I grew up in Hong Kong so I am accustomed to discovering wonderful food surprises in every district. London is not quite the same, but there are certainly some very famous foodie places to visit. Borough Market is one of them, and I would like to introduce it to you.
Borough is a district in London just south of the River Thames. It is close to London Bridge. There has been a food market in Borough for hundreds of years. In fact, it was first mentioned in the year 1276! Today it is considered to be one of the most famous food markets in London and sells both local and international food products.
When I arrived, there were over 100 different stalls selling just about every kind of food you could think of – even Macau custard tarts! “How did they get there?” I thought. Hundreds of people walked around sampling and buying the food. You had to wait in line for a few minutes before you could place your order. The food was quickly prepared and delivered, and let me tell you – IT WAS DELICIOUS!
I was pretty hungry when I arrived and one of the first things I smelt was some sizzling duck confit. What’s confit? Let me tell you. A confit (pronounced con-fee) is a French way of preserving food – usually duck, goose or pork. The meat is first covered in salt that extracts some of the liquid from the meat. The salt is then washed away and the meat is cooked in its own fat. Healthy? No! Extremely yummy? Yes! At Borough market the duck was cooked in a huge frying pan – bigger than any wok I had ever seen! You could hear the crispy skin sizzle and I could not wait to try it. It was served in a bread roll. The taste? WOW!
When I had finished I realised the mistake of my eating plan. I should have started my eating with smaller amounts and left the duck until the end of my visit! I was already full and I’d only just started.
I continued to walk around with the happy crowd of food lovers. There was some spectacular bread from a stall called ‘Bread Ahead.’ I loved discovering cheese. I had never seen anything quite like it before. I was encouraged to try some for free; creamy, soft, full of fat. I wanted more. There were biscuits, burgers, pickles and amazing sausages all served with a smile. Compared to Hong Kong, most of the food was not too expensive though I heard many local people complain about the high London prices.
This is me, by the way, enjoying my duck confit!
I had a wonderful afternoon at Borough Market but left thinking that I would not want to eat for another week. In the back of my mind, I secretly hoped that a Borough Market could be opened in Hong Kong, just in time for Christmas; close to an MTR; close to my home.
Watch a video report on a visit to Borough Market:
QUESTION:
VOCABULARY:
