A couple weeks ago Andy and I were on an epic trip across Scotland and England, reconnecting with family and friends – some who we had not seen in years. I had a couple free days in London while Andy was working so got together with my food-loving, photograph-taking, college buddy Liam and his girlfriend, Naomi for a day of eating, drinking, walking and talking (all photos in this post by Liam). Liam said we should head to Borough Market for some good nosh, but not before picking up a salt beef beigel with pickles and hot mustard from the oldest beigal shop in London (est 1855). It was as good as is looks.
The area we walked through was covered in graffiti…in a good way. It was fun, bright, and creative. True art that only made the area feel richer and more vibrant. If you haven’t yet seen Exit Through the Gift Shop (a documentary about graffiti featuring the infamous Banksy), I highly recommend it.
We both loved this Picasso-style piece of art.
This massive pan of paella was one of the first things we saw when we walked into Borough Market. It was tempting to stop there and eat, but tempered my appetite as I knew there would be many more treats to come.
This assorted baklava looked like art – clearly, this is a craft, not just a “recipe”. We were coerced into buying far more than we needed or wanted, but it was so beautiful and the man was so convincing! We tried several and particularly loved one that was really heavy on the cinnamon and spice.
The multi-colored strings on these sausages caught our eye, and my friend Liam captured them perfectly with this top down photo.
Whenever I go into a market, I look for the longest lines or the biggest crowd. There was a heaving mass of hungry people around a fresh pasta stand, so I quickly queued up. These pumpkin and sage tortellini were memorable not only for their taste, but also for their silky texture. The filling was velvety and rich. Despite myriad topping choices, we stuck with the basics: butter and parm.
After we snagged the pasta, Naomi made a beeline for a sandwich stall. And I thought the queue for the pasta was long! We waited patiently for about 20 minutes before being served this incredible roast pork sandwich filled with stuffing, applesauce, and crackling.
We may have been stuffed silly, but that didn’t stop us from oogling the raclette cheese under the heating element. It would soon be bubbling away and poured over potatoes and cornichons.
Once our stomachs could take no more, we walked along the South Bank watching buskers and skateboarders perform their tricks…
…though it wasn’t long before we found a place to be horizontal for a while.
Jealous! Borough Market is so much fun–I had a pork belly sandwich, possibly from the same stall, a while back. w-o-w I never saw ‘paella man’, but that’s what’s so much fun–you never know what you will find! Thanks for sharing Maggie!
Gorgeous photos! My sister and I passed a fantastic afternoon in Borough Market when I visited her in London last fall. It was quite a yummy day, too. 🙂
I’m stuffed just looking at the pictures and reading about your tastings!
So cool! Especially that giant paella pan. I want one! Market pictures are some of my favorite things ever. Glad you had a great trip.
That giant giant pan of paella just made my day! I’m going to a spanish tapas restaurant for dinner tonight, and I’m going to have to get some paella now. 😉 beautiful shot!
I went to grad school in London and was pretty into cycling at the time.. if that salt beef is from the bagel shop at the top of Brick Lane it’s open very, very late into the evening and that’s where we used to always end our night rides, with hang outs on the street and one of those bagels. I’d completely forgotten about it. Sigh… another reason to miss London, but thanks anyway for the memory jog 🙂