Not so far away from the famous Borough Market, is its less well-known cousin the Maltby Street Market. Maltby Market:Ropewalk used to be relatively unknown but it has grown in popularity in recent years for obvious reasons: the food stalls there are top-notch quality and the setting itself is gorgeous. Picture the scene: a tiny, narrow street, squashed between a building and a bridge with the railway arches themselves forming spaces for stalls and tiny restaurants.
Scotch eggs are one of the market’s most famous wares, which I was not particularly excited about. You see I don’t like Scotch eggs. I think they are one of those foodstuffs that you only love if you grew up eating them. Or so I thought. After a Scotch egg from the Finest Fayre stall I am a convert. These are eggs that I can get on board with. We took the recommendation of the stall owner (who said his favourites were the Chorizo Scotch egg and the Breakfast Scotch egg, a blend of sausage and mushrooms). I’ll never look back. I’ll still not eat a casual Scotch egg from Tescos like Sam, but hand me one made with love and I’ll devour it. Most amazingly, they had gotten the eggs to the point where the yolks were still runny and not hardboiled. Egg perfection.
Also take it from me that the brownies sold by Bad Brownie are transformative. Aka they will transform you into a brownie monster for life! Other stalls that caught my eye, but alas, my eyes were bigger than my stomach were the cheese toasties (aka grilled cheese) from the Cheese Truck, and the chicken and waffles from Waffle On.
A warning: as the space is tiny, it can get crowded really, really quickly. The earlier you go, the fewer people there will be. Which of course carries the risk of not getting to eat a sandwich and mains galore at breakfast hour. Also make sure to bring plenty of cash with you as most stalls don’t accept cards.
The market is only open on weekends: Saturdays from 9-4 and Sundays from 11-4. Located at: Ropewalk, SE1 2HQ. (About a 10 minute walk from London Bridge station.)
Have you been to this market? Do you have a favourite stall?
