This trip has been full of love, laughter, theatre, and FOOD! Throughout the course of the trip the whole group has traveled to several markets, and smaller groups have traveled to even more. For this post we are tasked with the assignment of writing about our market experiences and the different things we saw and foods we ate. While this may be a basic take, my favorite market of the trip has been Borough Market. Borough Market is probably London’s most famous market, but there is a reason that it gets so much attention. When you walk into the market, you are immediately surrounded by crowds of people exploring the plethora of options that fill the space. With over 100 vendors there, you can get such a wide variety of cuisine. On top of restaurants, there are also shops with raw meats, cheeses, and produce, and also shops with trinkets and other fun items to buy. I went three times in London and was very pleased with my experiences.
The first time that I went I had to try the famous sandwich from “The Black Pig”. This sandwich has pork, truffle mayo, fennel slaw, peperoncini, salsa verde, and parmesan. It was truly one of the best sandwiches that I’ve ever had, and quite possibly my favorite thing that I ate in London. It had a unique sweetness from the fennel apple slaw that wasn’t expected, but much appreciated. After this I tried the viral chocolate covered strawberries. They are around 9 pounds per cup. While this is definitely overpriced, the strawberries are very fresh and the chocolate is smooth and rich. Wouldn’t get again, but worth a try. The first time that I went to the market was the busiest I saw it. The market was full of people, and they had employees whose job was just to direct the traffic. It was so busy that there was really no seating available. At Borough Market the seating options are several tables in one location, and then a giant set of steps in another. All of these were full, so we ended up having to find a spot on the side of the road. I didn’t see any performers at Borough Market which was surprising, but Jocelyn almost getting pooped on by a bird was entertainment enough,
The second time I went I got a salt beef sandwich from a stand that I am blanking on the name of. This was the most fun service experience. While making my sandwich, the guy behind the counter kept cracking jokes and saying why his stand was better than the others. At the end he pulled out a mustard bottle and pointed it at me. It ended up being a gag bottle that he uses as a joke. The full show before the meal was worth it on its own, but the food was very good too. The salt was cooked very well, and I really liked how strong the mustard was. It had a very aggressive kick that really made the sandwich pop.
The place that I tried on my last visit served Paella. The reason I went to this spot was because it had a really long line. At that moment I decided to trust the crowd and hope for the best. The only problem with this stand was that the prices were not clearly visible until you got up to the counter. I ended up paying 24 pounds for it, but it was quite good. It came with a lot of seafood, and the rice was very flavorful. This is another situation where I wouldn’t do it again, but I did enjoy the experience.
Cheers,
Thatcher
Theatre in London U of A 