borough market – the first farmers market ever?

I have memories of taking the tube across the Thames to Borough Market on Bankside, buying bagsful of fresh, local produce (before the greenmarket movement reared its mighty head, mind you) and schlepping it all the way back to #18 Bedford Place.

I would unpack heads of green lettuce, chemical-free chicken breasts, fresh locally grown fruit, herbs and other goodies into our fridge, the creative culinary juices already flowing.

It think was during this study abroad semester that I first starting really cooking for myself.  I made casseroles, I made Indian curries, Chinese spring rolls, I made deliciously simple grilled chicken…I did some great things in that kitchen!

All thanks to Borough Market, located just under the London bridge since 1276…you kind of get used to things being that old in London…

On my return to the market,  there was produce galore, artisinal cheeses, organic meats, great beers and plenty of food on the go.  Just as I remembered.

Take a look!

Delicious looking meats, ready to cook!

English produce…

Amazing, rich, dark artisinal chocolates.

An English staple…pork pies!

No truer words were ever said (or printed on the back of a chair)…

Pe-ew.

So pretty! Reminds me of the Brooklyn Flea food vendors.

Comte cheese.  My new favorite cheese.  For serious.

Amazing foccacias, loaded with chunks of goodness. Yum!

Fried fish!

Beer!

Real bramley apples

And a bite of a sweet peach!

london, tasty london

As I sat on a flight headed to Miami this past weekend for a very last-minute invitation to a friend’s bachelorette party, I figured it was about time I wrote to you all about my trip to London.

I mean, It’s only right that I write about one trip before I complete another, right?

So let’s go back a few weeks, to September 2^nd…

On my flight bound for London, via Brussels I made a mental list of the things I knew I was going to do…are you surprised that 90% of my list consisted of food?

Didn’t think so.

#1 on my list was heading straight to Tesco and buying the elusive packet of Haribo Starmix candy.  I know, it’s random.

To the average person this is simply a bag full of gummies, but to me – I have fond memories heading out late at night to the 24 hour Tesco with my roommates for a £1 bag of these candies as we studied for finals, wrote papers, and generally enjoyed life as students in such an amazing city.

So it was only fitting that my first food purchase was so meaningful!

OK the true British noshing really begins on day 2.  Marny and I woke up bright and early for a day full of roaming, shopping and reminiscing.  We were staying in Victoria, a quaint little district within London which we were pleasantly surprised to find full of cute restaurants and pubs.

For breakfast:  A fruit scone complete with jams and tea, and croque madam a la Patisserie Valerie….

The scone was buttery and delicious, not dry and crumbly as I was expecting.  What a great start!

After a long afternoon of walking we were hungry again (go figure).  Embracing the diversity of London, we settled Vietnamese for lunch in the heart of Chinatown, Leicester Square.

It was good, don’t get me wrong, but I think I’m spoiled here in NY with all the deliciously cheap and authentic Asian cuisine.  Hmm…New York, you’ve won this time.

In search of redemption, Marny and I wandered towards Covent Garden where we found a little shop hiding in the corner of the square quietly selling off possibly the most delicious cookies ever known to man.

Ben’s Cookies.

Marny and I have been dreaming of these cookies for 5 years…and at last! We meet again!

Noticing a cup-cakery sitting right next to Ben’s, I had to pay homage to the American trend and give them a try.

I got the Malteser cupcake…sadly, nothing to write home about.  So I won’t.  I’ll stick to the cookies.

vs.

…soft, rich, chewy – a little crunchy on the outsides and very, very undercooked in the middle.  The silky milk chocolate melts in your mouth and begs for a glass of milk…which by the way Ben’s Cookie just happens to sell.

I may have planned that entire trip just to get my fix of Ben’s…

Here are some more fun things I saw, some pertaining to food some not, along the way…

Oh Marks & Spencer, how you make my sweet tooth ache!

It says “pleasantly spicy figs feet.”  Well, how pleasant!

The cupcakes by Ben’s cookies

Life’s philosophy should really be…

Nutella pop art? Amazing.

Haiiiii-Yaaghhhh!!

$100 says this he is from Spain and this paella tastes a.ma.zing.

Street meat in Camden.  Mmmm glistening lamb, mysterious white sauce and fizzy apple tango.

Why they don’t have this in America? I just don’t know.

Welsh cakes from Cardiff, Whales.  It’s flat, dense and not much of a cake. at all

In a vintage store in Cardiff.  Yes, it says “happy fucking birthday.”

Strange little knitted pastries…

A little unsettling, a lot funny.

Coming up next – the famous Borough Market (it’s how London does a farmer’s market) and real fish ‘n chips!

go big or go home

Hello dear readers, it’s been a while.

I hope the summer has been bringing you all great fun.  I’ve spent the majority of the past month or so twiddling my thumbs awaiting my next global adventure…to London!

That’s right, I’ll be taking eating the big apple on the road again…to the other big apple across the pond.  So stay tuned for some good grub and traditional British nosh very, very soon!

Til then, I read this fun article the other day and wanted to share it with you.  Apparently, there is more going on in the Middle East than just violence and anger.

On May 11, 300 Lebanese cooks used 10 tons of chickpeas to make the world’s largest ever platter of hummus, beating record-holder Israel.  The two warring nations now have some healthy competition to occupy themselves with…for once!

The “battle” started when both Lebanon and Israel wanted to stake a claim to hummus as their national dish.  It took them 5 hours, but Lebanon surely did go big – they more than doubled the amount that Israel had made.

Check out the official release here.

Inspired by this friendly contest, I decided to make my own hummus once again.  Here’s my recipe for chipotle hummus…

1 can of chickpeas
1 can of chipotle peppers (mine were marinating in adobo sauce)
1 clove of garlic
Olive oil
Salt to taste

I simply dumped everything into a blender, let the blades rip and watched the pale chickpeas turn into a deep shade of orange, tinted by the adobo sauce I liberally poured in.

And voila!  The smokiness of the peppers was delicious, I highly recommend giving them a try!