Borough Market

Dating back to the thirteenth century, this historic food market (London’s oldest) is a sprawling cornucopia of gourmet goodies. It’s best to visit Borough Market on an empty stomach so you have room to snaffle samples of the bread, cured meats, cheese, olives and pastries on offer. The market used to mainly highlight British produce but nowadays you can find a global smorgasbord of traders. This goes for the street-food vendors too – you can indulge in succulent and salty French confit duck sandwiches, aromatic Ethiopian stir-friend stews, Spanish chorizo sarnies, Tuscan porchetta-inspired spit roast and even the humble scotch egg (elevated, of course).

Being London’s best and most famous food market has its pitfalls: it can get extremely cramped and chaotically busy. The market is a tourist hotspot and many of its visitors are there to take pictures rather than buy anything. So if your aim is to shop, arrive early to avoid the crush. If the crowds are too overwhelming, pick up some bits to go from Neal’s Yard Dairy, Cannon & Cannon and Bread Ahead, then head down to bankside for a riverside picnic. It’s worth noting that the market is closed on Sundays and exists only in skeleton form on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Top tip: Arrive early and grab a coffee from Monmouth, on the south side of the market, before you shop for the perfect way to kick off your day. Alim Kheraj

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