I visited London's famous Borough Market, and the food was so diverse that supermarkets now seem boring, Business Insider - Business Insider Singapore
by Ben Mack- London’s Borough Market is one of the largest and most famous food markets in Europe.
- Open every day except for Sundays, you might recognize it from films such as “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.”
- I visited the market at noon on a weekday, and while it was just as big as I thought it would be, it was nowhere near as crowded.
- There was a lot more than just food for sale, including flowers, spices, and souvenirs.
- With a diverse array of foods, plenty of free samples, and so much to see, a trip to a regular supermarket now seems boring.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
“We’re here because it’s the best market in London!” gushed the woman at the small stand offering free samples of hazelnuts from Italy. They were some of the best I’d ever tasted – but so was a lot of the food being handed out at London’s Borough Market.
It’s one of the largest and most famous food markets in Europe, and you might recognize it from films like “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.”
When I recently paid it a visit for the first time, it was just as big as I expected it to be – but for lunchtime on a Tuesday, it was much quieter and less crowded than I had anticipated, and had a lot more than just food for sale, like flowers, spices, and souvenirs.
With so much to experience, a trip to a regular supermarket now seems boring by comparison. Here’s what it’s like to visit.
Stepping off a train at London Bridge Underground station, it was not hard to find Borough Market. And entry was free.
Lots of signs pointed the way to go from the Underground station, and there was a huge sign above one of the entrances to the market.
The first thing that struck me was how quiet it was.
For being a busy market during the lunch rush on a clear day, I was surprised it wasn’t super crowded, but my colleagues later told me it gets much busier on Saturdays and during the summer.
The architecture was impressive.
I was not expecting much of the architecture – but was surprised by how airy it made things seem. I especially liked the high ceilings and how so much of it was painted green.
There were a lot of interesting smells, especially near stalls selling seafood.
People who work there must get used to it, but the smells at the seafood stalls were a lot to handle.
I quickly noticed that it was extremely expensive.
£1.90 ($2.50) for one piece of garlic seemed like a lot, even if it did come from the south of France like the sign said. But clearly, people were willing to pay that.
Some of the stalls were small, and only had one type of food.
A lot of the stalls specialized in only one thing, like bread, sausages, or fudge.
Other stalls were enormous, like small grocery stores.
Some stalls had as many fruits and vegetables as a supermarket produce section. I wondered if they grew all of it themselves, or bought it from elsewhere to resell.
Others didn’t look like food stalls at all.
One stall that especially stood out sold different cheeses, and looked more like the inside of a fancy store.
Many of the stalls accepted credit cards for payment as well as paper money, especially the larger stalls.
I probably saw more people paying by card than using cash.
Some of the food could even be ordered online and delivered.
The “click & collect” and “click & deliver” station seemed to defeat one of the main draws of the market. Then again, I realized, there were probably some people who lived in London and used the market to buy their daily groceries, and appreciated the convenience.
Lots of food was also being cooked right in front of visitors, who could then eat in the market.
Various meats, sandwiches, soups, and drinks seemed to be especially popular items for people to eat while walking – or to munch while standing off to the side and watching the crowds.
With food everywhere, there were also a lot of free samples.
Nuts, fruits, pieces of meats, bits of candy – there was just so. Much. Free. Food.
Food sellers came from all over. I chatted with hazelnut growers from Italy.
“We’re here because it’s the best market in London!” a woman at the small stand selling nuts from Piedmont, Italy said. She said they had opened the stall more than two years ago. At £3.50 ($4.60) for a small 100 gram bag, or £28 ($36.70) for a big, one kilogram (2.2-pound) bag, I thought they were expensive.
I spoke with staff at the Ginger Pig, a butcher which has been at Borough Market for more than 20 years.
I was later told the Ginger Pig was one of the market’s most famous stalls. It was also one of the busiest. Many people were buying their sausage rolls, which were made with lamb instead of pork and were “world-famous,” according to a sign. They cost £5 ($6.55) each.
A lot of the stuff being sold, surprisingly, was not food.
A lot of stalls were selling flowers. Others were selling what looked like souvenirs.
Off the main area were several “hidden” spots, too.
I walked past a pub with a somewhat “hidden” garden. There were several places like this around the market, like staircases that looked like they led to upper areas and small alleys branching off of the main paths.
There was even a musician performing near one of the entrances.
The young woman played the keyboard and sang at the same time. Her songs carried quite far throughout the market.
With so much to see and eat, I could see why it’s a popular tourist attraction.
There seemed to be no end to the number of different things to smell, hear, see, and taste.
It’s worth a visit for any visitor to London — especially because of the free samples.
The free food and admission were strong selling points, but I was also impressed by the relative lack of crowds and the ease of navigating through the market for the time and day of the week that I went. The sheer diversity of the foods was great, too – there seemed to literally be something for every taste, and no shortage of opportunities to try something new. It’s certainly a place I would take friends and family visiting London.
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