A French Market

Christchurch's French Market started life in an obscure, hard-to-find location in SOL Square. In what I can only assume to be a bid for higher visibility, it has shifted to Poplar Lane and you'd have to be blind to miss the proliferation of red, blue and white signs that point the way. It's a good thing the signs are there, because again, they have opted for the most out-of-way part of the laneways - perhaps it's more sheltered there?

I've visited this market several times over the last year and I must say that I always come away disappointed. Apart from a few crusty sticks of bread, there's little that I can find that is genuinely French. Herbs grow anywhere; imported scarves (not French) can be purchased from a shop; whitebait is much more iconically Kiwi than it is French; and we can all make our own muffins, or buy them at any cafe. In its old location there were at least French macroons and French antiques. I wonder what happened to them? I think it's all a bit of a missed opportunity really.