Markets, and Me

Saturdays in London mean just one thing to this would-be Londoner... Markets! Actually, if I'm honest, Fridays and Sundays enjoy the same definition if other social events don't intervene. A Saturday spent bustling through the crowds at Notting Hill's Portobello Road, or sashaying round the stalls down near London Bridge's Borough Markets, is a day well spent.

Borough Markets is the gran-mummy of London Markets. There's historical evidence of marketeers trading in the area since AD 43 when the Roman Legions arrived at the south bank to sack the then city of London... and even a series of Royal Charters by Edward III, The Confessor, (in 1406, 1442 and 1462), moving the markets from one part of the Borough to the next, in attempts to appease the locals disgruntled by the traffic congestion the markets caused. They've been at their current site for 250 years, and according to its supporters and organisers, they plan on trading there for another 20 centuries. Excellent, so I might just get a few more Saturdays in!

The difference with Borough is that it's all about the food. While Portobello enjoys a mix of street-side shops and road-side vendors (selling anything from antique jewellery to first editions, from genuine furs to up-and-coming designer wears, and cupcakes to paella), London's Borough Markets celebrates all things wholefood. There's fresh seafood, fruits and vegetables in all the colours of the rainbow, homemade confectionery, organic burger stalls serving up patties and good ol' bangers and mash (and kransky to boot!), and my personal favourites, cold-cuts, cheeses and pates. And the best part is that the traders let you sample anything you like. And they're just so excited about all they produce that if you have any questions, no matter how silly - from identifying their goods to how to roast the perfect lamb - they're right there to offer animated, and helpful, suggestions.

My advice, get there early and arrive hungry. Oh, and bring a friend... that way you can go halves in more dishes, and won't find yourselves too full to indulge in a fresh baked brownie or bag of organic Turkish delight. Can we all say, "yum"?!

Borough Markets
8 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TL (closest tube station, London Bridge)
Thursdays: 11am-5pm
Fridays: 12pm-6pm
Saturdays: 9am-4pm

Portobello Road Antiques Market
Portobello Road (closest tubes either Ladbroke Grove or Notting Hill Gate)
Saturdays: 5.30am-5pm

Other gems around-about-town...

Old Spitalfields Markets
105a Commercial Street, London E1 6BG (closest tube station, Liverpool Street)
Monday-Friday: 10am-4pm
Sundays: 9am-5pm

The Camden Markets
Including the areas of Camden Lock, Camden Stables, Buck Street and Inverness Street (closest tube stations, Camden Town or Chalk Farm)
Most stalls open 7 days, with busiest trading days Friday-Sunday


And just a little word from our editor(!)...

The Intern sincerely apologises for her absence of almost a week (eek, so, so sorry), but she has found herself in between homes and without the Internet... As a girl who considers her laptop a fifth limb this has been tragic for all concerned. She thanks those of you who asked her if everything was okay (it means some of you actually read her blog!), and she promises to do all in her power to keep up her weekday posts in the future... Cheers!