market. It’s exciting.”

Discover more Islington markets here

Read our other interviews with street traders

Peter, HolmesBake, Whitecross Street
Jo, card stall, Chapel Market
Sandra, women’s fashions, Chapel Market
Manisha, Karuna, Whitecross Street

Love Your Local Market 2019 is taking place from 17-23 May with the theme ‘markets close to your heart’.