Borough Market
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PAST
As London’s oldest and biggest food market, Borough Market has been dedicated to providing the city with fresh produce for over 1,000 years. Dating back as early as 1014, Borough’s continuous evolution has transformed it into the immense international food market it’s known as today. Though it began as a weekend fruit and vegetable market, Borough slowly began offering locally produced grains, fish, and livestock.
Because Borough was an entirely outdoor market, it didn’t have structurally defining limits. As the market continued to grow to expand, the streets of Southwark seemed to seep with food stalls, all the way onto London Bridge. It came to the point that Borough was a sort of nuisance to the people of London. Over many centuries, Kings of London, fed up with the traffic jams being caused on the bridge, were instilling regulatory boundaries to the market; The Borough Market Act of 1756 determined the site of the market as it is known today, stretching from Stoney Street to what is now the Southwark Cathedral.
The open, green iron structure and the high glass ceiling that presently define Borough Market were built in the 18th century and lend to the historic and cultured feeling that is part of the market’s charm. Within the bustling pathways of Borough, there’s a bronze bell hanging on Middle Road, which used to ring through the market at the start and end of each trading day. The famous market and its surrounding restaurants and pubs have even been used in the settings of renowned literature. Borough was home to the Tabard Inn, where the characters of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales set off on their journey. In Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens’ character, Bob Sawyer, drunkenly knocks on the door of the market’s office thinking it is his home.
The sheer popularity and massive amount of people that continue to gather at Borough six days a week made the market an unfortunate target in the 2017 London Bridge Attack. After a van ran off the road on London Bridge, striking multiple pedestrians, the occupants vacated to the vehicle and ran to Borough Market, where they began stabbing people, killing eight and injuring 48.
PRESENT
From the moment you step beneath the high glass ceiling and under the big “Borough Market” sign, you’ll know you’ve entered a world where people genuinely love food. The market’s narrow lanes are filled with hungry shoppers standing shoulder to shoulder and lined with all different types of vendors proudly displaying foods that most of them have produced themselves. There are over 100 stalls selling a variety of fresh food, either produced locally or brought to London from other places in the world.
Many of these vendors have been with Borough through its transformation from a weekend fruit and vegetable market to a popular global food market open six days a week. Eager to share and encourage an informed excitement for food from around the globe, the market more recently began offering licensed tours run by a professional cook and food writer.
The variability of the food within Borough is as diverse as the people who are producing and serving it. Whether it is small companies staking their claim or a generational family business, everyone in Borough is passionate about their food. The focus on local produce and agriculture has certainly lead to a flourishing market, putting to shame many farmers markets that one might be accustomed to.
Certainly, you’re able to sample an amazing amount of international specialties, which is something that may not be so obvious until you step inside of one of the more charming stalls. French cheeses, Spanish Paellas, and Italian Charcuterie are all featured in equal measure throughout the market, and if prompted the vendors are sure to give you a sample.
However, with this boom of local interest, there has been a greater market for English products in general. That is to say that English cheese, charcuterie, and alcohols are being featured more than ever before. There is an amazing amount of fresh pastries, honey, cakes and jams that are all lined up together, a perfect culmination of proper afternoon tea. Wild boar and pigeon are making their way back onto the menu, and local butcheries are starting to feature more traditional fare such as venison and lamb. Fresh eggs and butter are of course still staples, many of the families bringing them to the market have been doing so for generations and there seems to be a revived enthusiasm surrounding that history.
Fish, of course, is a highlight of any market, either instilling fear or excitement in the heart of the shopper. To many, seeing a fish with the head still on, glassy eyes staring back at you, can seem a little gross. However, until you make unbreaking eye contact with a freshwater eel you don't know what living truly feels like.
What’s amazing about open-air markets with a fish component is that you have the ability to see for yourself just how fresh your seafood is. While every fish is different, one look into the eyes of a fish can tell you just how long ago it was caught, something you just can’t get at a supermarket. These fish are bone-in, head on, meaning packed with flavor and full of nutrients. Contrary to popular belief fish stalls do not smell bad (if they do, leave, you don’t want that fish), and it’s a great way to get tips and tricks on how to cook seafood the way the vendors do it.
