A Super Market: A Day at Glasgow's Barras Market

Photos by Stuart Edwards.

The history of The Barras Market is one of migration and food. Before becoming 'The Barras Queen', the market's founder Maggie McIver worked as a French polisher before transferring to selling fruit around Glasgow. During this time she would have undoubtedly taken note of the huge number of recent Irish migrants to the city selling their own wares on street corners. So it makes sense that when there was an opportunity to buy a plot of land near Glasgow Green, she immediately thought to use it as a place to rent out pitches and barrows to anyone with things to sell. Along with husband James, Maggie would soon turn this DIY marketplace into somewhere thousands of people flocked to each weekend – and shopping is a hungry business.

I first became interested in food histories through my family. My maternal grandparents owned and cooked in Chinese takeaways and it always struck me how they were only able to forge a life for themselves in the UK through their use of food. Perhaps it's because of this that The Barras excites me so much.

Some of the earliest recorded culinary offerings rooted in The Barras include simple roasted chestnut carts and baked goods. However as the market grew, so did its food scene. By the 1950s and 60s shellfish bars had started opening in the area, some of which still remain open and bustling today. As with any outdoor marketplace in Scotland, the last decade has been a challenge. Changing spending habits including the popularity of online shopping, along with the pandemic, have pressured many traders to hang up their money pouches. In 2021, as Scotland wrestled with coronavirus and social distancing changed the way we shop, The Barras celebrated its centenary.

Earlier this year I decided to pay the Barras Market a visit to see what it's like today. I purposefully skipped breakfast, hoping to fill my belly with anything the market had to offer. What I found were stories of resilience and joy, alongside more than enough food to go around.

From a Needle to an Anchor

The Barras' reputation as a place where you can buy anything and everything still rings true. While much of the covered areas feel more organised ('Sustainable Fashion Row' contains exactly what you would expect, for instance) there are also traders outside with makeshift trestle tables covered in unthemed items and collections. Beneath the now-iconic red archway facing Gallowgate, a man sells clothes he has carefully laid out on a rug on the floor. For food, there’s a tantalising mixture of the expected and unexpected. The Seafood Stall has been owned by the same family for almost 50 years and, well, it's a stall that sells seafood. When I chat with them they're proud to tell me that all their offerings are sourced from around Scotland, including mussels from Shetland. Their whelks taste fresh and go nicely with a splash of vinegar and a sprinkling of black pepper.

Around the corner from The Seafood Stall is another place that feels like a Barras mainstay, Danny's Do-Nuts, who are busy preparing for the rest of the weekend when I arrive. The smell of sugary goodness draws plenty of people in, yet the owners are well aware that the key to the tastiness of their donuts lies in their freshness and warmth, and so they resist the urge to sell them pre-fried. "People might have to wait a few moments for them, but the wait is worth it!" one of the cooks tells me. When I mention that I'm interested in the food offerings of The Barras they're quick to tell me about other places I should visit, from Loch Fyne Shellfish Bar, another must-go for seafood lovers, as well as Smokey Trotters, with their melt-in-the-mouth fried chicken and homemade hot sauce. This will become a common theme throughout my time here, with each trader I talk to excited to promote others around them.

The Hong Kong Market

Over recent years The Barras has become home to multiple stalls with roots in Hong Kong, in a trend which reminds me of the older history of the market and its connections with Irish migrants. However, while that original Irish wave often had to sell clothes to get by, there's a distinctly foodie angle being taken by many of the Hongkongers. Fishball Revolution, a stall named after a 2016 protest movement in Hong Kong, is a clear example. Their curry fishballs and cheong fan rice noodles are fresh, warm and hugely popular. The mixture of sauces that go on the rice noodles, including peanut, soy and chili, are a highlight.

Cream Comes True, meanwhile, offers sweet treats including bubble waffles in traditional Hong Kong styles, with condensed milk and peanut butter. "It's multicultural here, and a fun mix of new and old cultures," they tell me when I ask what they enjoy about The Barras, "it has a special history and is such an interesting place."

Last year The Barras hosted the first Glasgow Hong Kong Market, a special weekend event during which members of the wider Hong Kong community decorated the area with signs and banners reminiscent of markets in Hong Kong. Alongside the regulars, guest stalls opened to sell other Hong Kong delicacies including french toast and tea eggs. Its resounding success guaranteed a repeat event this year too. It strikes me that at a time when public showcases of Hong Kong culture are more politicised, and potentially dangerous, than ever, this welcoming embrace from The Barras is further evidence of why it's still such an important feature of Glasgow life.

Celebrating the New

Next to Cream Comes True is another food stall preparing to celebrate. On my visit, Pizza Cult is coming up to its one year anniversary at The Barras, with a special pop-up event planned at Smokey Trotters. Pizza Cult specialise in Neapolitan style classics, but don't mind breaking the rules every now and then, for instance with its 'Marry Me Chicken' pizza topped with the TikTok-favourite sautéed chicken. Their bases are thin but bubble up around the crusts delightfully and their passion for pizza-making really shines through the understated but colourful presentation. When I ask owner Denis Fisher how the first year has been, he smiles. "The Barras is an amazing venue for small businesses starting out," he tells me. "There's so many amazing creatives and while it has modernised it still hasn't lost that Barras magic that everyone knows and loves."

That combination of modern and classic seems to be a staple of the trader experience here. After a quick trip to the iconic Sweetie Stall to get myself a bag of lucky tatties I stumble across Sweet Wishes Cakes, whose stall features towering display cases filled with beautiful cupcakes, brownies and rocky roads. Chief baker Marina can't help but comment on some of the recent changes. "I first started trading here in July 2022, which wasn't long after the pandemic," she tells me. "At the time, the market wasn't as busy. Now things are getting busier and I love it!"

Despite all the changes, you don't have to look far to find memories of deeper history. Mere feet away from Sweet Wishes is Hutch, who made their fame through their cubano-inspired twist on a traditional morning roll, aptly named The McIver. With its stack of ham, crackling, gherkins and mustard, I can't help but wonder what Maggie herself would've made of the creation – or whether she would've gone for a crispy or soft roll.

Similarly, the sheer number of long-standing cafes around is testament to the role that classic food continues to play in its culture. New Market Cafe, Square Yard Cafe and Dengy's Deli all offer their own take on more traditional market fare while hot dog and burger vans dot the junctions between streets. All this food, and more, speaks to the myriad personalities and histories available to eat through in this special place.

Similar to my grandparents’ story, here are traders from different backgrounds, all using food to express their own stories in ways which help build a thriving community. Walking around the market today you will see people eating rolls, noodles, brownies, burgers and everything in-between, and already I can't wait to see what new culinary delights might develop here in the future.

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Sean Wai Keung is a Glasgow-based writer and performance maker. His new show, A History of Fortune Cookies, is at Summerhall during the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe – tickets here

This article is from issue one of GNAW, our new food and drink magazine dedicated to sharing stories from across Scotland’s food scene. Pick up a free copy from venues across Scotland, and follow GNAW on Instagram @gnawmag