A Secret Food Tour In London

Oh food how I love thee, let me count the ways… well, I won’t count them all, but trust me, there are many!  I’ve tried a food tour in Prague, a cooking class in Mexico City, a combination of both in Bogota, and even when I’m in my home country of England I love trying local specialities and finding the best places to chow down on different dishes and familiar favourites.   When I was in my own capital city of London with Wombat’s City Hostels I was intrigued to see how British food would be portrayed so I joined a Secret Food Tour in London, to taste the best of British food in the city.

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Our Secret Food Tour in London

I joined the tour with fellow #WombatsTraveller Helene, and an American father & daughter.  With my three companions being from the USA, and our tour guide originally from France, I felt like I had to be a proud advocate of British food, but our tour guide Ella was as passionate about British food as she was about French cuisine, so I needn’t have worried.

Custard-filled Doughnuts on our Secret London Food Tour
Custard-filled Doughnuts on our Secret London Food Tour

Our meeting point was close to the Shard, that huge pointy landmark that you can’t miss in London.  It was walking distance from our hostel (the awesome Wombat’s London) but as we had just finished a walking tour, we jumped in a black cab to arrive there just in time.

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Borough Market Food Tour

Our first stop was Borough Market, a must for any foodie in London, and a popular place to grab a bite for lunch for locals too. 

I later learned from a friend of mine who lives in London that after the terrorist attack in London in 2017, people were afraid to return to Borough Market, but after this tragedy Borough Market has gradually returned to form.

In the market, you will find lots of stalls selling amazing produce like cheese, bread, fudge, cured meats, and plenty of hot food stalls to grab a bite to eat.  The stalls sell all kinds of international foods which are now a part of British food culture from Indian to Ethiopian and Thai, and of course, British food too.

Visiting Borough Market in London
Visiting Borough Market in London

Ella told us that 50% of all the cooked food sold in the market must be made from ingredients bought in the market, which is a wonderful way of supporting the local economy, keeping the food local, and creating a food community in the market. 

However, the stall owners aren’t the only ones who buy their produce here – chefs from all over London come to Borough Market to buy for their restaurants, including Jamie Oliver.

READ MORE: How Many Days to Spend in London?

We started with the typical English breakfast, in sandwich form.  A bacon & egg butty (or bread roll for those unfamiliar with the lingo).  Crispy bacon and a gooey fried egg in a brioche style bread roll was a great way to start the day. 

After polishing off our breakfast bun, we walked through the market to the best fish & chip shop in London.  We agreed to meet back here in 15 minutes, while Ella ordered our freshly cooked fish & chips, so we had time to explore the market and sample as much as we could!

Bacon & Egg Sandwich - A Great Start to our Secret Food Tour in London
Bacon & Egg Sandwich – A Great Start to our Secret Food Tour in London

I loved wandering around the market, it was a good way to use the time while waiting for our fish, and we got to try more nibbles of food on offer, and I bought some fudge to eat later too.

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When we met back at the chippy we collected our fish & chips and found a seat inside to sit while we ate.  The fish was delicious, moist and perfectly cooked, with a crispy batter to die for.  I’d sprinkled on salt & vinegar of course, as you HAVE to have salt & vinegar on your fish & chips! 

The chips were tasty too, although personally, I prefer soggy chips, but these weren’t bad.  Everyone agreed that the fish was lovely – so to all the haters out there, don’t diss the fish & chips!

Award Winning Fish & Chips - A Secret London Food Tour
Award Winning Fish & Chips – A Secret London Food Tour

We stayed in the market for our next tasting too, trying possibly the best sausage roll I have ever had.  Now I have had a lot of sausage rolls in my life, but a fair few of them have come from Greggs. 

For those of you who have never been to the UK or had a Greggs’ sausage roll, they are delicious but very greasy, and the amount of actual meat in them is probably negligible.  But this sausage roll from the Market was packed full of pork, delicately flavoured with herbs and spices and enveloped in a flaky pastry.  Seriously, you need this sausage roll in your life. 

Sorry vegetarians, I forgot to mention that you can request a vegetarian alternative tour so don’t fret!

That incredible Sausage Roll on our Secret London Food Tour
That incredible Sausage Roll on our Secret London Food Tour

Leaving Borough Market for more of East London

From here we left the market, Ella pointing out a couple of cool spots along the way – like Bridget Jones’ flat from the film, and a filming location for Lock Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels, as well as a kick-ass oyster bar we could come back and try and some cool street art.

Borough Market
Borough Market

We headed towards the Thames, stopping off at a historical point to try some honey mead.  Supping this medieval beverage in the middle of London was pretty cool, I was glad to see Ella was pulling out all the stops to show that British cuisine has something to please everyone! 

Our next stop was a dark little pub where we tried some beautiful British cheeses.  I adore cheese, and this was also served with cider and beer, which made it even better!

British Cheese Board and Cider on our Secret London Food Tour
British Cheese Board and Cider on our Secret London Food Tour

We went back into the sunshine to walk through to a spot on the South Bank where we had fabulous views of the iconic Tower Bridge.  Here Ella surprised us with a treat she’s bought in the market earlier, a scrumptious custard filled doughnut.  NOM! 

