Who Cut the Cheese At Borough Market????

Borough Market first began in 1014 AD near the current location of London Bridge as a means of selling vegetables to the community. The market was not managed well, so in 1755 the city petitioned Parliament to relieve them of managing the continually growing market. In 1756, the Borough Market Act was passed, which gave Southwark Cathedral permission to move the market to its current location.

Today, these little piggies went to market (to shop)! It wasn't too busy when we first arrived, but as the morning carried on the market filled up very quickly. Vendors were set up everywhere, selling goods ranging from Ethiopian cuisine to goat milk ice cream to zebra and camel meat!

With recommendation by Beth, we began by browsing through the market. We saw a variety of cultural foods, aged cheeses, bread, meat cuts, tea... the list goes on and on.

At this market stall, they were selling and giving samples of unique cheeses. The cheese on the left consists of milk from buffalo, which had a very strong cheese flavor. On the right, is a combination of goat, cow, and buffalo milk, which made the flavor even stronger. This man did a great job at cutting the cheese [samples].

There was a vendor that sold about twenty different types of raw honey; all of which were delicious!

Brian is a vendor that sells exotic meats. He raises about 600 head of ostriches on his own farm in Lincolnshire in 20 acre paddocks. The rest of the meats he imports from regions such as South America, South Africa, and Australia. We tried the four "Exotic Bites" and the ostrich burger. They all had very different flavors and tasted great! Most of the burgers were made from the shoulder and leg region, but the crocodile burger was made from the tail.

Our next stop was Portobello Market. This market first began about 300 years ago on a path that connected Notting Hill and Kensall Green and got its name from the Porto Bello Farm. Shops and markets quickly came about in order to cater to the ever growing community of wealthy individuals in the area. Construction of new and exquisite recreational areas drew in more and more of the wealthy in, but nearby there were cramped communities of blue collar individuals. Portobello Market is the place where the rich and the common people came together to sell goods.

Today, the market mainly focuses on the selling of antiques, but there are five main sections: secondhand goods, clothing and fashion, household essentials, food, and antiques.

Many booths are set up along the street side along with stores in buildings. From the time we got there to the time we left, the market was filled from side to side with people.

We ventured along the mile stretch, moving between stores and booths. There was a distinct change in the sections as we went from modern fashion to antiques to food of many cultures. The entire sight was overwhelming, but it was a great way to wrap up the trip!

English word of the day: Tout- a ticket scalper

-Ashley, Tessa, and Mia