Pop Brixton was my destination on a cold, overcast day in March 2016: coffee at Supercute, a look around the shipping-container spaces and a generous jerk chicken wrap from Mama’s Jerk. I had come back to a part of London I knew well, with the camera in hand and plenty to think about before lunch.

From the Roberts London archive. The original film was published on 13 March 2016. This article recalls that visit; the traders, food, surroundings and opinions belong to 2016.

Back in Brixton with the camera

I grew up not far from Brixton and had been coming here all my life. Some of my earliest vlogs, towards the end of 2014, were filmed around the restaurants in its indoor market streets. I had returned since then, but this was my first time bringing the vlog back for a while.

That history shaped the walk. I was pleased to feel a buzz in the area, but I also remembered the tensions around its changing markets. In the film, I talk about traditional traders feeling squeezed as more expensive restaurants moved in. Those concerns were part of how I experienced Brixton, alongside the pleasure of discovering somewhere new to eat.

My impression that day was that new spaces might give some of those businesses room to grow beyond the old markets. It was a hopeful personal view, rather than a claim that the difficult questions about rents and change had disappeared. Pop Brixton was the place I wanted to explore for myself.

A first look around Pop Brixton

The shipping containers immediately reminded me of Boxpark in Shoreditch. Yet, once I started walking around, I felt that this place had its own South London character. There were food counters, small businesses, shared spaces and colourful lanterns, with the containers forming a little collection of streets and levels.

The project had opened in 2015, so it was still a relatively new addition during this visit. Lambeth Council’s account of Pop Brixton describes the combination of business, community and retail spaces made from converted containers. On camera, I was interested in how that community ambition might work on the ground.

What appealed to me was the mixture. Food was the main attraction for my afternoon, but there were also places to work, shop and hold events. The reused containers looked a little rough around the edges, which I liked. They gave the setting an informal feel without disguising what it was made from.

Coffee and cakes at Supercute

First things first: coffee. I stopped at Supercute, where the display was full of cupcakes and macarons. I pointed out that it was primarily a cake business and spoke about the classes and parties it offered. The cakes looked tempting, although it was a hot drink that I wanted at that moment.

I ordered a black Americano and found somewhere to sit. It was a grey, chilly London day, and warming my hands around the cup felt like a sensible way to begin. Pop Brixton was partly open to the elements, but there was enough cover to make wandering and sitting down more comfortable than the weather suggested.

After coffee, I carried on looking around. Nearby, I noticed a New Zealand wine bar. It was a little early for wine as far as I was concerned, so I stayed with the coffee and left that possibility for another time. There was already more here than I could properly try in one visit.

Upstairs and into the Greenhouse

Choosing lunch was the difficult part. Upstairs, I pointed out fish and chips and Kricket, with its Indian small plates and cocktails. I was browsing rather than eating at either, but they helped show the range of food packed into the site.

I also took a look at the Greenhouse. Its covered space and colourful hanging lanterns offered a different view of the container village. An event was taking place during my visit, so I looked around the areas I could see before continuing the tour.

The shared seating mattered as much as the individual counters. A small food business might have very little room of its own, yet there were communal places where customers could bring a meal, sit with friends and spend some time. That made the site feel more like somewhere to linger than a line of takeaway windows.

Mama’s Jerk chicken for lunch

Eventually I settled on Mama’s Jerk. I wanted a taste of the Caribbean, and jerk chicken was the choice that won out over all the other possibilities. I filmed the counter, then watched the chicken cooking and my wrap being put together.

The preparation was worth stopping for. Steam rose from the hot cooking surface, and the chicken was piled onto the flatbread before it was wrapped for eating. Watching food being made is one of the pleasures of a market visit, especially when the counter brings you close enough to follow the process.

Once I took a bite, the verdict was straightforward: delicious chicken, good jerk seasoning and quite a bit of spice. It was exactly the sort of lunch that suited the cold day. I remarked on the generous portion and thought it was great value at the time, without needing to turn the visit into a comparison of every stall.

By then, I was properly warmed up. The coffee had helped at the start, but the jerk chicken was the highlight. I could comfortably recommend Mama’s Jerk on the strength of that meal, and the wrap gave me a very good reason to pause before another circuit of the site.

Shared tables, television cameras and the market streets

Before leaving, I returned to the value of the communal areas. They gave people somewhere to enjoy food from the small stalls and made the visit feel sociable. I also spotted a camera crew with a tripod, monitor and headphones, which prompted a little camera envy. It turned out they were filming for London Live; I was content to carry on with my own vlog.

The film ends back among the market streets. I noticed the contrast between familiar produce shops and newer food and drink businesses. My closing thoughts were about that mixture: the markets felt busy, varied and full of things to look at, while the questions about who benefited from change still mattered.

For me, this afternoon’s lasting memory was simpler: a warming coffee, a good wander and spicy jerk chicken. For more London food from the same archive year, join me for Pizza Pilgrims and Bar Italia in Soho, or explore Kingly Court and Shoryu Ramen.