'I tried one of Florence Pugh's favourite London markets for the first time and I don't get the hype'
Florence Pugh is the IT girl at the moment, with a history of incredible acting and a brand new film alongside Andrew Garfield due to be released soon in the UK. So when Pugh said that she was a fan of a certain London market I knew I had to give it a go.
And I really do love Florence Pugh, so I really wanted to love this market, but I left questioning if I would ever go to it again, or if I’d just missed what all the hype was about. While it’s one of London’s most popular tourist destinations and over 1,000 years old, Borough market felt overcrowded and limited in choice.
When I first entered things started well, the lovely fairy lights made for a cheery Christmassy atmosphere so I didn’t even notice how busy it was. I began exploring, noticing that a fairly large proportion of the stands were cheese related.
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I popped into one of these, called Jumi Cheese, where a helpful staff member showed me one of the store's original items, Belper Knolle. This cheese had a lovely peppery outside and was apparently perfect to use when wanting to add a little flavour to things like pasta dishes.
After trying a bit, I started talking with another staff member who was wearing a very large goat hat, and I asked why. Jimmy says: “It gets cold as hell in the market, there’s a wind tunnel right here so I’ve been stocking up on things to keep me warm.”
While it’s been a lovely start to my experience, I then decide it’s time to find some lunch. This is where things start going downhill.
The crowds feel like they’re getting bigger and bigger, with people stepping out in front of one another or dawdling in the main walkways. After doing several laps of the market I finally decided to get a seafood paella as it's one of the few pescatarian options I can find, let alone anything vegetarian.
The queue is really long and we’re very much in the way of people trying to pass by. Thankfully, it moves quite quickly and there is a lot to see as the paella is made freshly in front of you.
Upon eating the paella I realise there is actually chicken inside it (although this is very clearly signposted so I can only blame myself). Luckily, I’m not too fussy and I pick around it, with the paella being really delicious and filled with muscles and king prawns.
I decided to sit down in a seating area I had spotted before, only to find there were no spots free. After waiting around for ten minutes it became clear that people weren’t planning on moving despite finding their food and I returned to wandering around the market.
On my way around I came across a lovely looking chocolate stall with options like mint, raspberry brandy and orange truffle. I start talking with Ron who has been working on the stall for around six years.
He tells me that the market attracts all different types of people, from locals to people coming from abroad. The stall does okay, he says , because the market has such a big reputation.
It seems to me that Borough Market is famous and that's why people go to it. But I think there are many more options around London where you can find just as delicious food with more variety and a bit more breathing space.
So I'd recommend people to go once for the experience, but I won't be rushing back anytime soon.
Got a story? Please get in touch at katherine.gray@reachplc.com
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