Last week I was in London for a short trip
to stay with my Uncle and cousin, and on my last day I decided I’d head down to
the Borough Market.
Id read wonderful things about this market
in my London Travel Guide, and after looking into it more, it was put to the
top of my list of ‘must do’s’. The
market has been running since way back in the 11th century, the
location (London Bridge) was what attracted traders to sell their produce of
vegetables, grain, and livestock, and even today that’s what you’ll find (apart
from the livestock) along with various modern takes on market stalls; ‘Foodie
Heaven’, I called it.
Being amongst the crowds of people
exploring the market made me feel like I was in another world. Vibrantly coloured fresh fruit and vegetables
were displayed upon rustic settings creating a very farmers-like market
atmosphere. Not only were there fruit
& veg, but an array of cake and pastry stalls, homemade cheeses, olive oil,
sausages, cured meats, chutneys, relishes, sauces and dips, just to name some
of the products available. The new flavours people are inventing are inspiring
to work with; and the best part, you can taste-test almost anything!
Apart from the range of seasonal produce, the
food trucks and ready-to-go food and drink stalls are what make this market so
amazing. Homemade juice bars, modern
burger trucks, a homemade pie stall, vegetarian food trucks, dumplings, Indian
Curries, Paella, Pulled Pork take-out, Mussels to-go, Halloumi Burgers, German
Frankfurters, the range of food that these stalls produce is surprising,
there’s bound to be something you’ll like (or more than one thing!) It’s the way these food stalls are able to
take the dishes people don’t find as easily accessible, and make it readily
available in take-out form, that shocks them and shows how easy gourmet food
can really be. It took me about half an
hour to decide what I was going to have for lunch; I, finally, decided to go
for ‘The Boston Burger’, award-winning Pork Sausage, cheese, red onion
marmalade and rocket together in a soft white bap – and yes, it was
gorgeously-ugly and mouthwatering – the way a gourmet burger should be!
The vegetarian food truck was one of the
busiest around, also. Their menu
consisted of homemade halloumi patties on either; a bed of lettuce and a
selection of their gourmet salads, inside an organic bun with the works
(lettuce etc), or a customized choice of either. I’ve noticed that vegetarianism is becoming a
lot more commended these days – as its used to be thought of as boring and
bland with not a lot of variety – but nowadays gourmet chefs are working with
vegetarian ingredients and coming up with exciting flavoursome versions of
traditional meat dishes; even meat-eaters are indulging in the vegetarian
cuisine out there.
Patisserie took the food world by storm not
long ago; an ever-growing array of decadent cake flavours, and pastry fillings
which you would never have thought of before, started attracting people to try
them all out and it was a success!! But I felt like it had started to die down
while I wondering around the numerous stalls amongst the Borough Market. Although there were many Cake and Pastry
stands, they were all serving the same things – brownies, cookies, plain
croissants, flavoured croissants, cakes (chocolate, lemon, cheesecake, carrot,
etc.), homemade baguettes and breads, macaroons, sweet and savoury tarts,
homemade chocolates and cupcakes, etc. so there wasn’t a lot which stood out to
me. Although there was one stall… the
‘Free From Bakehouse’; a selection of your typical cakes and pastries with a twist
– all gluten free and some also wheat, dairy, sugar and even egg free! The way
this company had taken the traditional recipes and altered them to cater for
those with intolerances to some of the reactions and food ingredients in
today’s sweet-treats was a ‘USP’ (unique selling point) for them. To see how this alteration compared with the
traditional sugar-ridden treats, I grabbed myself a gluten, wheat, dairy and
sugar-free slice of banana bread. The
verdict; definitely had a much different taste and slightly different texture
(more dense), but it wasn’t bad at all! I’d definitely be up for trying more of
their creations!
To add to the exciting stalls I explored, I
found the wine, beer, cider and spirit stalls most inviting also. With pre-made Pimms, Presseco, Beer and Cider
tastings out front, it was bound to draw in crowds and although I have recently
become a lover of Pimms, I decided to leave it for the day.
Raving with excitement and inspiration, I left
the market with a big grin on my face.
No market is ever the same to me; each having its individual attractions
gives reason to explore them all. The
Borough Market has been no exception, and is by far been one of the ‘stand
out’s’ for me. I’ve so many more to explore
throughout my travels, I cant wait to get started
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