'Oliver Twist', Charles Dickens.
The weather has been absolutely glorious recently. I've been walking along the Thames at every opportunity, between meetings and on my lunch break. I even ate two Mr Whippy Ice Creams at the weekend. Yes, we are all gearing up for spring and summer, with sunglasses and flip flops firmly out of the closet (although naturally, heavy rain is forecast for this coming weekend). All the more reason to make the most of the sunshine while we can. As you can tell from previous blogs, I'm a big fan of markets, especially across London, as there is such variety. Just walking around them and taking in the sights and sounds is a great day out, with no pressure to buy anything. With the Great British Summer being a tad unreliable, covered markets are great because you can visit them come rain or shine.
Greenwich Market is one of the best covered markets in London, on a historic site surrounded by independent shops, pubs and cafés. It's reasonably easy to get to, just take the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich, which is only a few minutes walk from the Market itself.
Vintage Crockery
Antique China and Crystal
Antique Jewellery
Around the edge of the market, there was an independent shop called 360 Degrees Vintage. Normally I'm a little skeptical of vintage shops, as explained in detail HERE! However, the sweet lady inside it had been running the store for 20 years, and had a classic East End accent.
The clothing inside was proper vintage, including a beautiful blue lace dress from the 1950's. I'm going to two weddings this summer and it would have been perfect - alas, it was the wrong size, but I'm still in love with it...
For me, markets are really all about the food, and Greenwich did not disappoint. There were Spanish Churros filled with Dulce de Leche (a thick creamy caramel), Lamb and Halloumi wraps, fresh pastries and Jamaican patties.
I decided to go for a delicious creation from BILL OR BEAK, the brainchild of a Biomedical Science graduate who decided he wanted to open a street food stall rather than going straight into further study. Medicine's loss is our gain. I went for 'Beak' - pulled duck and pork (so so tender) with a coriander, chilli & mint salad, finished with tempura battered shallots, covered in a vietnamese dressing. OMG is all I can say...
You can find Bill or Beak at various locations around London, including Camden and Brixton. There are more and more street food stalls popping up over the City, including in City Churchyards such as St Mary Aldermary (between Mansion House and Bank) which is home to thai food, burritos, freshly brewed coffees and more. Its a great way to utilise church land, and a welcome break from the monotony of Marks and Spencers or Pret sandwiches.
To wash everything down I had a freshly pressed apple and cranberry juice from 'Turnip',who do brilliant flavours such as Blood Orange, or Melon smoothies. There's a lot of buzz about juice diets at the moment, but I couldn't think of anything more tedious or boring (not to mention bad for teeth and general digestion). Try one of these tasty and nutritious juices to accompany a meal, rather than instead of one.
The only downside of the market is that there is nowhere inside to sit and eat, so you need to munch and stand. Or, take a short walk across to the Thames, with a great view of Canary Wharf and lots of low walls to enjoy your purchases.
There couldn't be a mention of a riverside market without of course exploring Borough Market, one of London's oldest, busiest and most popular locations, focusing on food. Its buzzing with people, sounds, smells, colours.
I visited on a Saturday with my other half, and the main benefit of going with someone else or a group is that you can try a greater variety of food, by sharing everything you eat (not sure if I sound greedy or genius). First we went to 'Roast' and sampled a roast pork and apple baguette with the most deliciously crunchy but ever so slightly chewy crackling.
Then we tried the famous Chorizo, pepper and rocket ciabatta sandwich from Brindisa, a Spanish food supplier. It was pretty spectacular, and one of the best chorizo I have tried.
One of my close university friends is from Valencia, and introduced me to a fantastic Spanish meat called Salchichon, which is not as well known here as chorizo, or Iberico ham. It should be eaten a lot more as it is so tasty, with a rich peppery taste to the pork, and a slight salty tang reminiscent of Parmesan cheese (could be my weird tastebuds). It taste great eaten on its own as a starter, finely sliced, as is customary in Spain.
I went against custom and had some in a baguette with lettuce, cucumber and red onion - and it tasted great!
Both Greenwich and Borough Market are excellent places to go in order to sample some unique, fresh and tasty food and drink, and I really would recommend visiting both of them. And after indulging in food, why not wander down the Thames to the Victoria Embankment, and have a relaxing drink on one of the many Boat Bars, such as the Hispaniola?
And after all that, I am off to the gym every night this week to work off all my sins...
That'll be 360 hours on the cross trainer and 1500 squats... totally worth it!
Yaasica Lucia XXX
