The Cat Dish
  • Musings
  • Food
  • #CatTravels
  • #BabyFox
  • #40trails
  • Videos
  • About Me
  • Contact

#CatTravels: A visit to Borough Market

By Catherine Toth Fox • September 13, 2014 • #CatTravels, Food

IMG_5059

We had a late start to our first full day in London. (Blame jet lag and a very comfortable bed.)

But lucky for us, Borough Market, the most renowned food market in London near the London Bridge Station, was open until 5 p.m.

I had always wanted to tour this market, known for the breadth and quality of its goods and produce. But I was never in London long enough — or in the area at the right time — to visit it.

Until Saturday.

A little background: While today’s market is famous for its high-quality goods and unusual offerings — like mushroom pâté and exotic meats preserved in butter — it actually dates back to the 11th century, when traders would sell grain, fish, vegetables and livestock near the bridge. In the 13th century, the market moved to its current location on Borough High Street. In 1755, Parliament closed the market. It was reopened after Southwark residents raised 6,000 pounds to buy a patch of land known as The Triangle. (This is where you’ll find Northfield Farm — great steak sandwiches — and Furness Fish and Game now.)

Today, there are about 100 different vendors selling everything from fresh produce to dried meats to German sausages (top).

Here’s what the market looked like yesterday:

IMG_5019
Love the colors of these greens.

IMG_5021
Prosciutto (dry-cured ham) being sliced right in front of you!

IMG_5023
There were a few bread vendors. We had the olive and cheese roll here.

IMG_5025
We sampled the dried meats here — then bought a wild boar sausage. Not gamey at all — and perfect with the olive and cheese roll.

IMG_5031
This vendor was selling gourmet (and delicious) cheeses. I love how knowledgable and helpful these vendors are about their products.

IMG_5035
There were a few butchers here, selling a variety of meats from pork to wild rabbit.

IMG_5037
The market also features vendors serving hot and cold foods, like this one selling paella and curry prepared in huge pans.

IMG_5040
There were even stalls selling alcohol — like Pimm’s and champagne.How convenient!

IMG_5046
And there were also several stalls boasting fresh fish like turbot, monkfish, mackerel, oysters, scallops and tuna.

IMG_5051
My husband tried the lamb and mint burger from Northfield Farm, prepared with cheese and greens. If you like lamb, you’d love this.

IMG_5061
There were even more vendors outside in the Green Market selling honeys, vegan cupcakes, sausages and lots of desserts.

This is definitely a must-see on any itinerary to London. Just to see the variety of foods available is worth the stop. Not that you should just look at the food. Eat. And eat a lot. You won’t regret it.

Market hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for lunch on Mondays and Tuesdays; full markets run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Follow Cat on her #FoxHoneymoon to England, Scotland and Ireland on Twitter @thedailydish and Instagram @catherinetoth. Track her travels at #CatTravels.

Borough MarketCatTravelsEnglandFoxHoneymoonLondonstreet markettraveltube
Tweet
4
#CatTravels: Arriving in London
#CatTravels: My take on London's tourist spots

About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

You Might Also Like

  • #CatBakes: Super Easy Coffee Cake

  • Go-at with the Flow

  • Why I Decided To Go Vegan — Sort Of

  • I Really Do Eat For a Living

4 Comments

  • Reply expat jen September 14, 2014 at 5:29 am

    Pimms for the win! 🙂

    Love this market – definitely a must-do for everyone in London.

  • Reply WildeOscar September 15, 2014 at 8:40 am

    I know that you mentioned London not being cheap in your previous posting. I was there in July, on a side trip from Paris, and everything in London seemed to me to be outrageously expensive. What they pay for a tube ride and fish and chips I’d be used to paying for a taxi ride and meal on white linen. The sights were spectacular, and the people nice, but at half the distance and half the price from Hawaii, one can have a very nice vacation in Washingon, DC, which isn’t all that different from London. A bit less stiff upper lip, and a faint smell of 1814’s burning of the Capitol and White House still in the air.

  • Reply M September 15, 2014 at 10:57 am

    Hello Cat!
    Interesting market.

  • Reply Dennis September 16, 2014 at 6:01 am

    Great market filled with everything you need on a great honeymoon!

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

Latest Posts

  • Anyone Else Feeling Like You’re Failing at This?

    March 8, 2022
  • It’s Hard To Say Goodbye—So I Won’t

    January 29, 2021
  • Was 2020 Really That Bad?

    December 31, 2020
  • Here’s What Happened To My Dog Indy

    December 10, 2020
  • I Did Noom For a Month and Here’s What Happened

    October 7, 2020

Made with in Seattle

© 2013 Solo Pine Designs, Inc. All rights reserved.