Foodie heaven in San Francisco

In Britain, we're very proud of our farmers' markets, with their homemade Scotch eggs, fresh vegetables and venison steaks, and rightly so. Up and down the country, people chose to browse the stalls for quality produce, instead of kowtowing to a vast supermarket. Country Life even ran a competition to find Britain's best (Edinburgh, championed by writer and chef Clarissa Dickson Wright, took the crown) in 2006, which was one of the first projects I worked on at the magazine. So there might be a tendency for us to feel as if we have the monopoly on these fantastic events, but California would challenge that assumption.

Every Sunday, at Fort Mason on the edge of the Bay, with a grandstand view of the Golden Gate Bridge, one of San Francisco's many local farmers' markets takes place. I strolled through there this weekend, and could have filled any number of baskets with delicious food. The market is certified by the non-profit Californian Farmers' Markets Association (www.cafarmersmkts.com), which was set up in 1994 by Gail Hayden and now looks after 700 markets throughout the Bay area, ensuring quality and independence. The Fort Mason one was bursting with the sweetest of peaches ('yen yen' ones are my new favourite), fresh asparagus, melt-in-the-mouth spoonfuls of honey that finished with a hint of vanilla and bottles of cloudy lemon cider. It was full of people, and it was possible to have a full lunch just by tasting the vast array of olives, cheeses (including a crumbly one with the wonderful name Foggy Morning), dips and chocolate cake laid out to entice customers. Crepes, rotisserie chickens and German sausages were on offer for those who wanted something more substantial, and a general air of bonhomie reigned. 

The setting for the Fort Mason farmers' market, with the Golden Gate Bridge

just visible in the haze beyond

And the CFMA does not cover every farmers' market in San Francisco. Almost every district has its own market, with the Ferry Building markets, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, run by Cuesa (www.cuesa.org), being among the most famous. The Ferry Building on the Embarcadero, beloved by San Franciscans since it opened in 1898 with a 245ft clock tower based on the bell tower of Seville Cathedral in Spain, became a symbol of hope for the city when it survived the 1906 fires and has recently been restored to its former glory. Once the focal point for travellers arriving by sea, it is now thronged with people in search of something yummy for dinner. 

Alcatraz seen from the top of Fort Mason

It may be easy to dismiss American food as fatty and Americans as fat, but it's not always the case. The food  in San Francisco is fantastic - clam chowder in sourdough bread, anyone? - and it seems Californians really do care about buying good, local, fresh and healthy food. And it doesn't hurt that it's delicious!