Like many larger supermarkets and department stores there also seems to be a heightened interest in more “exotic” foods. The meat variability at Borough goes past standard and game meats, one can find a whole new style of eating tucked away in various corners. Some of the meats I managed to find in the market were camel, bison, crocodile, ostrich and kangaroo, a surprisingly diverse spread of mammal, reptile, and poultry.
Of course, this is not to downplay the produce. There are bags of beautiful apples, amazing veggies and bouquets of multicolored mushrooms that would make any vegetarian cry out in glee. Buying your produce directly from the people growing it ensures that you’re not only getting good quality, but you know what to do with it.
Borough Market’s significance comes from both the way it has grown throughout its history and how its environmentally conscious vision has expanded. Beyond simply ensuring customers that their, food is coming from safe and trustworthy producers, the market uses its status to promote a platform for normalizing environmentally friendly habits of consumption. Every warm loaf of bread, specialty pasta dish, or exotic burger purchased from a stall at Borough is served in biodegradable packaging, and every bit of leftover food is donated to local charities. Borough also publishes Market Life, a bi-monthly magazine containing stories about the stallholders, their products, and events the market holds, which is made entirely from recyclable waste the market causes.
FUTURE: 2064
The smells of the market hit your nose as you turn the block by Saintsbury cathedral. It's still one of the freshest scents in the city to this day. The metal green structure, with bits of rust showing here and there, welcomes you to the infamous market, sunlight shining through the glass window, albeit a little dusty from the surrounding construction that never seems to end. It's a hustle and bustle of Saturday shoppers getting their weekly produce and lunch on their free day and you swiftly join the crowd.
The produce in the stalls seems dull in color compared to those of Sainsbury and Tesco, a sign that they are indeed fresh from the few grandfathered farms in the Great British Isles that weren’t affected by the Produce Act of 2039. Grabbing a handful of Granny Smith apples for a pie for that dinner tomorrow night you can feel a few soft spots, probably from transportation knowing the trains aren't the most delicate with produce up the coast but it’s the most common way Borough gets their deliveries, even in this day and age. You reach the cashier with a basket filled with produce for the week’s dinners and a little treat because there was a sale on that truffle oil you love.
The patron in front of you is paying for a few tomatoes and rhubarb. "That'll be £3.50p love." The stall owner says with a sweet face. You watch as the customer pulls out some coins an counts out the total as the cashier makes a small grimace and a slight roll of her eyes. "Thanks, Love. Have a nice day." She says, placing the change in a small tin can as the tomato lady scurries off, shoving her produce into a worn canvas bag that must be from 2010 or something.
"Some people just haven't caught up with the times 'ave they?" The stall lady says as she rings up your basket on her phone. There is no cash register in sight, not needed since cash and change became practically obsolete in Great Britain and surrounding countries. "That'll be £47.20. Do you have a bag or would you like to add a pound for transportation?" You decide to transport your purchase because you still have some shopping to do. You watch as she places your produce, wrapped neatly in your advanced microfiber carrying cloth that protects the contents from harm and held closed with the SQUR electronic elastic, on a metal platform and types in the address code you gave her.
Tapping your chip bracelet to the scanner near the platform, you hear a ping as the purchase goes through and your produce is zapped to your kitchen with a bright blue light. Your phone buzzes to alert you that the delivery was a success and the produce is being placed in the fridge and cabinets. “I don’t know how we got along without all this technology. My grandmother must’ve been a very patient woman.” The shop lady laughs and you just nod in agreement. With a quiet 'thank you' you walk further into the market thinking about how shopping must’ve been a hassle back in the day.
The aromas of hot food lure you down a familiar isle, it's never smart to shop on an empty stomach so you make a pit stop. It’s not cold out but there is a slight wind chill so you venture over to a familiar stall with a sign posted above it ‘Been here since 2001. You can’t beat tradition!’. The menu signs above the stall are wooden and worn with age, unlike the bright signs in some of the newer stalls that rely on the solar energizing glass that provides the market with its power. They replaced the infamous glass ceiling maybe ten years ago but some vendors wanted to stick with their traditional ways, claiming that the heart and soul of Borough came from its history. It was a big deal all over the news when it happened. Of course, some things had to change such as currency and payment but there was no need for an uproar over a few worn out signs, so the vendors were left in peace.
