From Spicy Cider to Ostrich Burgers: This is Borough Market

Borough Market in South East London.

Dating back to the 11th century and boasting such goodies as ostrich burgers, Cornish clotted cream and lots of different kinds of cheeses, Borough Market is indeed a foodie’s heaven and a place I spent hours wandering while on a recent visit to London.

Borough Market is a lively and pleasant smelling wholesale and retail food market located in the South East section of London. It is one of the largest markets in the world and provides amazing quality goods from both near and far.

While trading pretty much goes on here seven days a week, the main market is only open Thursday (11am-5pm), Friday (12pm-6pm) and Saturday (9am-5pm).

The 70 plus producers provide such unique goodies as ostrich burgers, Jersey Royal potatoes (not that Jersey!), Arbroath smokie (smoked herring) and Cornish clotted cream.

Back inside the market, be sure to check out the following stands:

Fresh meat and eggs at Wild Beef stand.

• Wild Beef from Richard and Lizzie Vines: Enjoy your meals without all those pesky pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers? Well then you will really Wild Beef, which serves up nothing but quality meat, eggs and more.

• Utobeer: While a little rough around the edges (don’t tell him I said that), Utobeer’s Eddie might seem like one mean dude (okay, he actually is one), but the guy offers plethora of pilsners and an array of ales that would make any lush smile with delight.

Cheese heaven!

• Neal’s Yard Dairy: One of the absolute best cheese destinations I have visited on my travels. From the stinky to the smooth, all your cheese needs are covered at this little shop in Borough Market. Some cheese for sale include cheddar (which was just voted the Brit’s favorite cheese in a recent survey), Stilton (came in second) and Cheshire (one of England’s oldest). I dare you to go into this locale and not sample at least one piece.

• Roast: Cinnamon Club founder Iqbal Wahhab has done it yet again with another outstanding dining option in London. This upscale eatery is located upstairs from the madness that can sometimes be Borough Market. Not surprisingly the restaurant makes most top 10 lists for places to eat in London. Roast’s mixed ingredients of organic, seasonal produce comes from right downstairs at the market.

• New Forest Cider: On a cold and windy London afternoon, nothing says warm and delicious like a hot and spicy cup of cider.

• Gamston Wood Farm: Move aside chickens and turkeys, ostrich is now what’s for dinner. Well at least around Gamston farm it is! After feasting my eyes on some of the ostrich burgers, sausage and meatballs, I was impressed to see that they also sold alligator, kangaroo, zebra and many other exotic animals.

• Wright Bros. Located on 11 Stoney Street, this Oyster wholesaler and importer also makes a mean plate of scallops. I enjoyed them with an extra cold pint of Guinness (what else!?).

If the market looks or sounds familiar, you might have seen it in such movies as Bridget Jones’ Diary, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Here is an insider’s tip: Located alongside Borough Market is Southwark Cathedral, which offers amazing locally grown ingredients made on-site at the church’s Refectory. When the weather is nice, enjoy your meal on the lovely outdoor patio.

Be sure to leave a few hours in one of your days to check out this truly iconic location.

Tags: borough market, england, London