Borough Market is a strange mix of old market relic and new trendy food stalls, tucked away between the railway tracks and Southwark Cathedral.

Some of the restaurants available are very glossy indeed.

You can find raw materials with specialist stalls and shops for meat, fish, cheese, fruit and vegetables

as well as a huge range of ready made foods from around the world.

It caters to people buying specialist foodstuffs to cook with as well as lunch options for the local office workers.

Whilst most London neighbouhoods will have some specialist shops, depending upon the neighbourhood mix (we get kosher anything, plus a couple of wonderful arab grocers and a sushi bar with Japanese supermarket) in Borough market they’re all gathered conveniently in one place.

It isn’t cheap.

The market lies in the shadow of Southwark cathedral so is a good start or end to a walk along the southbank from the Cathedral to the Globe Theatre, maybe crossing the river to enjoy St Paul’s. There are small places for a breakfast open most days and lots for lunch.

A stallholder suggested Friday would be the best day to visit having a lot of atmosphere but not the mad crowds of the weekend.

Everywhere you look there are the relics of a long market tradition, not yet swept away and “trendified”

   Yet there are plenty of signs of change with bright and shiny new seating areas, lots of organic and vegetarian options etc.

And you can even get a quick cut at the award winning barbers, in between snacks.

 

My favourites are the patisserie and sweet stalls, especially the stall with turkish delight in extraordinary flavours (cherry, pomegranate, apple etc).

So I always go fully fed and armed with a plastic carrier bag to bring the goodies home. Feeding the girls is almost satisfying enough to stop me taking that second/third/fouth taste.