The Southbank Real Food Market had a festive twist on this December 2014 visit. A walk over the river, a black Americano and a pheasant confit roll made an easy evening out in central London, with Christmas lights overhead and the London Eye shining across the Thames.
Originally published on 23 December 2014, the film records the weekend before Christmas. This was a return to a familiar market, with the seasonal food giving me another reason to browse its stalls.
Across the Golden Jubilee Bridges
I approached from Embankment station and crossed the Golden Jubilee Bridges towards the South Bank. The river views were part of the pleasure: the London Eye and Westminster in one direction, with the city skyline towards St Paul’s in the other.
The market was in Southbank Centre Square, behind the Royal Festival Hall. Reaching it on foot from the river made the journey feel like part of the evening, rather than simply a trip to buy dinner.
Coffee and Christmas market stalls
My first stop was a black Americano from Bean About Town. Coffee in hand, I could take a look around before deciding what to eat. The market brought together produce, street food and drinks, and the range was one of the things I liked about it.
In the original commentary I described roughly 40 stalls and a regular Friday-to-Sunday market. For this visit, Christmas added a seasonal layer to the usual choice. The smell of mulled wine and mulled cider drifting from the stalls was particularly tempting, although the drink I chose in the film was coffee.
Choosing dinner was the difficult part. There was plenty that looked appealing, but I wanted something both festive and seasonal. A chalkboard advertising pheasant confit with braised red cabbage and cranberry relish settled it.
A £5 pheasant confit roll
The menu board showed £5 for the pheasant confit special. That is the price recorded in the 2014 film, rather than a present-day menu price. The combination of game, red cabbage and cranberry felt right for the weekend before Christmas.
Served in a glossy roll, the filling looked generous and colourful. My verdict in the film was straightforward: it smelled and looked wonderful, and tasted every bit as good. It was the sort of street-food discovery that made a wander around the market worthwhile.
An evening above and around the market
The film also takes in views over the striped awnings, with the London Eye beyond the stalls. Blue and white lights spread across the buildings and walkways, turning an ordinary food-market visit into a distinctly December evening.
At the time, I recommended the market for its variety, quality and central location. The original narration also discussed its opening hours. Those details belong to this 2014 visit; they should not be used to plan a current trip. What the film preserves is the atmosphere of that evening and a very satisfying seasonal dinner.
