Borough Market - Food of love

 

Food of love   Shakespeare, once a neighbour of Borough Market, was clearly wrong about this: music isn’t the food of love; food is the food of love. Nowhere is that more apparent than on our stalls, where the love that goes into producing the food makes the sharing of it even more special. As Valentine’s Day approaches, what better expression of romance could there be than delicate shellfish, beautifully marbled grass-fed steaks, exceptional cheeses and handmade chocolates? Against that, no heart-covered card is quite going to cut it. If you can’t make it here in person, Borough Market Online has pulled together an impressive range of Valentine’s hampers and meal boxes for two – everything from a seafood platter or ribeye steak dinner to a dish of potato gnocchi, truffle butter & wild mushrooms – all sourced from our traders. Our restaurants are also set up to fuel the passions, with offerings including special tasting menus at Stoney Street by 26 Grains and Roast, cocktails at Tapas Brindisa, and afternoon tea at Rabot. And to really build the mood, Celia Brooks is hosting two pre-Valentine’s Day couples’ editions of her gastrotour.   My love on a plate Clare Finney delves into her history of dining and dating to explore why what we eat and how we eat it proves so vital to the potential blossoming of romance. Passion fuel Mark Riddaway offers his rundown of ingredients that history would have us believe contain aphrodisiac properties – some familiar (oysters), others less so (turnips) Onglet with Tellicherry & long pepper sauce A twist on the classic steak au poivre, which captures the breadth of flavour found in peppercorns: a special dinner for two. RECIPE BY ED SMITH   Bay & cardamom panna cotta Gorgeously light panna cottas with a subtle touch of herb and spice. RECIPE BY ANGELA CLUTTON   Richard Haward’s Oysters The Hawards have been harvesting the shallow creeks leading from the river Blackwater to the west of Mersea Island, Essex, since as far back as 1792. For the past 100 years they’ve been nurturing a stretch of Salcott Creek, where the warm temperatures provide the perfect conditions for Colchester native and Gigas oysters, sold at the Richard Haward’s Oysters stall. So Chocolicious Chocolatier Hayleigh Bazelya trained among the top professionals in her field. Her So Chocolicious truffles, chocolate sculptures and beautifully crafted chocolate boxes are made with Ghanaian chocolate sourced from farms that are part of the Cocoa Horizon Project – an initiative which gives back to communities by providing education and training for farmers and their children.