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    Home » Lifestyle » Adventure » Travel » London Life

    That's Bloody Brilliant: Borough Market

    October 14, 2011 / Updated Aug 15, 2020 / by Carolyn Gratzer Cope / 5 Comments / This post may contain affiliate links. Learn more.

    Okay, I’m not gonna lie. This post might get a little bit touristy on your arses. I finally made it to Borough Market one recent Saturday morning, to shop for beautiful fresh produce and specialty food products, and also to ogle the scene just a tad and inconspicuously take a few photos. Sometimes when I walk around town with my Nikon DSLR strapped around my neck, I feel like a semi-legit photographer-type, all arty and vision-y and what have you. Those are the kinds of days when maybe I’ll stop to snap a close-up of a rusty iron gate with an English rose peering through or a beautiful wall of ivy with a shallow depth of field.

    But on a Saturday morning at Borough Market, wearing a camera around your neck does not read as vision-y. It reads as touristy, and touristy only — even if you’re using your valid work visa to bounce your flash.

    (Psst...here's where you can now find the brown rice recipe with mixed mushrooms and spinach that used to be part of this post.)

    Borough Market London Flowers 780 _ Umami Girl

    Embracing London tourist attractions

    I did it anyway. I figure I’ve got the first year of living in London to be as shameless a tourist as I like. From year two onward, it’ll be all business and decorum in London. (And I’ll take my blatant tourism elsewhere, thank you very much.) And, to be honest, I didn’t just take a lot of pictures. I also hemorrhaged enough cash that I had to take a halftime break to find an ATM. So I guess everybody won.These grilled chicken sandwiches with halloumi, red bell peppers, arugula, and a really tasty, herby sauce are bursting with Greek-inspired flavors.

    Borough Market London Lavender 780 | Umami Girl
    Borough Market London Cool Chili Co. 780 | Umami Girl

    Borough Market basics

    Borough Market is a seriously large and seriously old food market right under the London Bridge. Seriously large, like more than 130 vendors. And seriously old, like — ready for this? — operating in some capacity since 1014 A.D., if not earlier. Not too shabby, right? These days, the market, which is open Thursdays through Saturdays, gets a lot of out-of-town visitors. But thankfully it also gets its share of serious shoppers (such as myself, ahem). Serious shoppers go there for good reason — or, more aptly, for many good reasons. A wide variety of carefully sourced fruits and vegetables, for starters. Look at all these varieties of tomato. I haven’t seen so many heirlooms since I stopped hosting our CSA.

    Borough Market London Pate Moi

    Borough Market has something for everyone

    Beyond fresh produce, Borough Market is a wonderland of meats, cheeses, spices, breads, and a huge variety of artisanal food products. No matter what your style of eating, you’ll find something that suits. Nose-to-tail types might like some fresh ostrich meat or a whole wild rabbit.

    Vegans might prefer a few falafel from The Honest Carrot, where I got my walking lunch. (I went with falafel so I could be sure I’d be the only one walking. Those rabbits were awfully lifelike.)

    Favorite Borough Market vendors

    Don’t even get me started on the olives and semi-dried tomatoes at The Fresh Olive Company, the spices at Spice Mountain, and Cool Chile Co (finally, Mexican ingredients in London!), the foie gras, goose fat (the best for roast potatoes!) and prepared French foods at Le Marché du Quartier, or the dozens of other international food vendors studded throughout the market like so many raisins in a perfect, chewy loaf of artisan bread. Did somebody mention a perfect, chewy loaf of artisan bread?

    There’s even a handful of artisans — like the guys from Pâté Moi — who have achieved well-deserved cult-like status. You haven’t really experienced a secret family recipe for mushroom pâté until you’ve been sampled up and chatted up by the guys from Pâté Moi. And, secret or no, everyone in London seems to know it.

    Every vendor has a story

    One of the best things about Borough Market is that every vendor has a great story. The mushroom guys are just a little extra good at telling theirs.

    There are even a few items for sale that you can’t eat, if you’re into that sort of thing.

    And if you think you’d also be into a less-touristy take on Borough Market, you might want to check out this post over at the BBC Food blog. It’s very interesting, and quite a counterpoint to this little ditty.

    Borough Market London Olive Oil | Umami Girl

    That's Bloody Brilliant

    P.S. This is the second installment of my new, occasional series That’s Bloody Brilliant, discussing all things British and edible. Read the first post here.

    P.P.S. Here's where you can now find the brown rice recipe with mixed mushrooms and spinach that used to be part of this post.

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    About Carolyn Gratzer Cope

    Hi there, I'm Carolyn Gratzer Cope. Welcome to Umami Girl, where I've been sharing recipes and more for thoughtful folks since 2008. Learn more.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Vartika says

      February 01, 2016 at 11:09 am

      Omgodness this recipe was so easy and so flavourful! Yay all the way from India! Will be one of my favorites in the recipe book.

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        February 02, 2016 at 4:30 pm

        That's great, Vartika. So glad you like it!

        Reply
    2. Regina says

      January 16, 2015 at 10:23 am

      I just discovered you blog because I was looking on google for a chickpeas recipes. This blog is so beautiful 🙂
      And this looks delicious too 🙂

      Reply
    3. Reem | Simply Reem says

      October 21, 2011 at 5:02 pm

      What beautiful pictures Carolyn....
      Love them specially the black n white one.... They have some much depth...
      Loved the recipe too...
      P.S I too feel like an absolute innocent rather virgin tourist when I go out with my camera.... It kind of seem nice to me sometime.

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        October 24, 2011 at 7:14 am

        Thank you, Reem.

        Reply

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