Borough Market

Borough Market is the capital's most famous food market and its most delicious hour. Traders have operated near London Bridge since at least the eleventh century, moving to Borough High Street in the thirteenth, and a market has stood on or near this spot ever since; the present site sits beneath Victorian iron-and-glass roofs and railway viaducts in the shadow of Southwark Cathedral, with trains rumbling overhead and the Shard rising just beyond. What began as a wholesale market has become a showcase for British and international produce — farmhouse cheesemongers, butchers and fishmongers, bakers, greengrocers piled with seasonal fruit and vegetables, specialist importers of olive oil, spices and charcuterie — alongside dozens of hot food stalls serving everything from grilled cheese sandwiches and sizzling paella to raclette scraped onto potatoes, oysters, curries and doughnuts. It is the best place in London to graze, and a superb insight into the British food revolution of the past few decades. Access is free and open to everyone. The market is closed on Mondays (except the May and August bank holidays), open 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 5pm on Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday, with restaurants around the edges keeping their own hours. Saturdays, particularly afternoons, are extremely busy; arrive early on a weekday for room to taste and talk to traders. Bring an appetite and, ideally, a friend to share with, as the best strategy is to try small plates from several stalls.

The market's history is bound up with London Bridge, for centuries the only crossing of the Thames in the city, which funnelled traders and travellers through Southwark. The local parishioners bought the right to run the market in the eighteenth century, and it has been operated by a charitable trust ever since. By the late twentieth century it was a fading wholesale fruit and vegetable market, but specialist food producers began trading here in the 1990s, and the retail market grew into the destination it is today. The surrounding streets carry their own history: Southwark Cathedral, where Shakespeare's brother is buried, borders the market, and the George Inn nearby is London's last surviving galleried coaching inn.

How to eat it: walk a full loop before buying anything, as the stalls spread over several connected sections and the best things are not always the most visible. Then build a lunch from three or four stops — something hot, something from a cheesemonger, a pastry or doughnut, and coffee. Many stalls offer samples, and traders are generally happy to talk about provenance. The surfaces include cobbles and passages narrow in places; there are several accessible toilets during trading hours. Hours change over Christmas and bank holidays, so check the market's site at those times. The festive season, with seasonal produce and a lively atmosphere, is a wonderful time to visit, but expect crowds.

Around the market: London Bridge station is right next door, the Shard towers overhead, and the riverside path leads west to Tate Modern and the Globe and east to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. Southwark Cathedral is free to visit and a peaceful counterpoint to the bustle. Combining a morning at the Tower, a walk across Tower Bridge and lunch at Borough Market is one of the best ways to spend a London day.