London diary: Borough Market


Karaway Bread poppy seed brioche
The first time I visited Borough Market, it was purely by chance. I was on one of my map free walks along the Thames in below zero degree weather, minding my own bussiness, when I stumbled upon this gem, hidden under a bridge, behind a church at the end of London Bridge. I suddenly found myself at the most amazing food market. After some intense Googling it revealed itself to have a long and rich history dating back over a thousand years! This did by no means make it an old fashioned food market, quite the contrary. I quickly discovered that new, sustainable thoughts and ideas was the solid foundation of their food pyramid! Pun intended. And I couldn’t be more excited to share my experience with you.
"The Market is a place where people come to connect, to share food and awaken their senses." - Borough Market
Seeing that this was my second time in London, and that I genuinely hated the city after a rather horrid first visit back in 2009, I finally found myself feeling welcome. Borough Market made me believe in London again, and I do believe that this was the beginning of a life long friendship.
Within seconds of entering the market, I knew this was a good place to be. The energy, the colors, the smells, the people, the knowledge. It felt real, homey, healthy. I made my first purchase within two minutes of walking through the gate - and continued to gladly give my money away in exchange for hand made toffee, everything pulled pork and organic teas. I'm not even exaggerating.

 So, quite naturally, on my third visit to London last week, Borough Market was number one on my list of things to do. And it did in no way disappoint! I let the crowd lead the way, sniffing my way from small bakeries on wheels to vegan burger joints and authentic street food stalls. Every continent represented, every taste bud intrigued. I could honestly walk around and just eat all day long. Getting free samples everywhere I turned didn´t exactly hurt either. Free food = happy traveller! 

Greenfield Farm Organic Life tea and Rosebud Preserves jam
The traders seem truly passionate about what they do, believing in their products and a sustainable movement. If that's not the recipe for success, I don't know what is. We as humans aren’t exactly known for our splendid ability to co-exist, with anything, but it is things like this that makes me believe that we actually can do some good in the world. I'm getting more and more interesting in learning and knowing as much as possible about my impact on the environment, so the slow food movement and environmental commitments made by the Borough Market really speaks to me. Organic produce, vegan options on every corner, a strict "no landfill" philosophy when it comes to trash, surplus donated to local charities and a group of volunteer trustees overseeing the whole process. At one of the stalls, I believe it was Borough Cheese Company, the traders had documented the journey from a farm in France to the end product on display. I think that was my favorite part on the whole market. Seeing the journey and knowing where my food comes from.
«Many of the Market’s stallholders are themselves producers: the farmer who reared the animal, the fisherman who caught the fish, the baker who baked the bread.» - boroughmarket.co.uk
There is a couple of questions that has been popping up in my mind more frequently as I’ve grown older, and hopefully - wiser. Where exactly does my food come from? And what’s in it? I can’t say that I know a lot about the food I buy from my local super market, other than the fact that it's wrapped in a ton of plastic, but I'm making an effort - now; a choice to be more aware of everything around me. Believing in small companies, choosing organic whenever possible, finding local resources and options. All these small steps eventually turns into a big leap, and a big leap is exactly what we need.

This is a market that has to be experienced, because whatever words I'm able to put together in this post, it just won't be enough to describe it. Borough Market is just all too much yum, it must be tasted and experienced first hand. An added bonus of a cleaner consciousness and restored faith in humanity doesn't exactly hurt either! Bon appetite!

Cannon & Cannon pork sticks and Big V London smokey vegan burgers
The opening hours of Borough Market is Monday to Saturday, 10AM - 5PM. Address: Borough High St, London SE1 9AH, UK
#LoveBorough

 - Barbro
Full disclosure:

I was offered an substantial amount of free food and beverages at several points of my visits to Borough Market, so my opinions may or may not be somewhat clouded, but my stomach is truly happy.

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