Watts Cooking?

My passion for food has recently evolved. I've always enjoyed eating (to a fault), but I stayed clear of the kitchen until a few years ago, when I started university. Being in dietetics gave me the luxury of earning a university credit (or 3), to take a cooking class. (Actually, 2) I had always hovered over my mom as she cooked, but never dared to get into the mix myself.

Taking these classes gave me the confidence I needed to really get my hands dirty and start exploring food more profoundly. They also introduced me to a variety of foods I had never eaten or prepared before (spaghetti squash and quinoa, anyone?).
I would never consider myself to be an expert in matters of food, but I am definitely curious about it and have absolutely had the passion and love for food ignited inside me.

I find it taking over more and more of my life. I now randomly think of things I'd like to cook in the future and jot them down in my notebook (which never leaves my side) and I also find myself incessantly occasionally browsing the cooking section of my local bookstore.

So what does a budding foodie do when in London? Why, visit Borough Market, of course! It is well known in the London food aficionado community. It is visited by most of the top London chefs in the insanely early morning for wholesale to supply their posh restaurants, and by the public on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

I was very lucky in that my lovely host T's apartment was only blocks away from this marvel.




A little history? While there has been a market in and around that area since 43AD(!), the current edition of Borough Market (in its current location) has been around since 1756 (meaning it has been in that very spot for over 250 years). While its history is essentially as a fruit and vegetable market, it now holds almost everything you can think of, and even things you can't.


I made my first of two visits around lunch time on a sunny Friday. Little did I know that could have been the worst time possible. Apparently, around this time of the day, Borough Market gets invaded by office workers, seeking exciting lunch options. It felt a little claustrophobic at first, but as the working crowd petered off, things became more manageable.

The market is divided into 4 main sections: Crown Square, Green Market, Jubilee Market, the shops on Stoney St, Park St and Bedale St. It can seem very intimidating and maze-like at first, but once you let yourself get seduced by the charming stalls, and the even more charming people manning them (Here are your strawberries, love! Enjoy!) (I'm a sucker for English accents), you feel right at home.


There are surprises around every corner. The narrow, windy lanes connect Parmesan cheese booths with springbok steak vendors, ostrich egg stalls with pastry artisans. Some products are comfortingly familiar (gooey, chocolate brownies) while others are outrageously foreign (wheatgrass shots? Erm... no thanks).

T and I filled our strong canvas bag with many goodies. Our supper that night consisted of crusty baguette, pâté de foie gras (don't lecture me, I can't help myself), tapenade (for T, I can't stand olives), and delicious cheese. Our cornucopia was washed down with deliciously sweet organic sparkling cider and chased with quaintly British strawberries and cream.


I visited the market many times during my stay, tucking into delicacies such as ostrich burgers and Cornish ice cream, to name but a few. You don't have to be a food fanatic to enjoy Borough Market, you just have to like eating. And hey, who doesn't?


Information - Borough Market

http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/index.php

Near London Bridge Tube Station (Northern Line - City Branch)
On Borough High St, Near Southwark St.

Opening Hours: Thursdays (11am - 5pm), Fridays (12pm - 6pm), Saturdays (9am - 4pm).