Borough Market in autumn means a change of appetite for me. On this 2017 visit, I arrived at London Bridge looking for a hot coffee and something comforting to eat. The afternoon brought a cup of Kenyan filter coffee from Monmouth, a walk around the stalls and a duck confit sandwich for lunch.
The original film was published on 21 October 2017. This article follows that visit, with photographs from the market and the surrounding streets as they appeared then.
An autumn walk from London Bridge
I began beneath the Shard, just outside London Bridge station. A month earlier, I had been enjoying cold drinks by the river in shorts and a T-shirt. This time I was dressed more warmly, and the smell of cooking made the market feel different before I had even reached the stalls.
That is one of the pleasures of changing seasons: familiar favourites return. I was thinking about sausages, pies and duck confit sandwiches, and wondering which would win me over. First, though, I wanted a coffee and a chance to look around.
On the way through, I stopped to show the drinking-water fountains that had recently been installed. It was a small addition to the market, but one that caught my attention during this walk.
Monmouth Coffee at Borough Market
There were queues around the food stalls, and I noticed more people waiting for pies and Scotch eggs than for smoothies. The queue at Monmouth was long too. I joined it, knowing from previous visits that it tended to move along.
My choice was a Kenyan pour-over filter coffee. With the cup in hand, I could carry on walking and decide what to eat. The film spends time on the streets around the coffee shop as well as the covered market, showing people arriving, queuing and passing between the stalls.
Choosing lunch among the stalls
Under the glazed roof, the market was busy with shoppers. The green ironwork and closely packed stalls give these views their familiar Borough Market setting. I walked another circuit, looking at the food and letting the smells help with the decision.
Two old favourites were competing for lunch: a Kappacasein toasted cheese sandwich and duck confit from the stall opposite Monmouth. I talked about both while looking around. In the end, the duck won.
A duck confit sandwich for a cold day
The camera follows the duck cooking on the hotplate and the sandwich being prepared. Seeing the food before it reaches the bread is part of the appeal of eating at a market: the preparation happens right in front of you.
The finished sandwich was rich and warming. I liked the duck with the salad and a sauce that I thought tasted of plum. That contrast cut through the richness and made it a satisfying lunch on a colder day.
Coffee first, a look around, then a sandwich: it was a simple visit built around familiar favourites. The change in weather had made those choices feel right again, which was exactly what I had hoped to find when I set off from London Bridge.
Around the market and Southwark Cathedral
The final views move through the streets beside the market, past café tables and towards Southwark Cathedral. After the covered stalls and the cooking, these wider shots give the walk a quieter finish.
Watch the original Borough Market visit
The full film includes the walk from London Bridge, the Monmouth stop, the market stalls and the duck sandwich. For more from the same month, see October in London 2017, with Chinatown food, festivals and a museum visit.
