Snapshots from London: Good Eats At Borough Market
Posted by Carey Jones, November 3, 2009 at 5:00 PM
Borough Market; pigs from Northfield Farms; Celia Brooks Brown. [Photos: Carey Jones]
Borough Market
8 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1TL; map); +44 (0) 20 7407 1002; http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/
Getting There: National Rail/London Underground to London Bridge station; 381, RV1 bus routes; parking located on the corner of Southwark Street and Southwark Bridge Road and on Snowsfields
Hours of Operation: Wholesale Sun.-Fri., 2 a.m. to 8 a.m.; retail Thur., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fri., 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Sat., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
We've written about Borough Market, once upon a time. But a single post cannot do justice to the absolutely mind-blowing array of farmers, chefs, cheesemongers, butchers, fishers, and purveyors at this incredible emporium of food.
It's a bit much for a visitor to make sense of (or, more to the point, eat!) in a single visit. So after a good wander on my own, I took a tour with London food writer Celia Brooks Brown, recommended by the fantastic folks at Visit London. Currently a writer for the Times (London) and a professional guide, Celia is an undisputed expert on the Borough Market vendors, and a few hours with her got us acquainted with the people behind each incredible stall.
The new-and-improved photo gallery, with a few of Celia's favorite vendors, after the jump.
Carey is over in London thanks to Visit London, the city's official tourist organization, in connection with Virgin Atlantic and the Intercontinental Park Lane.
Borough Market: This patch of land on the south bank of the Thames has been a marketplace since London itself was established; when the Romans arrived in 43 A.D., they found a thriving marketplace. It remained a vibrant trading outpost for millennia, but was opened to the general public only in 1998.
Brindisa: This Spanish market has a stunning array of imported products, including a jamonería counter of the nation's finest jamon ibérico. The Joselito Gran Reserva pata negra bellota, aged four years, is among the nuttiest, most tender hams you will ever taste; the Dehesa de Extremadura is a D.O.C. protected air-cured ham. These are to your standard prosciutto as a box of Franzia is to a 1986 Château Mouton Rothschild. "Ham" is simply not an adequate word.
Flour Station: I'd never seen a line for a bakery like the one for The Flour Station, selling fresh-baked artisan breads and irresistible baked goods. Banoffee muffin? Simply too cute not to try.
Neal's Yard Dairy: While not technically in Borough Market, this venerable dairy and cheesemonger is too good to ignore. Universally considered amongst the finest cheesemongers in London, it specializes in fine British cheeses such as this unpasteurized Montgomery's Cheddar.
Inside Neal's: Step inside, where the deep, funky aroma of aging cheese greets you, and see the hundreds of cheeses there for the sampling.
Northfield Farm: There are so many things to say about this incredible butcher's meats—"breathtaking variety," "absolutely gorgeous," "beautifully kept"—but they're all made questionable by this sign. More to the point, their commitment to ethically raised meat is evident in every way, from the passion of its butchers to their dedication to rare breeds to the mouthwatering smells of whatever's on the grill.
Gamston Wood Farm: But the Craziest Meat Award goes to this farm, whose meats on display included kangaroo, kudu, crocodile, zebra, impala, and all sorts of other animals you might associate more with the zoo than the butcher shop.
Roast: While the acclaimed Roast restaurant has an incredible view out onto the market, Roast To Go is right in the thick of things. And at lunch hour on Friday, there's about a hundred-person line to snag one of these sandwiches.
Pork Belly Sandwich: Walk by, get a whiff, and the line suddenly makes sense.
Shell Seekers: Perhaps the market's most incredible story comes from this seafood stand. Owner and diver Darren Brown spends part of the week hand-collecting these scallops from the waters off Dorset—rather than dredging the ocean floor—and Friday and Saturday selling his catch at Borough Market. (Notable clients include Jamie Oliver's Fifteen.)
Despite the modern safety equipment, it's still a perilous task. In fact, Brown went missing at sea this summer, for more than three hours in rough conditions, before being rescued.
Shell Seekers: Whereas most dredged scallops don't survive the trip to market, Shell Seekers's are sold alive. Huge, plump, and they'll get your fingers.
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6 Comments:
I once spent a good amount of time in Neal's dairy yard sampling a collection of cheeses with a good friend, at which occasion I realized I had developed a taste for strong cheeses. When we tried one, my friend and I responded "too weak" and "ick, too strong" simultaneously.
Also, the sangria and Pimms is worth the trip, perfect guilty pleasures!
veggieout at 5:18PM on 11/03/09
Favorite parts of Borough Market from when I went EVERY weekend during my 4 month back and forth business trips a few years back:
Stand selling freshly sliced comte cheese, (first introduced to comte there and all others I've found here pale in comparison), falafel stand across from awesome raclette stand, freshly shucked oysters, more varieties of olives in a single stand than I've seen in almost all of Manhattan, meat pies from the butchers, baguettes...
I could go on and on. I must get myself back there soon! :)
Jacquie at 5:48PM on 11/03/09
I spent the better part of a day there in September. It was wonderful, with an amazing variety of vendors and many, many creative, unusual dishes. I loved especially the Spanish pork sandwiches (I'm forgetting the name, there was a really long line) and the huge variety of dairy products I'm hoping New Amsterdam grows into something like this in New York.
gingerngin at 8:41PM on 11/03/09
Had my first ever raw oyster there in May - it was sublime and the Market has a gorgeous array of products. Next trip I shall visit early and stock up on some tasty things!
tahitian at 9:57AM on 11/04/09
The Spanish deli is Brindisa (awesome chorizo sandwiches) but one of the best (British) things to eat is a sausage roll from The Ginger Pig butchers. I wouldn't go to the market for the fruit and veg (I don't personally think the prices are worth it) but there are some great things to try. I particularly love the Cool Chile co and Monmouth for coffee. There are also a few places to eat outside of the market that are worth a look too.
masalha at 11:27AM on 11/04/09
I'm going back to London in December, and I absolutely cannot WAIT to explore the Borough Market - I somehow managed to miss it when I was studying there for a semester in college. Shame on me.
katieelby at 12:02PM on 11/04/09