You know when you go grocery shopping it’s a good idea to go full, so that you don’t buy everything? Well when you go to Borough Market, you should go hungry. Last Friday I had lunch with Ryan at Ippudo, which is my favorite restaurant. Afterwards Ryan went back to work and I went to Borough Market. Only, I was stuffed full of delicious ramen, which was awesome, but meant I wasn’t so tempted by the market. And the market has so many delicious things to eat. 

Every time I go to Borough Market, I walk down a staircase with the Southwark Cathedral on my right and on my left are all the sounds and smells of food vendors making delicious meals. There are giant paellas, sausage rolls, and savory pies. I once had the most delicious sweet potato and goat cheese pie from the market. Anyway, after pushing through the crowds and further into the market, there are even more mouth watering goodies to take home with you.

Borough Market is a semi-enclosed market that is 1000 years old! Fruit and vegetables are the cornerstone of the market. Lots and lots of vendors have displays bursting with mountains of gorgeous colors. Look at that lettuce above! It’s all crinkly and green – it actually makes me excited to eat a salad. And the apples above are glowing from the sunshine. How could you walk away without at least one healthy piece of food? I bought myself some lemons and freshly pressed apple juice.

But it’s not just about the produce, there are amazing cakes and cookies, breads, meats and cheeses. I always want everything. Once, Ryan and I went at the end of the day on a Saturday. The vendors were giving discounts because it was the end of the week and as a result we bought thick beef burgers, artisanal cheese, and fresh bread – all to make some juicy burgers when we got home.

Although I don’t really eat pork, I was taken with the pig’s foot (above center) where the vendor would slice off fresh prosciutto straight from the bone. That seems like quality service. I also liked seeing the scallops in the shells. So often in the grocery store we’re shielded from where our food comes from and what it actually looks like. I enjoy the market because it shows food’s freshness and reminds me that food comes from the land or an animal.

I took a small break from browsing the food to check out the cooking demonstration. The person was making a savory pie with lots of layers of thin flaky pastry. Alongside him was a sign language interpreter – which I thought was so cool. I’ve seen sign language interpretation a lot throughout the UK and I’m impressed with how accessible things can be. I also stumbled along a bit blackboard wall where people wrote down names, jokes and something they wanted to do before they die.

Beyond the food, the space itself is a fun place to take in. There are so many people and I heard half a dozen different languages as I walked around. Since it was sunny the nearby pubs were filled with people and the sidewalks had people sitting on the curb and eating. I thought, I think I deserve a mini picnic on this sunny day off. So, I went and bought myself a Pimm’s cup No. 1 (a gin cocktail with some juice and fruits and veg in it – and it’s apparently iconic of English summer). The vendor asked me if I was older than 18, which was nice and made me laugh. When I told him I was old enough to drink, he gave me my cocktail and I ran off to sit on a bench and soak up the sun. Hard life, right?

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My solution was to start Tourist Tuesday. I’m going to attempt every Tuesday to post about what Ryan and I are doing in London or elsewhere. Sometimes it will also have something food related, sometimes it won’t. Also, the regular recipes posts will likely still have London photos too. Finally, I’ve also changed the layout a little bit. In the menu bar at the top you can sort through posts in the Recipes, London, and Travel sections. Hopefully that will make it easier to find what you’re looking for. Without further ado, here’s the first Tourist Tuesday post. 

This Saturday, Ryan and I went to the Tower of London to check out the poppies. Officially it is an art installation and it is called Bloodswept Lands and Seas of Red. Haunting title. The installation is comprised of 888,246 ceramic poppies made by artist Paul Cummins and designed by Tom Piper. The work commemorates the 100-year anniversary of Britain’s first full-day of involvement in World War I. Each poppy represents a British fatality from the war.

Already there are many, many poppies in the Tower’s moat, and there are still more to come. The entire moat is going to be filled, with the last poppy being installed on November 11.

It was astoundingly beautiful to see. But also, it felt heartbreaking and staggering. It looks like blood and flowers and it is a little bit terrifying. It looks like it is slowly creeping towards you, which I guess in a way it is. Anyway, I keep thinking that it’s amazing what people can do. Amazing in an awful way – because look at how many people lost their lives, look at how awful war is. But also, how amazing to create an impressive work that brought flocks of people to see it and remember.

It was also incredibly, painfully, frustratingly crowded  by the Tower too. When we were done looking, we walked slowly through masses of other tourists, over the Tower Bridge and on over to Borough Market. We got there near the end of the day, which turned out to be great because the vendors were slashing price to get rid of food before the end of the day.

Ryan and I bought pies from Pieminister. We ate them along the edge of the market and people. The pies were so incredible good, that even when I was full, I kept eating. It was too good to waste. Ryan got some kind of steak and ale pie, but I don’t remember the cutesy name. I had the Heidi, which was sweet potatoes, goat cheese, spinach, and red onion. It was delicious.

We then headed back into the market and bought ingredients to make hamburgers. We bought beef patties made from Highland cattle, which are long-haired Scottish cows. You should look at this picture of them here, they are awesome looking. We also bought comte cheese, which I liked but Ryan didn’t. Ryan cooked up the burgers and they were so so good. Juicy, well seasoned, so flavorful. They were the kind of good that lasts through every bite, not just the first bite.

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