Borough Market is one of the oldest food markets in London. It recently celebrated its 1000th birthday. It’s one of those European markets that’s a combination fresh market and food hall. Among the stalls for fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, nuts, spices, and specialty foods, there are stands that sell ready-to-eat foods both savory and sweet.

The market is huge and lively. It takes up two blocks; check out this map.

N- and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Borough Market. The two highlights of our visit were:

Raclette from Kappacasein

Raclette is a cow’s milk cheese in the shape of a wheel. A half-wheel of cheese is heated and melted on its flat surface. The melting side is then scraped off and served.

Watching the process at the Kappacassein stall, with the cheese bubbling and oozing, was almost as good as eating the final product. The cheese was served on potatoes and pickles. It was hot, melty, and delicious.

Pork belly sandwich from Roast To Go

This was a roast pork belly and crackling sandwich. It was topped with apple sauce and served in a sourdough roll. It was amazing. The softest, most tender pork belly. The crispiest of cracklings (that’s what Brits call crispy pork skin). It was pretty much like lechon in sandwich form.

While I love all sorts of pork dishes, there’s something special about unabashedly porky dishes with a minimum of spices, sauces, and other accoutrements. The kind that let the pork flavor and texture shine. This was one such dish. The downside is that the pork flavor and greasiness can get overwhelming, so it has to be balanced with a counterpoint that doesn’t steal the show. In this case, the bread and apple sauce did the job well.

There was a long line here, but I decided to try it and had no regrets.

Besides the above two dishes, we also had:

• Cheese sticks from The Turkish Deli
• Shrimp wrap from Applebee’s Fish Shop & Cafe (not that Applebee’s)
• Large cookie and lemon meringue tart from a pastry stand

Needless to say, we rolled out of there with our bellies full.

Nearby places — Borough Market is a 10-minute walk or less from the following: The Shard, Southwark Cathedral, Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, London Bridge

Borough Market / Various Cuisines / Website / Yelp (££) / TripAdvisor

Looking for more places to eat in London? Check out my post on London restaurants.