You tap your chip-let to the reader, lost in thought, and take your food, continuing your journey through the market. The warm ravioli and sauce hit the spot and your next stop is at the juice stall a few vendors down pick up something to wash everything down with. The stall is covered in juices of extraordinary colors, looking like the produce found in conventional grocery stores, but there was no doubt that these were all natural. A promise from the members of the market to its loyal customers.
Next on the list is your favorite cheese stall, both for the quality and the service. You’re greeted by Alfred, he mutters a few beeps as you approach and goes back to wrapping wheels of cheese for a delivery as you pick your cheeses for the week, restocking on your favorites that you are low on and trying a few new options. You grab a sample of the offered blue cheese and are blown away by the creamy flavor that hits your tongue. You add it to your basket. The cheese is homemade by a little old lady who no longer can stand the 6 day weeks of Borough on top of the cheese making, so she has her trusty friend and android doing the manual labor these days. Alfred, in question, sends out the order he was packing before ringing you up. He holds out his glossy, black, metal hand and’£13.67’ is displayed in the center of his palm. You tap your chip-let to his outreached hand, cool to the touch, and a small ping alerts you that the transaction has been approved. You thank Alfred and he beeps in return as he sends your purchase to your home, your address code saved to his memory from your frequent visits to the stall.
Some bread, wine and meat purchases later and you are satisfied with your shopping adventures for the week. You have your favorite vendors you routinely visit for their quality goods, most of them being some of the more ancient stalls that have been around since the beginning of the millennia, making your shopping quick and easy. You do make a mental note to stop by a new pastry stall and send your friend some macaroons next week because they looked quite scrumptious. Finally, you head home, entering the bullet Tube station and make mental plans to start working on that apple pie. Borough will be awaiting your business next week and for many years to come. The market that is open to change but will always be the classic Borough that customers expect and love.
As London’s oldest and biggest food market, Borough Market has been dedicated to providing the city with fresh produce for over 1,000 years. Dating back as early as 1014, Borough’s continuous evolution has transformed it into the immense international food market it’s known as today. Though it began as a weekend fruit and vegetable market, Borough slowly began offering locally produced grains, fish, and livestock.
Because Borough was an entirely outdoor market, it didn’t have structurally defining limits. As the market continued to grow to expand, the streets of Southwark seemed to seep with food stalls, all the way onto London Bridge. It came to the point that Borough was a sort of nuisance to the people of London. Over many centuries, Kings of London, fed up with the traffic jams being caused on the bridge, were instilling regulatory boundaries to the market; The Borough Market Act of 1756 determined the site of the market as it is known today, stretching from Stoney Street to what is now the Southwark Cathedral.
The open, green iron structure and the high glass ceiling that presently define Borough Market were built in the 18th century and lend to the historic and cultured feeling that is part of the market’s charm. Within the bustling pathways of Borough, there’s a bronze bell hanging on Middle Road, which used to ring through the market at the start and end of each trading day. The famous market and its surrounding restaurants and pubs have even been used in the settings of renowned literature. Borough was home to the Tabard Inn, where the characters of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales set off on their journey. In Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens’ character, Bob Sawyer, drunkenly knocks on the door of the market’s office thinking it is his home.
The sheer popularity and massive amount of people that continue to gather at Borough six days a week made the market an unfortunate target in the 2017 London Bridge Attack. After a van ran off the road on London Bridge, striking multiple pedestrians, the occupants vacated to the vehicle and ran to Borough Market, where they began stabbing people, killing eight and injuring 48.
PRESENT
From the moment you step beneath the high glass ceiling and under the big “Borough Market” sign, you’ll know you’ve entered a world where people genuinely love food. The market’s narrow lanes are filled with hungry shoppers standing shoulder to shoulder and lined with all different types of vendors proudly displaying foods that most of them have produced themselves. There are over 100 stalls selling a variety of fresh food, either produced locally or brought to London from other places in the world.
