The Borough Market Cookbook: Recipes and stories from a year at the market

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Borough Market: The Knowledge provides stories, skills and expert advice from the market’s traders, plus over 80 exciting recipes from award-winning food writer Angela Clutton that will help you make the most of their exceptional produce. With stunning atmospheric photography, this is the definitive guide to shopping and cooking for every kitchen. There’s a modern-canteen feel to this restaurant, which bases its menus on what’s in the market that day. Food is cooked on a wood-fired grill, which makes for mighty flavoursome cheese burgers and delicious Barnsley chops. Haigh, who owns a restaurant, Mei Mei, in Borough Market, London, and competed in the BBC MasterChef competition in 2011, writes in Makan: “I faced many challenges along the way. It began with my having to translate hard-to-read handwritten notes, or convert measurements, and moved on to learning about the different daun (herbs) or rempahs (spice pastes). Technique aside, ingredients were hard to find, but thankfully I was just a bus ride away from Chinatown in central London.” Across eight chapters, each devoted to a different category of stall, from the butchers to the greengrocers to the cheesemongers, that collective knowledge is brought to life through more than 80 recipes by Angela Clutton, award-winning food writer, Borough Market Cookbook Club host and Borough Talks podcasts presenter. With typical warmth and clarity, Angela explores how the traders’ expertise can be brought to bear in turning Market produce into stunning dishes. The book also distils their wisdom into features, interviews, tips and guides that demystify unfamiliar ingredients and processes, and explains not just what to buy (and why) but how to store it, cook it and serve it. Come away feeling confident and excited to use your newfound understanding of ingredients, armed with the market traders’ unrivalled expertise and delightful seasonal recipes.

Steamed, grilled, fried, and served plain or slathered in garlic butter, since 1999 this restaurant has been specialising in all things fishy. With produce sourced directly from the market outside, their passion is poisson – whether you want a decadent lobster, a classic fish pie or wild halibut fish and chips, it’s all impressively fresh and respectfully cooked. but, the ‘LOOK INSIDE’ currently shows the first few in the book to get a feel for the general layout. Every restaurant on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveller journalist who knows the destination and has eaten at that restaurant. When choosing restaurants, our editors consider both high end and affordable eateries that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination. We're always looking for stand-out dishes, a great location and warm service – as well as serious sustainability credentials. We update this list regularly as new restaurants open and existing ones evolve. A whiff of mulled wine, cider, warm-spiced apple juice – or all three – greets shoppers as they round each bend, the bakery stalls are laden with mince pies and there’s even a specialist Christmas pudding vendor on hand for those who’ve not got round to stirring their own.Each chapter includes some articles on market related topics e.g. about a trader, a scene or event, This intimate little Mexican taqueria right next to the market was opened by the boys behind Barrafina and Quo Vadis. Come here for the memorably scrumptious tacos with chargrilled stone bass, caramelised onions and La Maya salsa, best enjoyed over a caraf of mezcal. This cookbook is rooted in the passion and expertise of our fellow traders at Borough Market, whose in-depth knowledge of their ingredients are second to none. Each of the book's eight chapters is devoted to a different category of stall you'll find at this historic market: fishmongers, butchers, two different sections on stalls offering cupboard ingredients (spices, pulses, dry goods), greengrocers, fruiterers, dairy, and baked goods. Their wisdom is shared via features, interviews, tips and guides that demystify unfamiliar ingredients and processes. It explains not just what to buy (and why), but how to store it, cook it and serve it. Each section includes relevant recipes by Angela Clutton, award-winning food writer, Borough Market Cookbook Club host and Borough Talks podcasts presenter. The book includes over 80 recipes, with dishes like Parsnip Gnocchi and Smoked Garlic Butter, Moong Dal Dosa with Masala Potatoes and Tomato Chutney, and Jasmine Tea Loaf with Salted Lime Butter.

Wee said in a statement that she wrote her book, a mix of cookbook and memoir, “in loving memory of my mother”, recreating personalised recipes and researching her heritage. “I credit her and her peers for their anecdotes, recipes and cooking tips. This was their story,” she said. “I was therefore distressed to discover that certain recipes and other content from my book had been copied or paraphrased without my consent in Makan by Elizabeth Haigh, and I immediately brought this matter to the attention of the book’s publisher, Bloomsbury Absolute. I am grateful that Bloomsbury has responded to my concerns by withdrawing Makan from circulation.”Borough Market: The Knowledge does exactly what it says on the tin. Delving into the unique expertise of Borough’s market traders, this book is an encyclopaedia and a celebration of the food, people, and energy of the Market. It’s the ultimate preamble for cooking!” Of course, going there is the ultimate experience, but this publication gives a great insight into Borough Market, a whole year presented seasonally, bringing recipes to the table interspersed with trader interviews, a bit of history & general snippets. Observers also noted similarities between some recipes. “Ginger is thought to have healing properties – pukol angin (to beat the toxic gases and dampness out of you to relieve aches and pains). This is why postnatal mothers were given lots of ginger to ‘beat the wind’,” writes Haigh. Wee had previously written: “Ginger is thought to pukol angin (beat the toxic gases and dampness out of you to relieve aches and pains). Hence, post-natal mothers were given lots of ginger to ‘beat the wind’.” This glossy new restaurant-wine-bar works both as somewhere to pop into for a chilled glass of white and some smoked salmon pâté or, for a more serious plate, sausages braised in red wine and porcini, with sage breadcrumbs. I love that we can learn from the traders themselves – their skills, dedication, company, banter and spirit make the Market the success it is. Angela’s wizardry and food knowledge and friendliness and cheer add even more magic to this book.”

Find intriguing in-depth features and unmissable Q&As with traders, along with visual step-by-step guides to preparing ingredients and lists of interesting seasonal produce. Moving through meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, dairy, bakery and store-cupboard ingredients, each chapter shares a collection of tantalising recipes that will teach you how to make the most of your produce, inspired by the incredible seasonal offerings from Borough Market traders.

How we choose the best restaurants in Borough

Perfect for this time of year: minted lamb meatballs in a light broth, studded with sweet sugar snap and mangetout peas.