The Borough Market – The Celebration of Flavours

I’m a fan of markets. Flea markets, hippie markets, furniture markets and especially food markets!

The Borough market was one of my weekend’s delights. One of London’s oldest markets set in the 13th century, it is now located close to the iconic London Bridge. The market is a wonderland for food lovers, chefs, restaurateurs, passionate amateurs cooks and people like me who just enjoy eating and drinking.

The market is very special because it is populated by a community of remarkable individuals from all over the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, all of who care deeply about the food.

We approached the market by car on the weekend, and a few blocks before arriving we already noticed the busy streets that were occupied by locals and foreigners.

As I entered a corner of the street that the market occupies, I could smell the different ingredients from each store. I felt I was literally being transported to every place I was seeing and smelling being it a fruit or ingredient. As I entered, I felt I was in an old train station and could easily see the trails above us with a train passing above our heads. A very spacious area is occupied by very different types of little stands, each showing their best products. For example, there was one stand that was only cheese from Normandy, France. Another stand had typical foods from Croatia and my biggest delight was seeing those Turkish delights exposed by the Turkish people. Basically it was one of those international fairs you see but with quality and variety at its very best.

The market is very illuminated since the ceiling is made of iron parts with glass, consequently, you can spend an entire day walking around, looking and traveling through these different foods. What I enjoyed was that the market appeared to be divided in two: the first were the stands where you can see people’s goods. Here you can try a few of their charcuteries, sweets, breads, etc. You can also buy goods. I must admit it was wonderful to see so many products, however, its quite pricey to buy for just one meal and they only have one or two options. The second part of the market was for those people who actually want to eat. You have a variety of stands and each offers at least three or four types of meals where you can pick.

What did I most enjoy? Well having family from down south it was a delight to see a stand where you can eat Argentinian empanadas with their typical wine and chimichurri sauce! I also loved a stand that had an extensive variety of mustard…it was heaven for me! Another great discovery was seeing a line up to try a duck sandwich made in front of you. Finally, my biggest moment was finding a stand that was all about truffles. I love truffles and I will post soon a place that I went twice in London to eat truffles. They had all kinds of truffles and different types of ways you could buy to take home.

If you are in London, the Borough market is not only a historical place but it is a place of culinary knowledge and understanding. It’s a place where you can explore different cultures and flavours and savour a unique atmosphere. The Borough Market, for me, is a representation of the celebration of food and flavours, a true pic nic!

Well, I hope you guys liked it. Stay tuned for more to come! Xx

Address of the market: 8 Southwark street, SE1 1TL, London

http://boroughmarket.org.uk