I've lived near London's Borough Market for 13 years and often visit for a bite to eat. I've always wanted to take a food tour to get an expert's take on the best things to eat and drink and learn more about the market's storied history, so I was delighted when Eating Europe invited me to experience one of their London food tours.
When I visit a new city, I always try to book a food tour. They're a great way to get a taste (literally!) of a neighbourhood, learn a bit of history and, most importantly, get recommendations for the rest of your trip. They're also a fun way to meet like-minded foodies, especially when travelling solo.
Eating Europe runs food tours in 20+ cities across Europe, including five tours in London. When they invited me to join one of their tours, I stayed super-local with the Borough Market and London Bridge Food Tour. I was curious to see which food and drink we'd try. Spoiler alert: a couple of favourites and a few surprises!
Eating Europe's Borough Market Food Tour
The Borough Market Food Tour lasts around three hours and includes six food and drink tastings. It runs every day at 10:00 and 10:30 am — the early start is crucial as the market gets incredibly busy at lunchtime, especially in summer and at weekends.
I met my guide Róisín and three tour mates (the maximum group size is 12) just before 10:30 near one of the main market entrances where we could already soak up the sights, smells and sounds: vibrant produce, rich aromas and vendors crying, "Strawberries!"
Borough Market's past and present
The tour started with a quick history lesson. Borough Market's origins date back 1,000 years, when people crossed the Thames for activities banned in the City of London, like bear-baiting. You could 'prepay' for your South of the River sins at Southwark Cathedral and if you needed a snack afterwards, the market was right there.
Since the late 1990s, the market has focused more on high-quality food. It's now one of London's top foodie destinations, with three main areas, plus restaurants, cafes and bars in the surrounding streets.
Tasting 1: Sausage rolls
We were all excited to try our first dish and it was only steps away. The Ginger Pig was one of Borough Market's first traders in the 1990s and sources its meat from carefully selected farms across England.
The Ginger Pig's sausage rolls are a worth-the-queue market favourite, with flaky, golden pastry and flavoursome meat (they add nutritional yeast for umami). They're also huge so we shared one between two of us.
The theme of our tour was 'Best of British' so Róisín had us play a game to guess whether each dish was actually British or 'borrowed'. You'll have to take the tour to find out the truth but as a Brit, I'm a little embarrassed I didn't do better!
Tasting 2: Custard tarts
Borough Market has no shortage of baked goods, pastries and cakes. For our 'breakfast dessert', Róisín took us to Santa Nata, which produces oh-so-moreish pastéis de nata.
These custard tarts are a nod to Little Portugal, just down the road in Vauxhall. Topped with a dusting of cinnamon, they are the perfect sweet treat. While there, we scoped out Borough Yards, a dining and shopping venue set within the Victorian railway arches.
South Bank history walk
After two breakfasts, it was time for a history interlude. One of the things I love most about guided tours is that no matter how well I know a destination, I always learn — and spot — new and interesting things.
Take the William Shakespeare mural on Clink Street. I've seen it many times but never noticed the wooden panel next to it featuring a quote from The Tempest, various mudlarking 'treasures' and a bottle opener.
We saw the replica of Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hinde and the Clink Prison, dating to 1144, whose name gave rise to the expression 'thrown into the clink'. We stopped by the Thames to hear about various iterations of London Bridge and quirkily nicknamed skyscrapers like the Gherkin and the Cheesegrater. Don't trust Brits to name anything!
Tasting 3: Fish and chips
After working up an appetite, we stopped at the award-winning fish! to try perhaps the most famous British dish of all: fish and chips. But is it British? No spoilers here, but I did learn that the UK's first fish and chip shop was started in 1860 by Joseph Malin in Bow, East London.
The battered haddock and chips at fish! was a highlight for me: the batter was crisp and golden, contrasting with the flavour and melt-in-the-mouth texture of the fish. As for the chips, make sure you add vinegar before salt, otherwise you'll wash the salt away.
