VISITING THE BOROUGH MARKET IN LONDON

When my parents came to visit back in August, we spent a few days in London before heading off to Northern Ireland. They had been to London before (hence only spending a couple days), but they wanted to see where we lived and worked. As for me, I work in the Borough Market!

I’ve been wanting to do a blog post highlighting the market for a while, but don’t exactly take my camera with me to work. This was the perfect opportunity for me to play the tourist, and get a couple snaps of the market stalls. I wish I had taken more photos showing all the great stuff… but my hands were too busy eating!

The Borough Market is London’s oldest food market; in one form or another has been around for about 1,000 years. Given how long it’s been here for, you can assume it’s going to be good. And you wouldn’t be wrong! It’s located just near the base of the shard and is open 6 days a week (Monday to Saturday). It’s basically the food hub of London. If you want to sample interesting cheese, produce, bakery products, etc. from all over, then this is the place to go. If I had lots of money, I would pretty much do all of my grocery shopping there.

Make sure you never visit just after you’ve eaten, or you’ll deeply regret it! There is so much amazing stuff to try, and many vendors sell hot food, which is why this place is such a favorite for all the businesses nearby. Personally, I am a huge fan of the salt beef bagels with spicy mustard and pickles! Yum!!

We ended up wandering around the market for a while, constantly losing my dad because he was three stalls back, sampling something. That guy can’t pass up the opportunity to try stinky cheeses and spicy spreads. He was pretty much a kid in a candy store, trying all of the weird cheeses and meats. I, on the other hand, always find myself fascinated by all the unusual produce available.

Turnips is my favorite place to find all manner of weird vegetables. They carry everything from stripy green tomatoes and purple carrots, to jerusalem artichokes or fancy mushrooms. I’ve often stopped by here to find something I need for a recipe, that I can’t find in a normal grocery store. I may even stock up on a few things in the future, to harvest seeds from produce I plan to grow next year in the ol’ allotment. Some of the seeds might not work, but it’s cheaper than buying like 5 seeds from a specialty place.

So if you’re visiting London, allot some time to check out the Borough Market! Make sure you don’t try to stop by on a Sunday (it’s closed) and arrive outside of lunch hours. This place can get pretty busy around noon, so it’s best to come a little before or after. Once you’ve had your fill, there are plenty of nearby pubs to mosy on over to and wash down all that good food with a couple pints of beer. A perfect afternoon out in London!

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