A food lover’s guide to London

Borough Market, London. Photo: Gareth Johnson

There's a lot to love about London. A truly international, vibrant, diverse city in every respect.

In years gone by, the United Kingdom used to get a bit of a bad rap in relation to its food — British cooks had a reputation of being able to get a Sunday roast right, but not much else.

Only a couple of decades ago it seemed to be impossible to find anywhere in the entire country that understood the basics of making decent coffee. How things have changed.

You can tell a lot about a city's cuisine credentials by its food markets, its coffee, and its ice-cream. Here's my guide to London's best.

The markets Broadway Market, London. Photo: Gareth Johnson

Food markets are a lot of fun, and London has a surprising number to explore.

It's hard to go past Borough Market — right in the heart of London, just beside London Bridge (on the south side of the river). Saturday is peak day here, and there are a huge range of fresh produce stalls selling some top quality items. Locals who come to the market to buy food tend to make smash-and-grab visits early, because most people seem to come to the market to wander around, taste a few things, meet up with fiends and stop for lunch.

For something a bit smaller, head to Broadway Market in the East End. Similar stalls to what you will find at Borough but a lot smaller and a bit more of a local feel.

Other markets worth checking out include Brick Lane — hugely busy on both Saturday and Sunday — the streets closed to traffic as the food and craft stalls take over. Also a must for market-lovers is Columbia Road on a Sunday — primarily a flower market, but lots of good food options also.

The coffee A guide to coffee in London. Photo: Gareth Johnson

From being a coffee wasteland for many years, London is now blessed with an amazing range of top drawer coffee options.

Admittedly, many of these seem to have been imported from Australia or New Zealand — fantastic cafes such as Caravan (Exmouth Market); Workshop (Clerkenwell); Dose (Smithfield); and Ozone (Old Street), have really raised the bar when it comes to the London coffee scene.

But local favourite Monmouth Coffee is perhaps the best of them all. They have a small cafe in Covent Garden, and a bigger outlet in Borough. They take their coffee seriously and it is worth queuing for.

The ice-cream Gelupo Ice-cream, London. Photo: Gareth Johnson

There are two stand out ice-cream options in London. In Archer Street in Soho you'll find Gelupo. This is an offshoot of the fantastic Italian restaurant Bocca di Lupo (just across the road). Traditionally made ice-cream and gelato, serving up some classic flavours but also some creative combinations that will get your taste-buds excited.

The other option, equally good, is La Gelatiera in New Row in Covent Garden. The gelato always seems incredibly fresh — you can peek though a glass pane in the floor and see the kitchen in action below. Inventive, surprising, sometimes challenging flavours but always delicious. It's a lot of fun tasting the different options, tying to decide which to go for, trying to work out which flavours will work best together. It doesn't have to be a sunny day to enjoy great ice-cream.

Read more from Gareth Johnson

Source: A food lover's guide to London