by Ashley Berriman, June 2015
Our very own foody with with an Instagram addiction visits a sweet and savoury haven in London
I’m Ashley, and I’m one of those #foodheaven #brunch #breakfastofchampions hashtagging food all over the place kind of girl.
I just can’t help it. There’s something so satisfying about a well presented dish that I can’t stop the urge to pull out my iPhone before anyone’s allowed to take a bite. And living in London, I have the great pleasure of making my way around a great deal of snap-able dishes with friends.
This past weekend it was ‘Maltby Street Markets’ turn. As I was told; ‘the Londoners’ Borough Market’, fewer tourists, and new food to try. Sounds like #heaven.
You only have to search #maltbystreetmarket to see pictures of towering burgers, oozing doughnuts, hand-salted smoked salmon, and groups of friends with big smiles and drinks in hand. But when we arrived, it wasn’t just raining; it was pouring….
Quickly learning that Maltby isn’t the best place for rain, we huddled through the street and took cover in Lassco, “England’s prime resource for architectural antiques, salvage and curiosities.”
If you’re looking for furniture that gives your modern flat an effortlessly cool type of vibe, this is a good place to start. From empire-style hall lanterns to imposing brass door knockers, this place has a fabulous array of well-presented (but not cheap) gear to convert any home.
But I digress. Onto the food…
Once the rain relaxed a little, we made it as far as Finest Fayre’s handmade scotch eggs before needing to stop to give their runny, glowing orange yolks a try. I opted for black pudding and chorizo. Th eggs were halved and topped with a heavy dose of salt and black pepper, which brought them both to life. Chorizo was the firm favourite of the day, but I’ll be heading back to try the haddock one next time.
Then we moved onto the Monty’s Delhi where there was hand-produced salt beef, pastrami, and other Jewish classics on offer. Tom Kerridge once declared them as ‘the best value lunch in London,’ and our ‘Classic’ contained a large helping of salt beef on rye bread, with russian dressing, coleslaw and a pickle on the side. It was just a shame we weren’t stuffing it down in New York USA, rather than a large undercover shelter in gloomy London.
Once savoury satisfied, St John restaurant was calling out to us with a window display of gooey centred, sugared doughnuts. The days offerings were coffee, vanilla or custard, and upon first bite, it was clear that this was no normal doughnut. Much to our happiness, the custard to donut ratio was 50/50, meaning there was no lack of filling as we passed it around.
Finally (after waiting a considerable amount of time), we managed to bag a table at Little Bird Gin, a pop up bar serving spicy Bloody Mary’s, classic Negronis and grapefruit G&Ts. As we waited for a table, the waitress kindly poured us shots of gin to keep us entertained, and to educate us on their method of using grapefruit and orange to give a smoother, more rounded, fresh tasting gin. The gin tasted good, and the large slices of grapefruit and crystal glasses were an attractive touch.
Sadly, at this point, our day had come to an end, but Maltby has now been firmly added to my list of great street food spots.
However, before you follow in our footsteps, make sure you check the weather forecast first!
And with that, I leave you with plenty of #foodporn from Maltby Street Market
