BOROUGH MARKET LONDON

They claim you can get anything foodwise here in Borough Market and you probably can. It's certainly a place to go regularly and we recently took some visitors from California (he's an executive chef) and they loved it.

Borough Market is one of London’s oldest markets and has been on the same site since 1276. Located on Southwark Street and Borough High Street, just south of Southwark Cathedral on the southern end of London Bridge, it is a successor to one that originally adjoined the end of London Bridge.
The market claims to have existed since 1014 "and probably much earlier" and was subsequently moved south of St Margaret's church on the High Street. The City of London received a royal charter from Edward VI in 1550 to control all markets in Southwark, which was confirmed by Charles II in 1671. However, the market caused such traffic congestion that, in 1754, it was abolished by an Act of Parliament.

The present buildings were designed in 1851, with additions in the 1860s and an entrance designed in the Art Deco style added on Southwark Street in 1932. A refurbishment began in 2001. Work to date includes the re-erection in 2004 of the South Portico from the Floral Hall, previously at Covent Garden, which was dismantled when the Royal Opera House was reconstructed in the 1990s. The original Convent Garden building was listed and the re-sited portico was Grade II listed in 2008.

The present-day market mainly sells speciality foods to the general public. However, in the 20th century, it was essentially a wholesale market, selling produce in quantity to greengrocers. It was the main supplier, along with Covent Garden, of fruits and vegetables to retail greengrocers' shops.

The retail market operates on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The wholesale market operates on all weekday mornings from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m.
The least crowded day is Friday as Saturday it's choc-a-bloc with people from all over the world.

We go to buy our coffee in Monmouth's on Monmouth street by the market - probably the best coffee in London.

lots of people stand outside to drink their coffee but on a cold day if you can find a seat the coffeee tastes even better. They have good pastries too.

So visit Borough Market, you won't be disappointed, and stop buy for a coffee and buy some to take home. We do this on a regular basis and store ithe coffee in the bag it comes in, inside the plastic bag it's sold in and it keeps fresh for a couple of weeks.

Covent Garden market has now moved and is mainly for retailers and wholesalers. Borough Market is for you and me.