Many of these vendors have been with Borough through its transformation from a weekend fruit and vegetable market to a popular global food market open six days a week. Eager to share and encourage an informed excitement for food from around the globe, the market more recently began offering licensed tours run by a professional cook and food writer.
The variability of the food within Borough is as diverse as the people who are producing and serving it. Whether it is small companies staking their claim or a generational family business, everyone in Borough is passionate about their food. The focus on local produce and agriculture has certainly lead to a flourishing market, putting to shame many farmers markets that one might be accustomed to.
Certainly, you’re able to sample an amazing amount of international specialties, which is something that may not be so obvious until you step inside of one of the more charming stalls. French cheeses, Spanish Paellas, and Italian Charcuterie are all featured in equal measure throughout the market, and if prompted the vendors are sure to give you a sample.
However, with this boom of local interest, there has been a greater market for English products in general. That is to say that English cheese, charcuterie, and alcohols are being featured more than ever before. There is an amazing amount of fresh pastries, honey, cakes and jams that are all lined up together, a perfect culmination of proper afternoon tea. Wild boar and pigeon are making their way back onto the menu, and local butcheries are starting to feature more traditional fare such as venison and lamb. Fresh eggs and butter are of course still staples, many of the families bringing them to the market have been doing so for generations and there seems to be a revived enthusiasm surrounding that history.
Fish, of course, is a highlight of any market, either instilling fear or excitement in the heart of the shopper. To many, seeing a fish with the head still on, glassy eyes staring back at you, can seem a little gross. However, until you make unbreaking eye contact with a freshwater eel you don't know what living truly feels like.
What’s amazing about open-air markets with a fish component is that you have the ability to see for yourself just how fresh your seafood is. While every fish is different, one look into the eyes of a fish can tell you just how long ago it was caught, something you just can’t get at a supermarket. These fish are bone-in, head on, meaning packed with flavor and full of nutrients. Contrary to popular belief fish stalls do not smell bad (if they do, leave, you don’t want that fish), and it’s a great way to get tips and tricks on how to cook seafood the way the vendors do it.
Like many larger supermarkets and department stores there also seems to be a heightened interest in more “exotic” foods. The meat variability at Borough goes past standard and game meats, one can find a whole new style of eating tucked away in various corners. Some of the meats I managed to find in the market were camel, bison, crocodile, ostrich and kangaroo, a surprisingly diverse spread of mammal, reptile, and poultry.
Of course, this is not to downplay the produce. There are bags of beautiful apples, amazing veggies and bouquets of multicolored mushrooms that would make any vegetarian cry out in glee. Buying your produce directly from the people growing it ensures that you’re not only getting good quality, but you know what to do with it.
Borough Market’s significance comes from both the way it has grown throughout its history and how its environmentally conscious vision has expanded. Beyond simply ensuring customers that their, food is coming from safe and trustworthy producers, the market uses its status to promote a platform for normalizing environmentally friendly habits of consumption. Every warm loaf of bread, specialty pasta dish, or exotic burger purchased from a stall at Borough is served in biodegradable packaging, and every bit of leftover food is donated to local charities. Borough also publishes Market Life, a bi-monthly magazine containing stories about the stallholders, their products, and events the market holds, which is made entirely from recyclable waste the market causes.
FUTURE: 2064
The smells of the market hit your nose as you turn the block by Saintsbury cathedral. It's still one of the freshest scents in the city to this day. The metal green structure, with bits of rust showing here and there, welcomes you to the infamous market, sunlight shining through the glass window, albeit a little dusty from the surrounding construction that never seems to end. It's a hustle and bustle of Saturday shoppers getting their weekly produce and lunch on their free day and you swiftly join the crowd.
The produce in the stalls seems dull in color compared to those of Sainsbury and Tesco, a sign that they are indeed fresh from the few grandfathered farms in the Great British Isles that weren’t affected by the Produce Act of 2039. Grabbing a handful of Granny Smith apples for a pie for that dinner tomorrow night you can feel a few soft spots, probably from transportation knowing the trains aren't the most delicate with produce up the coast but it’s the most common way Borough gets their deliveries, even in this day and age. You reach the cashier with a basket filled with produce for the week’s dinners and a little treat because there was a sale on that truffle oil you love.
