Experiencing all the markets London has to offer is part of my bucket list. So when the opportunity arose to have lunch with a friend at Borough Market, I had to go. Though Borough Market is only food, it offers one-of-a-kind English finds and gifts for anyone on your shopping list. Whether it’s to complete a grocery list, taste the uniqueness of London, or enjoy a meal with a friend, here is what to buy at Borough Market.
Borough Market Favorite Finds
Before You Head Out
Before you head to Borough Market, there are a few essentials you need to bring: shopping bag, ice packs, cash, water, and an umbrella. Though quite a bit of the market is covered, don’t let the weather spoil your sampling frenzy. Way more fun dry!
Food, Food & More Food
Start off with lunch at the food trucks so that you don’t buy everything in sight. It’s like going grocery shopping on an empty stomach! Fun, but you might get home wondering why you bought out the Bread Ahead stall. 🙂
The food stalls are completely international. I can honestly say that one of the things I was really not looking forward to when moving to England was the food. Known for its fish and chips and mushy peas, I would have never thought of England, at least London, as a foodie destination, but it really is. From steak and fries (not chips!) to Ethiopian plates, there is something for everyone. I settled on Chicken Pad Thai with an extra scoop of nuts. Delicious!
If you arrive at Borough Market with no plans to eat a full lunch, then no sweat. You can pretty much sample everything: chocolates, bread, truffle oils…I could go on. The point is, Borough Market is a MUST visit if you love experiencing food. And not just any food, but only in England food finds.
Whether you are sampling or looking for that totally personal gift for someone, Borough Market is the place to go.
Honeycomb
Now, if you’ve read any of my other British favorite food posts then you know by now that honeycomb treats are one of my favorite British foods. Yes, food. Having experienced America’s honeycomb finest, Post Honeycomb cereal, I now know what REAL honeycomb is capable of tasting like. I was in complete heaven when I stumbled on all these honeycomb finds at the Borough Market.
So Chocolicious handmade chocolate honeycomb clusters. Seriously. So good. I got the very last bag! So excited that I did.
WHIRLD Crunchy Honeycomb in case I want a little honeycomb without the chocolate. Or perhaps cut it up in small pieces as a clotted cream ice cream topping. Must do that!
And my grand finale honeycomb find was at Bread Ahead. I nearly passed out when I saw this trolley.
My enthusiasm was two-fold:
- First, donuts (er, um, good donuts) are incredibly hard to find in St Albans.
- Secondly, they sell caramel, sea salt, and honeycomb doughnuts!
There was a queue, obviously, to get their hands on these doughnuts. I bought four and was the most popular person in the house last night…and this morning. Get the blueberry one, too. AMAZING!
Coffee
Refuel after lunch at Monmouth Coffee. The flat white will not disappoint. Monmouth Coffee is without a doubt the best coffee in London…maybe even England. I’ll let you know if I discover otherwise. I make coffee every morning and when I’m not making coffee, I’m hitting Starbucks. If Starbucks and Monmouth Coffee were side-by-side, I’d choose Monmouth every time. It’s THAT good.
You can taste test the different bean flavors at Monmouth if you plan to purchase a bag. Grab a 250g bag of whole or ground beans for £8. The Brasil is the most popular. ☕️
Pasta
Buy fresh pasta to cook or freeze at home at La Tua Pasta. The line for takeaway went out the door. This picture doesn’t do it justice. If Italian is what you want for lunch, go here. Just try to avoid peak times.
The most popular pasta (from the look of the shelves) is the squid ink and crab for £14.75. The pasta is black! My friend got the last container but that will be my first purchase the next time I go. Instead, I opted for a fresh hard to find pasta, orecchiette, to go with a chicken dish for the night.
Truffle Oil
Combine the pasta purchase with white truffle oil from Tartufaia. Taste testing the oil sent my friend and me back to an Italian restaurant experience we had in Rome. That dinner was amazing so when this immediately sparked that memory, it was a keeper! It’s not as strong as black truffle and can be purchased in a small bottle for £7. Great gift or stocking stuffer for the holidays. Just askTartufaia to wrap it up for you.
After two hours of eating, exploring and buying all my favorite things at Borough Market, we called it a day. Borough Market is a great place to wander alone or with a friend. If you have the family, just take them to Bread Ahead and they will be quite happy while you sip, eat and shop along. 😊
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