Sundays at La Tricoterie: Fairtrade brunch meets artisanal Christmas market

Like it or not, the holiday shopping season is upon us. In my case, it means avoiding all city centres, and especially their shopping streets, for the next couple of weeks. But I do need to buy some pressies for a select few friends and family, so thankfully there’s an alternative.

La Tricoterie is a covered market in the Brussels district of Sint-Gilles that’s open every Sunday for a unique experience combining brunch with a Fairtrade, organic market and games for kids, in addition to opportunities for massage, laughter yoga and more feel-good activities.

These next two Sundays at La Tricoterie are extra special, as they are reserved for the second edition of the artisanal Christmas market, which will see its halls filled with holiday cheer and stallholders selling local crafts. Expect about 20 exhibitors to be on site with their handmade wares spread out before them.  

Discover the beauty of small-scale production and find unique gifts, including recycled jewellery, textile design items, original fixtures, knitwear for children, traditional Christmas decorations, leather goods, colourful fabrics and more.

La Tricoterie opened in March last year, in an old 1,200m² industrial building not far from South station. The name La Tricoterie, which essentially means “knitting”, was not chosen at random: “Forging new ties to combat the unravelling of the social fabric is at the heart of it all,” say the organisers. The space is to be a “contact factory, and the beating heart of a folksy community in full evolution”, according to co-founder Paul Hermant, who helped La Tricoterie come to fruition, a dream that was 10 years in the making.

The ability to cross off my holiday shopping list while supporting local artists and artisans is in line with my definition of holiday spirit. Combined with a tasty brunch, this market may just be the perfect Sunday activity. As always, the market at La Tricoterie promotes the values of Fairtrade, offering products that guarantee fair prices for their producers, and many of these are organic, as well.

This year, the organisers promise there will be more of everything: more cheese, butter, yoghurt, pasta, spices, sauces, fruit and veg, oils and vinegars, fruit juice, beer, wine and more to taste and take home (or give away). Try beers from local brewery Brasserie de la Senne, such as Zinnebir, Stouterik and Taras Boulba.

Brunch can be any combination of these products – including tea or coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice, boiled egg, cheese platter, fruit, bread, yoghurt and pastries – with or without an additional item or two from the à la carte menu, from a 100% organic beef burger and made-to-order omelette to a smoked salmon salad and soup of the day.