Borough Market

London is one of my favorite cities in the world. Unfortunately, London is also very expensive and as a tourist, I am always shocked by the prices. A few years ago a friend of mine told me about the Borough Market, which is now one of my favorite places to go in London.

The Borough Market is open Thursdays through Saturdays near London Bridge/Southwark Cathedral and is frequented by locals and tourists alike. It's a great place to try many different foods such as sandwiches, roast samples, pies, cheeses, breads, curries, sweets, or fish to name a few examples. Many of the stalls have free samples and you can get out of the market for just a few pounds while snacking through different stalls.

Locals pack this market at lunchtime.

On one visit to the Market, I actually ended up as a food taster on a British cooking show called "Market Kitchen", which is filmed on Thursdays in the Market.

I highly recommend Borough Market. Finding reasonably priced food in London is extremely difficult but you can leave the Market without breaking the bank if you watch your spending. I tend to stick to breads or sandwiches to keep my budget in check. As a "foodie", I could spend hours just exploring the various food stalls.

Great place to visit. Not a cheap place to buy though.

If you are a bit of a "foodie" like me, you will love Borough Market. Sights, smells and tastes are awesome. While living in London, every time people came to visit me, I would take them there.

Breads, cheeses, sausages, meats, veg, fruit, beer etc. You name it, you will find it.

To find it, go to London Bridge station on the Jubilee line. Leave at the Borough High street exit and walk across the road into the market.

You will not be disappointed.

This was our first stop for food in London. I wasn't sure whether to classify this under Food or under Sights. It's essentially a market with ready-to-eat and not-ready-to-eat food, so besides the hungry tourists, you also have the locals buying stuff.

The food we chose was great, as you can see in the pic. Ok maybe you can't see that it's great, coz it kindda looks like a mess. Messy food can be nice, trust me.

Borough Market, which states to have been at this exact location for the past 250 years, and, even more amazing, claims to have been in business for about 2000 years, is a sight to behold. Every thursday, friday and saturday, the place is bustling with activity.

The Green Market, underneath the railroad bridge, is quite surreal, and the whole place is like a maze in which you will wander around, looking at all the stalls and wondering where all the delicious smells are coming from.

The vegetable stands are particularly interesting and the stalls selling olives seem to be quite popular. This is basically a farmer's market with local produce (well, probably not the olives). I'm not sure if the English chef Rick Stein has ever been here, but I'm sure he would love it.

Borough Market is easy to get to by taking the Tube to London Bridge and then heading towards Southwark Cathedral.

As with any market, it is a good idea to get there early.

Borough Market is open on Fridays and Saturdays, but is much bigger and more crowded on the Saturday. Friday is just as good and all the key players are there with half of the crowds so get there for a Friday (you’ll want to see Portobello on Saturday anyway!).

I think of Borough as a meat market because there are loads of stands selling the traditional pork, beef and chicken products in addition to the more unusual selling ostrich, venison, mutton or anything else they hit along their drive to London. The prices are a bit high, but you can’t beat the quality and the knowledge of the butcher’s who will tell you everything from how to butcher it to how to season it for cooking. I’m a bit biased as a Boston guy, but there is a stand in there from Boston, Lincolnshire which sells the best sausages you’ll eat. Look for the guys in the green aprons and you’ll never buy sausage anywhere else. The Ginger Pig is good for your other meat needs.

For the veggies, you won’t be disappointed either. There is a stand in the dead centre that makes veggie cous cous wraps for £3 which you’ll need to try. There are also a ton of farm stands with the standards veggies and which ever ones are in season. Veggie prices tend to be pretty good and the freshness beats out most of the supermarkets.

If you like bread and cheese you’re also in the right spot. Dozens of stands sell these items and you’ll probably want to try them all! If it isn’t too busy most of the punters are more than happy to have a chat and educate you on cheese and surely they’ll hand out some samples.

For the ultimate cheese experience you’ll need to go to Neil’s Yard which is just outside the market – a walk in refrigerator that smells like feet and offers the best cheeses and most knowledgeable and friendly staff you’ll come across.

Other items in the market are flowers, candies, sweets, nuts, wine, ciders and fish. It has it all.

Saturdays at Borough Market are one of the great London experiences. When I was living there, my best friend & would wake up early on Saturdays (no matter WHAT we did Friday night) and take the Tube down to Borough Market for breakfast and shopping. There is a man there (whose name I once knew) who sells AMAZING egg breakfast sandwiches...fantastic. Great coffee, great food, and overall a great atmosphere. A MUST for foodies everywhere.