The patron in front of you is paying for a few tomatoes and rhubarb. "That'll be £3.50p love." The stall owner says with a sweet face. You watch as the customer pulls out some coins an counts out the total as the cashier makes a small grimace and a slight roll of her eyes. "Thanks, Love. Have a nice day." She says, placing the change in a small tin can as the tomato lady scurries off, shoving her produce into a worn canvas bag that must be from 2010 or something.
"Some people just haven't caught up with the times 'ave they?" The stall lady says as she rings up your basket on her phone. There is no cash register in sight, not needed since cash and change became practically obsolete in Great Britain and surrounding countries. "That'll be £47.20. Do you have a bag or would you like to add a pound for transportation?" You decide to transport your purchase because you still have some shopping to do. You watch as she places your produce, wrapped neatly in your advanced microfiber carrying cloth that protects the contents from harm and held closed with the SQUR electronic elastic, on a metal platform and types in the address code you gave her.
Tapping your chip bracelet to the scanner near the platform, you hear a ping as the purchase goes through and your produce is zapped to your kitchen with a bright blue light. Your phone buzzes to alert you that the delivery was a success and the produce is being placed in the fridge and cabinets. “I don’t know how we got along without all this technology. My grandmother must’ve been a very patient woman.” The shop lady laughs and you just nod in agreement. With a quiet 'thank you' you walk further into the market thinking about how shopping must’ve been a hassle back in the day.
The aromas of hot food lure you down a familiar isle, it's never smart to shop on an empty stomach so you make a pit stop. It’s not cold out but there is a slight wind chill so you venture over to a familiar stall with a sign posted above it ‘Been here since 2001. You can’t beat tradition!’. The menu signs above the stall are wooden and worn with age, unlike the bright signs in some of the newer stalls that rely on the solar energizing glass that provides the market with its power. They replaced the infamous glass ceiling maybe ten years ago but some vendors wanted to stick with their traditional ways, claiming that the heart and soul of Borough came from its history. It was a big deal all over the news when it happened. Of course, some things had to change such as currency and payment but there was no need for an uproar over a few worn out signs, so the vendors were left in peace.
You tap your chip-let to the reader, lost in thought, and take your food, continuing your journey through the market. The warm ravioli and sauce hit the spot and your next stop is at the juice stall a few vendors down pick up something to wash everything down with. The stall is covered in juices of extraordinary colors, looking like the produce found in conventional grocery stores, but there was no doubt that these were all natural. A promise from the members of the market to its loyal customers.
Next on the list is your favorite cheese stall, both for the quality and the service. You’re greeted by Alfred, he mutters a few beeps as you approach and goes back to wrapping wheels of cheese for a delivery as you pick your cheeses for the week, restocking on your favorites that you are low on and trying a few new options. You grab a sample of the offered blue cheese and are blown away by the creamy flavor that hits your tongue. You add it to your basket. The cheese is homemade by a little old lady who no longer can stand the 6 day weeks of Borough on top of the cheese making, so she has her trusty friend and android doing the manual labor these days. Alfred, in question, sends out the order he was packing before ringing you up. He holds out his glossy, black, metal hand and’£13.67’ is displayed in the center of his palm. You tap your chip-let to his outreached hand, cool to the touch, and a small ping alerts you that the transaction has been approved. You thank Alfred and he beeps in return as he sends your purchase to your home, your address code saved to his memory from your frequent visits to the stall.
Some bread, wine and meat purchases later and you are satisfied with your shopping adventures for the week. You have your favorite vendors you routinely visit for their quality goods, most of them being some of the more ancient stalls that have been around since the beginning of the millennia, making your shopping quick and easy. You do make a mental note to stop by a new pastry stall and send your friend some macaroons next week because they looked quite scrumptious. Finally, you head home, entering the bullet Tube station and make mental plans to start working on that apple pie. Borough will be awaiting your business next week and for many years to come. The market that is open to change but will always be the classic Borough that customers expect and love.