Tasting 4: Cider
By midday, Borough Market was super-busy. To reach our next stop, we walked through Three Crown Square, the most crowded part of the market. I'd recommend visiting this area in the morning or on a weekday when it's usually less packed.
It was *much* calmer at the London Cider House, a real hidden gem where you can enjoy a refreshing apple drink while taking a break from the hustle outside. They serve various ciders on tap and sell bottles.
We learned that over 50% of apples grown in the UK are used to make cider. I didn't contribute to this statistic as I opted for an apple slushie instead (I'm not a huge fan of English cider, which is fermented and alcoholic, but the slushie was ace).
Tasting 5: Cheese
If you love cheese, you must make a pilgrimage to Neal's Yard Dairy, which has specialised in British and Irish cheeses since the 1970s.
We tried two cheeses: a full-flavoured Red Leicester and a Stilton-like blue cheese called Stichelton. The Red Leicester was more my thing; it paired well with my apple slushie.
Tasting 6: Sticky toffee pudding
Our final destination was a cosy wine bar called The Boot & Flogger. While we waited for our food, Róisín demonstrated the titular boot (a leather holder that keeps a wine bottle steady) and flogger (a small plank used to 'flog' the cork tightly into the bottle).
We had sticky toffee pudding, one of my favourite desserts. Consisting of a date-based sponge cake liberally doused with toffee sauce and served with custard, it's rich and comforting. We could also order a glass of wine, tea/coffee or soft drink.
We sat for a while, chatting and picking Róisín's brain for ideas for things to do in Borough and beyond. Our tour lasted around 2.5 hours and in that time, we enjoyed six tastings, experienced Borough Market and the London Bridge area and got a whistle-stop tour of over 1,000 years of South London history. Not bad for a morning's work walk!
Borough Market Food Tour: My Verdict
I've taken a *lot* of food tours over the years and Eating Europe's Borough Market Tour was among my favourites. I'd particularly recommend it if you're visiting London and want to get the most out of your time in Borough but it's also great for Londoners who want to visit a new area. Here's what I liked:
A wide variety of food and drink. Some food tours can feel a bit samey, but we tasted an array of signature British (or not!) dishes (savoury and sweet) and drinks. The portion sizes were generous so I got to try a range of foods and was only full at the end.
Good value. The costs £76 (~103 USD or 89 EUR) per adult, with reduced prices for children, which I think is great value for a three-hour guided tour with six tastings.
Perfect pacing. The tour felt very relaxed, with a longer 'history break' after the two breakfast tastings, and several longer stops to rest our legs. The earlier start and carefully planned itinerary helped us avoid the worst of the crowds.
Our excellent guide. Our guide, Róisín, was friendly and knowledgeable. I really enjoyed the 'British or borrowed' quiz and picked up plenty of insights, London trivia and food tips.
The mix of food, history and culture. Eating Europe's tour had a good balance of local history and food culture, alongside the tastings. Even though I'm a local, I still learned a huge amount — and had a lot of fun.
I enjoyed the experience so much that I'm thinking of booking the East London Food Tour next. Eating Europe also runs food tours in many other European cities, from Barcelona to Budapest. If you're looking for a European foodie adventure, visit their website to check out their tours.
Disclaimer: I was a guest of Eating Europe on their Borough Market Food Tour. I only accept opportunities that I would genuinely like to try and that I think my readers will enjoy too. As always, all opinions in this article are purely my own.
Looking for post-tour coffee recommendations? Check out my Borough and Bankside specialty coffee guide.
Planning a trip to London? Explore my other guides and resources:
🇬🇧 52 fun things to do in London
☕ My London specialty coffee guide
🍴 My favourite London restaurants
🍳 London brunch guide
🍸 London cocktail bar guide
📍 How to spend a long weekend in London
🏛 Neighbourhood guides: Notting Hill; Bermondsey; East London
🚃 Best day trips from London
🏖 Best beaches near London
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