Have you ever tried to eat a sugar-covered doughnut without licking your lips?  Try a custard-filled, sugar-covered doughnut.  It is actually impossible.  But fun to try!

Custard-filled Doughnut by the Tower Bridge on a Secret London Food Tour
Custard-filled Doughnut by the Tower Bridge on a Secret London Food Tour

We strolled along the river to our final stop.  Well, I say strolled, at this point, I was starting to waddle.  And then we were presented with my Achilles heel.  Sticky.  Toffee.  Pudding.  Served with clotted cream and a caramel toffee sauce, and a cup of English tea. 

I skipped the tea, as I’m an English person who bizarrely doesn’t drink tea.  That said, I don’t think anything else would have fit in my stomach, not even a cup of tea.  Luckily we ended the tour just across the river from our hostel, so it was a short waddle back to the hostel for a much-needed post food nap!

Sticky Toffee Pudding on a Secret London Food Tour
Sticky Toffee Pudding on a Secret London Food Tour

I was impressed at the tour.  Even though none of the dishes we tried were new to me, I loved the variety of food and drink we tried, and the quality and taste of everything were fabulous. 

Although British food often gets a bad press, I am so glad there are tours like this to show visitors to London that British food really is the bomb!  I love British food and have no hesitation in recommending this food tour for you to try the best of British food on this Secret Food Tour in London.  You can book your tour here or check out these other options for food tours in London:

 

If you are looking for more things to do in London check out my post on How to Fall in Love with London in 2 Days.

Where to Stay in London

There are so many different options for where to stay in London it can be overwhelming to choose!  I love the area around Tower Bridge as it is walking distance to a lot of the attractions such as the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, while not being crazy expensive. 

It is also well connected by the Tube to the rest of London, being close to the underground stations Tower Bridge for the Circle and District Lines, and Aldgate East for the Hammersmith Line.

Hostels in London

I stayed at Wombat’s City Hostel London, a fabulous hostel close to Tower Bridge, and I have to say this had a massive impact on my enjoyment of London.  The hostel was spotlessly clean, the staff were friendly, and the location was unbeatable. 

Wombat’s London is about 10 minutes’ walk from Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and Tower Hill underground station, and is walking distance from Shoreditch, Borough Market and plenty more places to see in London. 

Dorm rooms are great for backpackers or visitors on a budget, or you can treat yourself to a private room for all the perks of being in a hostel, with the privacy of your own room. 

You can read my full review of Wombat’s London here.  You can also read other reviews and book Wombat’s London on Hostelworld, or check out other hostels in London here.

BOOK YOUR HOSTEL NOW

Hotels in London

There are thousands of hotels in London to choose from, and you can find something for every budget, although getting the balance between good quality and good value isn’t easy!  Staying outside of the city centre is cheaper, so if you are staying in London for several days you could save money that way, but if you are short on time then somewhere close to central London is a must.

CitizenM Tower of London is right next to Tower Bridge underground station, and the rooms have great views of the Thames and Tower of London.  Guests loved the comfy bed, friendly staff and the views!

Hotel Indigo Tower Hill also gets great reviews for the friendly staff, comfy beds and quiet rooms.

Search for more hotels in London here:


   
        Booking.com

What do you think about British Food?  Would you take a food tour in London to see what British food is really like?  I would love to read your comments below!

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I love food! Even when I’m in my home country I love trying local specialities and finding the best places to chow down on different dishes and familiar favourites.  When I was in my own capital city of London I was intrigued to see how British food would be portrayed so I joined a Secret Food Tour in London, to taste the best of British food in the city. #FoodTour #London #BritishFood #Foodie #England #UnitedKingdom

This post was brought to you as a result of the #wombatsTraveller blog trip, created and managed by iambassador in partnership with wombat’s CITY HOSTELS.  However, as always, all opinions are my own and I maintain full editorial control of the content published here on Tales of a Backpacker.

 

6 thoughts on “A Secret Food Tour In London

  1. Sally E says:

    I LOVE food tours and Borough Market – I accidentally stumbled upon it when visiting London 10 years ago (before it was insanely popular) and it’s still my favorite places to eat. Everything you ate looks so delicious – I’d love to get my hands on that sticky toffee pudding!

  2. Rhonda Albom says:

    The sticky toffee pudding and custard filled doughnuts caught my eye but the Borough Market tour sound like the real star. I like that the cooked food has to be made with a majority of raw ingredients from the market itself. And, of course, there is all the international food that the commonwealth has to offer.

  3. umiko says:

    All the food look delicious. I don’t know if I can eat them all though. And I really like the Borough Market concept where businesses have to buy 50% of their ingredients from the market. What a smart way to support each other.

  4. Chantell says:

    All the things that you tried on this tour look amazing! The last time I was in London, I went for lunch with a friend at Borough Market. He is also a foodie and raves about the scene there. I think this food tour sounds like the perfect way to discover delicious eats.

  5. Lisa says:

    Oh my, how did you move after eating all that delicious food! I don’t know which is my favourite, I think I have to choose the wonderful fish and chips. I’d also save space for that yummy custard doughnut too, it looks so good!

  6. Candy says:

    This post was making me so hungry and I just had dinner! I have never done a food tour, but now I realllllly want to go! Especially this one. I would go just for the Custard-filled Doughnuts. I can’t stop staring at it. LOL

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