Borough Market is 1000 Years Old Because Its Doing So Much Right

Image via Jeremy Keith

Sticking to its roots as the go-to place for quality produce, there’s something to tantalise every palate at Borough Market, and it’s one of the best places in London to grab lunch on the go.  Amongst the traditional Indian, Chinese and European takeaway stalls, are hidden gems like Shellseekers—making fresh, hand-dived scallops even better by smothering them in crispy bacon. Or how about a slice of roast goat?  Nick and Nadia Stokes’ stall Gourmet Goat serves a variety of street food staples like pittas and salad boxes, all featuring prime cuts of Cypriot goat. If eating in is more your bag, then tapas bar Brindisa is well worth a visit – they’re credited with popularising Spanish food in London during the 90s, and as well as their signature ‘black rice’ (rice cooked in squid ink) they also offer an array of Spanish meats and cheeses to take away.

If it’s whetting your whistle rather than stuffing your face that appeals, Borough’s got your back. Health food stall and juice bar Total Organics offers a range of freshly-squeezed juices infused with health-boosting ginger, and if you’re feeling brave, you could even try their wheatgrass shot, which looks less than appetising but is an instant pick-me-up. Blink and you’ll miss the tiny Goodbeans stall—they make iced coffee like no-one else, by soaking different beans in water for up to 16 hours to extract the flavour. For those after something stronger, the Cartwright Bros specialise in importing French and Italian wines from independent growers, and are renowned for their selection of Clarets. Micro-pub The Rake, meanwhile, shows that size really doesn’t matter—boasting a staggering selection of 200 different craft beers.

A stone’s throw from Borough Market is The Roxy Bar, an independent cinema-come-bar that screens a handpicked selection of indie and mainstream films. Red velvet drapes and retro neon lights give it a proper speakeasy feel, and the neighbouring market traders provide produce for the American-inspired menu – expect most dishes to be deep-fried or smothered in barbecue sauce.

Back at the market, there’s the Demonstration Kitchen, which hosts (yep, you’ve guessed it) demonstrations from top chefs—including acclaimed eco-chef Tom Hunt, who was part of the market’s Zero Waste Week to promote ecological cooking.

Fittingly for a market with one of the most recognisable art-deco facades in the city, the stallholders themselves are a creative bunch. Many are members of the Borough Market Choir, which has sung, to date, at the Globe, The Tate Modern and the South Bank Centre, as well as taking part in flash-mobs. The market also hosts pop-up art, and has worked with the likes of the London Design Festival and Southwark Arts Forum, who created a one-off display in the summer of 2014—also the year that the market celebrated its 1000th birthday. To mark the occasion, visitors were invited to walk through a trough of (eco-friendly, naturally) paint and leave a trail across the concrete.

Whether it’s acceptable to talk about Christmas mid-September is up for debate, but the fact that the festive season largely revolves around eating is something of an accepted truth. Food is what Borough does best, and this Christmas, they’re likely to be pulling out all the stops as they’ve just secured an exclusive contract with catering and events company Harbour & Jones. Although no specific events have been announced yet, it’s not like Borough to shy away from an occasion. During the Olympics, it stayed open all week, instead of just its usual Monday to Thursday, and even installed a large Swiss railway clock on its rafters this June, to mark the two-year anniversary of Borough hosting the House of Switzerland at the games.