Travel

A Day At Borough Market In London

As the finale to my spring travels, I got the opportunity to visit my relatives in England during the beginning of May. I had a lovely time visiting with my family, some of whom I had not gotten the chance to see in years! Everyone showed me an amazing time, from having me over for lunch and a stroll through to countryside, to window-shopping our way through London. One day, my aunt Vivi informed me that she had an entire day of festivities planned for me, all surrounding food! I was very excited to see what was in store for the day.

My grandmother, Madi, and I met Vivi bright and early at one of her favorite neighborhood cafes. The spot was called GreenSmiths and it was like no other place I have ever seen! Imagine my surprise as Madi navigated me from the street into what appeared to be a butcher shop. At first I was confused, but then after some exploration I learned that GreenSmiths is actually a small specialty grocery store, with everything from freshly baked breads to high quality produce and all in-between. The store was built split-level and housed the café on the top floor. All three of us shared a sinfully sweet and delicious sticky pecan bun and I had my first “flat white” coffee, a drink very similar to a cappuccino but with less milk and more caffeine. I had to get my energy for the day ahead!

The main attraction of the day was a visit to an outdoor market by the London Bridge called Borough Market. All I can say is that this is magical place that will forever on hold a place in my heart. Borough Market is essentially my equivalent to a candy store for a small child. The Market was composed of stalls and stands that spiraled around many blocks and I skipped around excitedly, the entire time feeling like my eyeballs were about to pop out of my head. This place was incredible! Someone could buy absolutely anything they could ever want for and additionally they could sample it before making a decision! Rows of artisanal cheese mongers stood across from old men deftly slicing thin ribbons of cured meats off of large hunks laid out on platters to try. Fresh juice bars were next to soup stands that wafted steam and hearty aromas out towards the crowds of chilled and hungry customers. There were spice markets and chocolate shops, produce stands that had vegetables I had never even heard of; one vendor even sold goose eggs that were bigger than my fist! If only I had the time to experiment with those….

As mentioned, my absolute favorite part of this experience was the opportunity to sample something from every stand. It became a game to taste everything there was to offer before deciding which one perfect item to purchase for lunch. I tried Paella and curry, soup and bratwurst, goats milk ice cream and gluten-free pastries.

There was a really unique stand that toted Raclette, a Scandinavian dish, which is basically cheese melted over potatoes- I forced myself to pass this one up due to my prior recent indulgences over my time in Florence and Alto Adige. When I saw the seafood section, I was unable to stop myself from buying a few oysters, my favorite, to share with Madi.

Then, don’t forget the meat pies, what London market would be complete without meat pies?

In the end, I decided on falafel, Vivi selected a veggie burger with a quinoa salad, and Madi treated herself to a monstrous but heavenly double-stacked and loaded bratwurst in a bun. We gorged ourselves while sitting on benches outside of a church with all of the other delighted consumers.