I visited the UK’s best outdoor market just 20 minutes from London – and I’ll never pay full price for anything again

EACH Saturday in the city of St Albans, locals armed with hessian bags and city-dwellers hunting for a bargain spill on to the cobblestone streets.

At around 7am, the hum of market traders begins, starting at the medieval clock tower and weaving 500 metres or so through the Tudor buildings.

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Smells of spiced meat and homemade pizza hover in the air as the stalls prepare for a busy day ahead.

St Albans Market has just been named the best large outdoor market in the UK.

Living nearby, I believe it's an accolade that this small city bazaar in Hertfordshire deserves.

I've been visiting for years since when the main draw was the fruit and veg, fresh fish and tiny clothes stalls.

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It has supposedly been running since circa 860, when people traded out of baskets on the ground.

Today there are more than 150 sellers, offering all sorts of goods throughout Wednesday and Saturday - and best of all, most of the gear here is a bargain.

Discounted gym wear from quality brands? You bet. One-of-a-kind trinkets for your pal's birthday? Take your pick.

Potted plants for just over £1? Even your local garden centre would be envious of the ones here.

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And the fruit and veggies are so affordable, locals (including myself) can wave goodbye to paying full price at the supermarket forever.

Then there are the niche traders like, who pitched up at the market for the first time only a week or so ago after hearing about its buzz.

It's the colour that draws you into this stall. Luminous pink and mustard yellow fungi sit alongside the mysteriously-shaped coral tooth fungus, so named as it looks like it's been plucked straight from Nemo's reef.

Up the road from here is Market Golf, the stall that calls my stepdad, Nick, back time and time again.

Here you can pick up 12 premium golf balls for just £15, while a box of the same balls bought new would set you back £39 for 12, the stall's owner tells me.

Yes, the balls are secondhand, but many look good as new - and they put well on the green, according to golf-loving Nick.

The owner has been trading here for 27 years and what makes it special, he says, is the variety.

"That stall over there has been here for years too," he tells me, pointing towards Alban Blinds, which sells bespoke window shutters.

"You just don't get this sort of stuff at other markets across the country."

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That may be true, but it's not just this which gives St Albans market its edge. It is the city itself.

A five-minute walk from the market takes you to Verulamium Park, home to one of only 200-odd chalk rivers in the entire world and also a treasure trove of ancient Roman ruins.

And considering the city is only around 20 minutes from pricey London by train, it's amazing that the market goods are priced so well.

But here is one stall I never leave without visiting -

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Actually it's not me who refuses to leave without a visit, it's my bulldogs Coco and Dora who can sniff out the natural dog treats and chews from a mile off.

They think this stall really takes the biscuit, or should I say, bone.