Lady’s Guide to Visiting London Markets

Today I want to bring you my guide to visiting London markets. From food markets to antiques markets, the UK capital has a wide range to choose from.

Visiting London Markets

One of my favorite things about living in San Francisco was the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market.

On sunny Saturday mornings the Ferry Building and its outskirts were packed with stalls selling everything from local artisan cheeses and fresh crusty bread to warm crimson strawberries and brilliant orange tangerines.

Inside there were stores selling wild mushrooms, rich chocolates, perfect story-book cakes, and delicious gelato.

I loved wandering through the market stalls picking up French-style yogurts in clay pots, juicy figs with beads of sugar bursting out the sides, and fresh heirloom tomatoes.

My favorite lunch stand, Primavera, always delighted me with its warm chilaquiles and brightly-colored aguas frescas, and I could never leave the market without stopping to admire the princess-perfect cupcakes at Miette patisserie.

London doesn’t have the Ferry Building, but its markets certainly give San Francisco’s some good competition.

Borough Market

Starting with Borough Market, the most famous, London has some pretty amazing markets dotted throughout its narrow streets. I’ve spent a lot of time visiting the city’s markets and discovering the highlights.

Borough Market, which is located underneath a raised railway bridge, is a thriving space where one can buy anything from fresh venison to slices of giant pumpkin and hot raclette sandwiches.

There are at least four vendors selling ten different kinds of fresh olives, multiple bread bakers, and a handful of specialized cheese shops, wine stores, smoothie bars, and meat counters.

Free samples are given generously, and one could eat an entire meal on bits and pieces alone.

Last week I took a trip to Borough Market and stocked up on ingredients for a Greek salad with a side of pita, tzatziki, hummus, and tabouleh for a home-(sort of)-made meal in London.

It was really easy and didn’t taste half bad, so it’s going to be a regular dish from now on.

Seasonal London Markets

While Borough Market is one of the largest London markets, there are lots of local and seasonal markets as well. It’s worth visiting these London markets to get a feel for what’s out there.

At Christmastime I stumbled across a mushroom vendor called Sporeboys at a Christmas food market in Covent Garden.

After enjoying their sandwiches, I found their website and decided to track them down at some of the other local markets.

Exmouth Market

My quest led me first to Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell on a rainy afternoon. The market was small (probably smaller than normal due to the weather), but had an outstanding selection of prepared foods.

The Sporeboys vendor disappointed me with his lack of sandwiches, so I chose to eat vegetarian Indian food from a husband-and-wife team at a nearby stall.

I was in luck. My samosa chaat was so amazing I sat on a bench in the rain stuffing food in my mouth without even noticing I was getting wet. It was a highlight of visiting London’s markets.

Leadenhall Market

My next stop was Leadenhall Market in central London. The beautiful old covered market was high on history, but had no food stalls.

I spent a little time staring at the ceiling and avoiding the boozing bankers on their lunch breaks, then headed out in pursuit of other London markets.

Camden Market

Speaking of other markets, there’s one market in London that most certainly falls under the “other” category. That would be Camden Market, or markets.

On Sunday morning I ventured to Camden to soak up the alternative markets there.

I was expecting a small selection in one or two places, but I found a labyrinthine hodgepodge of markets spread all along the high street.

I meandered through tightly-packed stalls of ironic T-shirts, spiky leather belts, and lace-up boots in one market, marveled at a mother/daughter team in French maid outfits at another market, and sweated through the sizzling stalls of international cuisine at another.

I wandered down alleys and into the Horse Tunnel Market (complete with large equine statues), avoided the siren calls of eager shopkeepers, and stopped to admire the beautiful (and unexpected) canal that runs perpendicular to the street.

By the time I got back to the tube I was on sensory overload and for once welcomed the bland walls of the London Underground.

Visiting More London Markets

There are still more London markets to explore, and I hope to get to a lot of them in the coming months. I can’t wait until the weather warms up and I can spend more time visiting them.

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