Our friend Gretchen, who has lived in London for 13 years, took us along for her weekend shopping trip to Borough Market, literally under London Bridge.
I feel quite lucky to live near the Union Square Farmer’s Market. It’s open on Saturdays from 9 AM to 3 PM, from June through November. It fills the small pedestrian plaza in the Square. Borough Market sprawls across at least two entire city blocks, is open all day every Thursday through Saturday, all year ’round.
I spent the morning sampling everything and buying a few things to snack on. Here’s a bit of what I saw.
Fresh tomatoes in April? Yes, when they're transported from Italy - a shorter distance than from California to Boston.
Fresh seafood, including real Dover sole.
Fresh baked bread was everywhere, mostly from organic bakeries.
Cured meats of every kind. At this stand I bought dry salami made from Basque pigs. I'll have to eat it all here, I can't transport it back into the States.
This coffee stand, one of two locations in the market, was so popular it had lines wrapping around the block. They make individual cups of drip filter coffee, pouring water into the funnels on top, letting it drip into cups below.
This is a 4' diameter pan of seafood paella, cooking away on a gas burner.
... and a similary sized pan of chicken paella.
Diver scallops in the shell, off the morning boat.
A whole monkfish.
There was much more, but you get the idea.
It’s probably just as well there isn’t a market like this near home, I’d drop a week’s salary there every month. Because all of this pefect food comes at a cost – a very steep cost. But if what I saw and tasted was any indication, it’s worth it.
You’ve captured the essence of the place so well!
Hasok and I just finished the delicious bottarga, which I found during my wanderings with you guys at Borough Market. By the way, at the tomato stall, their smoked tomatoes in oil come year round from the Isle of Wight (even closer than Italy), and of course in summer, that’s where their fresh tomatoes originate as well.
My friend who works fo rthe BBC lives in Kensal Green. He was complaining about buying his food from Tesco, so I directed him to Borough Market. He’d never heard of it (but he’s from LA, so I can forgive him).