Borough Market
Borough Market
Open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, Borough Market is now the oldest fruit and vegetable wholesale market still trading from its present 4.5 acre site - since 1756 - in central London .
It is believed that back in AD 1014 the market sold fish, grain & cattle - as well as vegetables. And because of its central location, merchants from all over Europe would travel from coastal ports to trade.
At the height of the Victorian era most of the food imported to the capital arrived at wharves alongside London Bridge and Tooley Street. Thousands of tons of produce was wheeled the few yards from the train to the Market.
Historically the trade has focused around a wholesale fruit and vegetable market, but in recent years a weekly fine food retail market has been established. There are also a number of specialist food shops which adjoin the market.
Borough market has responded to London's passion for locally produced, organic food with its expansion into a weekend gourmet market, while its advisory food committee of stallholders and trustees ensures that standards are kept up.
'I've been going to Borough Market for years - there's really nowhere quite like it in London. There is such a great atmosphere, not to mention really excellent fish, veg, terrific meat and delicious cheese all straight from farmers. It's a tasty slice of London history. It is so important that we support farmers markets on every level like this one. It presents the heritage of British produce at its best.' - Jamie Oliver, tv chef and restaurateur.
