Borough Market Wine Wander

Borough Market has been trading for over 1,000 years. In 1860, the railway company wanted the land. The market's 1755 Act of Parliament said no. So the railway got a 'flying leasehold' — they own the airspace only as long as a train runs through it. Every rumble overhead is that deal still in force. Neal's Yard Dairy ages cheeses in Victorian railway arches in Bermondsey — the policy is 'taste before you buy.' Bedales wine bar occupies a former potato storehouse. The room was the Greek restaurant in Bridget Jones — the fight scene crashes through that window.

What to do there

5 things to do

1. 1 Find Where 1,000 Years of Trading Began History · Free

   Where: Stand at the Southwark Cathedral entrance on Cathedral Street — you're looking at London's first Gothic church, begun in 1220 (its west front and nave were rebuilt in 1890–97 by Arthur Blomfield), with Borough Market's Victorian iron roof beginning just behind it.

   What: Here's what nobody tells you: the market dates itself to 1014 because of Heimskringla, a saga Snorri Sturluson wrote around 1230, which calls Southwark 'a great market town' in its account of that year. Roman artefacts excavated on this exact site in 1961 show a settlement here in the 1st century, a thousand years before that first mention. The road behind you, Borough High Street, was the main Roman road into London from the south. And Southwark residents still own the market — in 1756 they raised £6,000 (over £1 million today) through an Act of Parliament to buy the site in perpetuity for the community. The same charitable trust runs it today.

   How: Walk around the left side of the Cathedral and look up at the railway viaduct threading through the market's roofline. In 1860 the railway company wanted the land. They couldn't have it — the 1755 Act said so. The compromise was a 'flying leasehold': the railway got the airspace above the market only as long as a train runs through it. That's why trains still rumble overhead every few minutes while you drink wine below.

   Backup: If you prefer to skip the Cathedral exterior, the Art Deco entrance on Southwark Street (built 1932) tells the same story in condensed form — look for the iron lettering above the gate.

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2. 2 Eat the Chorizo Roll That Launched a Food Revolution Adventure · Price: low

   Where: Brindisa's outdoor stall on the corner of Stoney Street and the market's central passage — look for the crowd and the smell of grilling chorizo. If the outdoor grill isn't running, the shop is inside the Floral Hall at Stoney Street SE1 9AF.

   What: Monika Linton founded Brindisa in 1988 selling Spanish cheese from the boot of her car to London restaurant chefs. She took a Borough Market stall in November 1998 at Henrietta Green's Food Lovers' Fair — the three-day event that drew 30,000 people and 'put Borough Market on the map' according to The Sunday Times. Brindisa never left. Their chorizo roll (grilled Riojan chorizo, piquillo peppers and rocket in a ciabatta roll) has been an institution for over 10 years. It's not a souvenir. It's the original.

   How: Order the chorizo roll — the grill runs Tuesday–Saturday 11am–4pm and Sunday 11am–3pm, or until it sells out. Then step inside the shop to the Ibérico ham counter — they hand-carve from whole legs of bellota-grade Ibérico, meaning pigs finished on acorns. Ask the staff to show you the difference between bellota and cebo grade. While you're there, grab a wedge of Manchego aged 6 months — you'll use it at the next stop.

   Backup: If the outdoor grill isn't operating, the deli counter inside stocks all the same ingredients for a build-your-own tasting: tinned fish (mojama, anchovies), morcilla, olive oils, Manchego.

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3. 3 Taste the Cheeses That Age in Victorian Railway Arches Wine · Price: low

   Where: Neal's Yard Dairy, 8 Park Street, SE1 9AB (Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, Sat 8am–5pm, Sun 10am–5pm) — look for the cave-like shop front piled with entire wheels of cheese, a short walk from Brindisa.

   What: Randolph Hodgson founded Neal's Yard Dairy in 1979. He was one of the first people into Borough Market in the 1990s when trustees were desperately trying to revive the dying wholesale market. Here's the secret: many of their cheeses aren't matured on-site — they're aged under brick Victorian railway arches in Bermondsey, about a mile from here, where Neal's Yard staff hand-turn, brush, and wash the wheels until ready. The cheese you taste here was living in those arches days ago.

   How: The policy is explicitly 'taste before you buy.' Don't be shy — walk up and ask to taste three things. Start with Lincolnshire Poacher (the alpine-cheddar hybrid, made by brothers Simon and Tim Jones from their own herd — nutty, sharp, pairs beautifully with natural whites). Then try 24-month Montgomery's Cheddar (only available here, exclusively matured to Neal's Yard's specification). Finish with whatever washed-rind cheese they're featuring — ask for it by name. Buy a small wedge of whichever two you loved most. You'll need them for the next stop.

   Backup: If Neal's Yard is packed, the cheese counter at Bedales (stop 5) also stocks artisan British cheeses and will build you a board. You can combine steps 3 and 5.

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4. 4 Fill a Bottle from the Barrel Wine · Price: low

   Where: Borough Wines, Three Crown Square inside Borough Market (Tue 11am–5pm, Wed–Fri 10am–5pm, Sat 8am–5pm, Sun 10am–3pm) — look for the wooden casks and refillable bottle display.

   What: In 2002, Borough Wines set up the first wine-on-tap system in Britain. Not wine by the glass — wine from the barrel, poured straight into your vessel of choice. The concept was environmental before 'sustainable' was a marketing word. They transport wine in bulk from small, independent makers (many organic, biodynamic, or vegan) and bottle it in their London urban winery — cutting the carbon footprint of glass shipping. What started as a single market stall grew into a wholesale business that kept its own shops here and in Hackney.

   How: Ask the staff to walk you through what's in the casks today — the selection rotates — then fill a bottle from the barrel with whatever natural or organic wine catches you. Find the stretch of market passage where you can stand against the iron pillars, feel the Victorian vaulting above you, and eat the cheese from Neal's Yard. This is the moment — no table, no menu, just a 1,000-year-old trading spot doing what it's always done.

   Backup: Cartwright Brothers Vintners (Three Crown Square, same market area) is the alternative — a family-run merchant with a growing range of English wines.

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5. 5 Sit in the Potato Store from Bridget Jones Wine · Price: moderate

   Where: Bedales of Borough, 5 Bedale Street, Borough Market SE1 9AL — on the corner where the market's covered section opens to the street, directly under the railway arches. Open Mon–Tue 12pm–11pm, Wed–Fri 12pm–11.30pm, Sat 11am–11.30pm, Sun 12pm–7pm.

   What: Before it became London's most atmospheric wine bar, this building was a potato storehouse. In 2001 the building was dressed as a Greek restaurant for Bridget Jones's Diary. The fight scene between Darcy and Cleaver crashes through the window of this exact room. Bedales opened as a wine bar the same year and has been running ever since — three floors, private cellar underneath, first-floor balcony overlooking the entire market.

   How: Take the window seat or balcony if available. Ask the bar staff for a wine from a 'natural producer' or from a country they're currently excited about — the list prioritises small makers over famous names and changes regularly. Order a cheese board using whatever you didn't finish from Neal's Yard, or let Bedales build you one (they source from the market). While you're sitting: look at the ceiling. Every few minutes, a Thameslink train rumbles through on the 1860 viaduct. In 1755 the parishioners won an Act of Parliament to open a market here, and it opened in 1756. You're inside the deal they made.

   Backup: If Bedales is full, its shop sells bottles to take away.

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Insider tips

• Bedales has excellent by-the-glass and bottle shop

• Arrive hungry - the food pairing is half the fun

• Saturday is busiest but most atmospheric

• Rainy day? Duck into The Wheatsheaf pub nearby

• Free to wander - spend what you want