Exploring London's oldest food market

London is like a moody person—on certain days, the city is the best place to be, bursting with liveliness and activities. On other days, especially when it is raining, it turns into an unhappy person who would rather throw you a cold shoulder than entertain you. But despite this, the city is a culturally rich place with palaces, museums, cathedrals, parks and libraries. And while cities like New York or Chicago might rule the roost when it comes to being a global foodie's paradise, there's a less-talked-about gem in London that should be a part of everyone's bucket list.

Sure there is Hummingbird for cakes and bakery products, Wasabi Sushi and Bento for sushi, Soho bar, for a few casual drinks and several stalls for delicious freshly-made crepes. But Borough Market is a place you must visit, if you are someone who enjoys eating and cooking alike. One day after a field trip to a few publishing houses in London, my friends and I decided to explore this market that dates back to 1276.

There is nothing edible that you cannot find at the Borough market. However, one wouldn't know where to go or what to look at. Your senses are confused with sights, smells and sounds of different varieties of food. Right from eggs and bread, different kinds of cheeses to pickles of all sorts, meat, fish to preservatives and spices to wines and cider from all over the world; you would probably require a few trips to have your fill.

As we entered, we were fascinated with the stacks of bread arranged to resemble blocks in a game of jenga. We tried the cheese sticks. They were cheesy, salty and crusty. This left us feeling extremely thirsty and thus heading towards endless counters of ale and beer. After trying a bit of both root beer and some Scottish stout, we were beckoned by the numerous stands of hot dogs and burgers. There, a few of us, myself included, tried the burger made from venison or deer meat. And it was a winner—succulent meat cooked just right, sandwiched between ciabatta buns with caramelised onions and portobello mushrooms, topped with Cumberland sauce and traditional English mustard. A piece of warning: English mustard is not for the faint-hearted and could leave you gasping for breath with watery eyes and nose if not used cautiously. If you are not the kind who would experiment with your meat or are finicky about the way it is cooked, you can pick from the usual ones like chicken, mutton, lamb or beef.

After a spice attack like that, we headed straight for the chocolates. Again, the variety didn't fail to impress us—rich, dark, bitter and milky, handmade, with nuts, rolled, pressed into sheets—it went on and on. Then there are different sorts of pickles to try out from—olives, garlic and sun dried tomatoes to eggplants, gerkhins and gourds. But my personal favourite were the wild mushrooms, fried and seasoned with a pinch of pepper, to bring out the flavour. I promise the trip will leave you wanting to whip up a feast in your own kitchen.