This Little Piggy Went to Market – London
I have arrived in London, the home of fish and chips, mushy peas, bubble and squeak…and my darling sister the health writing herbivore, lets call her Sienna Millet, who claims she gains a pound the minute I walk in her door.
Together we were the perfect duo to take on the Borough Markets. Like Jack Sprat (who could eat no fat) and his wife (who could eat no lean), between us both, you see, we could lick the Borough Markets clean. Sienna Millet begrudgingly lined up in the cheese toastie queue, the mushroom paté queue and the salty caramel fudge queue with me, while I traipsed around behind her as she purchased ‘sow gourmet’ seedlings, sampled unpasteurised olives and sipped organic white tea.
These are a few of my favourite things…
I have never liked a queue. But when dealing with a food stall, it is almost imperative. There is a line; ergo the food must be good. So while Sienna Millet trotted off to order her veggie burger, I stepped into formation with the other 50 punters at Brindisa’s chorizo roll stand. And I wasn’t disappointed. The formula is so simple (toasted bread roll, roasted peppers, fried chorizo and some fresh rocket), yet so effective. I wiped the dripping chorizo oil off my face, but the smile stayed.
The cheese toastie by the team at Kappacasein is undeniably the best cheese toastie I have ever eaten. I would go so far as to say that it may even the best thing I have ever eaten. Pure unadulterated Montgomery cheddar oozes out the top and sides, while a scrumptious but subtle melange of leek, garlic and onion mosey about in the middle. It is worth coming to the markets, nay it is worth coming to the United Kingdom, just for this cheese toastie.
The merry merchants
Borough is foodie’s fairyland; a sapid smelling maze of appetising aliments and tasty treats. But to be honest, what really make the Borough Markets such an experience are the people.
Who doesn’t have a soft spot (I certainly have a few after today) for the beautiful blue-eyed boys at Brindisa?
And I feel like I could talk for hours to the unassuming olive skinned beauty who stands behind the Oliveology stall selling her high quality organic produce from independent Greek artisan farmers, such as unpasteurised olives (yes you heard it, almost all of the olives you have ever eaten will have been pasteurised, eradicating all of the goodness in order to preserve the olive’s shelf life) and olive leaf tea.
Meanwhile, across the way is the effusive Tim from Pâté Moi, who reminds me of Ned from Our Idiot Brother (this is a compliment). Tim, whose sister Flip started the company, smiles from ear to ear as he passionately tells you about all the different uses for his organic homemade mushroom paté. With his little woollen pullover, dashing smile and mop of brown hair I think I would be going back even if the mushrooms weren’t so moreish.
And then there is the flamboyant Frenchman from Pascal Beillevaire Butter, whose accent is as thick as his raw cream and unpasteurised butter (“yoo can ave yoor butter sulty, slutly sulty, or not sulty”).
I went for the slutly salty (I am Paris Stilton after all).
xoxo
Paris Stilton
