I’m sitting here eating my ice cream, trying to relive memories of pottering around Chinatown in London less than a month ago.  Memories of one trip keep me thirsty for the next. Le sigh. Anyway, back to this ice cream, this no-churn matcha ice cream, to be more specific, is an easy, peasy way to bring a little bit of someplace else into your someplace here.  Whether or not you’ve been that someplace else. Isn’t that what food is really all about? My food is, anyway, in case you haven’t noticed on this culinary journey we’re sharing.

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Bucket list, check.

Last year when Mom suggested that we all head over for Wimbledon, it took 0.0002 seconds for me to think about it before screaming yes! Almost a year in the making, I crafted a trip for me and the family (and Tomato, an honorary Buddha) that had a little bit for everyone. I’m going to tell you all about it, but first, the reason that we all went over.  

Wimbledon.

I’ve mentioned it a few times on here, but tennis, it’s a thing in our family. Years and years of lessons kept us on the court for 18+ of them (and counting), and so it was time to let the pros show us how it was really done.

We arrived on Sunday afternoon, tired from not sleeping well on overnight flights, and hungry. We thought we’d get ourselves in the mood in a very English way and get us in the mood for tennis the next day. Claridge’s Wimbledon-themed afternoon tea was on the ball.

Blueberry mousse filled tennis ball, that is.

Well fed and ready to go the next day, to the All England Lawn & Tennis Club we went.

If you want to go to The Championships yourself, you can 100% go over and get into the grounds for free the day of play. I actually did that with Treacle way back in 2005 and it was loads of fun, but this was a special occasion, and we wanted tickets to one of the show courts and opted to go the route of one of the hospitality suites.  Our table was set at The Lawn. 

Where we were wined and dined before our Court 1 matches started.

Strawberries and cream, obviously.

Scallop tart, a favorite of everyone at the table.

Seafood platter, among other delicacies. 

Raspberry mille feuille.

And of course, we had to stop by again later that afternoon for a proper tea.

While we are usually all about the food, there was one star of the show that we were thrilled to see.

As if she needed an introduction.

We also were pumped to see Simona Halep, Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, Zhang Shuai, as well as some great doubles.

Needless to say, it was a dream, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we all found ourselves back again.

Until next time!

First image up top courtesy of Tomato.

The birds are chirping, the flowers blooming and that just makes browsing the markets one of my favorite London things to do!

It’s been a little over a week since our #WeekendEuropeanJaunt across the pond, and if I’m honest, the only thing that could have made the weekend just a little more perfect is about 10 degrees. While the evenings were a bit on the chilly side, the days were full of sunshine (with the exception of a very brief stint of hail on Saturday morning) and R and I just couldn’t wait to go out and explore.

Since we’d both been to London before, there was no need for us to hit up major tourist attractions, so rather we threw ourselves fully into the task of what we had planned: to eat!  

When I was a poor law student walking those same streets, I barely ate out, and if I did, I made the most of farmers markets and street food to eat well on a budget. And while we didn’t need to rely on cheap eats this trip, old habits die hard, and London’s market scene provided delicious nosh for three of the four days we were in town.  Here’s a rundown of some of my favorite London markets and one on my list to try out next time!

Portobello Road

Yes, this one is touristy for sure, but during my time living in London, this is legit where I did my shopping every week. It has a good mix of street food and antique stalls filled with trinkets and keepsakes that you surely don’t need, but you’ll fill your suitcase with nonetheless. We both ALMOST brought back wooden tennis rackets. Almost.

If you’ve seen the movie Notting Hill (admittedly, one of my faves), a walk down this road will immediately look familiar. If I had to throw my two cents at you about the best thing to eat, I advocate wholeheartedly for the trailer selling chicken leg sandwiches: kraut, onion and mustard top it off, and it really is perfect. I’ve recreated my version here.  

You’ll have no problem satisfying a sweet tooth, might I suggest popping into the Hummingbird? You’ll spot the line out the door, but their vanilla-on-vanilla is my go-to, even stateside.

The Borough Market

The Borough Market is a foodie’s paradise.  Stalls sell any variety of food you can imagine here- from fish to veal to venison, as well as extensive cheese, bread, dairy, dessert and vegetable options, both cooked and ready to eat, or as beautiful raw ingredients requiring a little bit of your own creativity.  You must go hungry, and you must do a full lap around the place before deciding on what to get, because let’s face it, there’s nothing worse than getting one thing and then walking around corner to find something that you’re drooling over more.  You know what I mean.

If you do find yourself full, be sure to buy something for later, because there is no greater joy at 10PM after you’ve been walking all day to remember that you have a fudgey brownie in your purse to satisfy those late night cravings. Speaking from experience.

Old Spitalfields Market

Here’s one that has been on my list forever, and I hadn’t been able to manage a trip out east until now. Located in London’s East End, Spitalfields market is, in a way, a mix of the first two I’ve described..  Drawing tourists and locals alike to an area that has historically been…less attractive to visitors (we made a stop there during our Jack the Ripper walking tour, after all!), this market is surely not to be missed.  Vendors hawking hats, shoes and a variety of jewelry and clothes (confession: I almost bought a coat. Almost. Still thinking about it) surround two handfuls of stalls offering sweets and savories that will no doubt satisfy any appetite.  We stupidly showed up full from brunch. Bad, bad decision.  Show up ready to eat.

Sunday Upmarket at the Truman Brewery (off Brick Lane)

The Brewery is a short hop away from Spitalfields and is known as were you MUST go if you want a curry.  Walking down Brick Lane any other day and you’ll be at a loss, each claiming to be the best curry in London!  However, if you happen to be in the area on a Sunday, your mandatory destination is The Truman Brewery. This warehouse-like setting hosts a variety of markets throughout the week, but the food comes out on Sunday. If I had to guess, I’d say that all but a few Asian countries were represented by those serving their culinary delights.  Besides curries, you can find arepas, kebabs, sweets, baked or frozen.

Or momos, which is what we opted for. 

We were only there for the food (as you can see), but the Brewery market schedule changes daily, and also includes days where clothes, vegan items and other categories of things are sold.

Maltby Street Market

[Updated July 2022]  Located south of the Thames, this market is a bit smaller in size and simply boasts gourmet street food. While not the place to stock up on your weekly veg, they did have my absolute favorite Sri Lankan dish as an option and let’s be honest, I can’t wait to shove in my face the next time I’m in town.  It’s about a 15 minute walk from The Borough, so if you’ve got a lazy Sunday, hit up both.

Camden Town

Camden’s a bit north of the city, but worth the ride up there. It’s been years since I last visited, but if memory serves me correctly, this market is more about the shops than the food- and there are some great finds to be had.  If you’re more of a fashionista than I am, the one’s for you!

There you have it:  my done list for this time, and my to-do list for next.  It was a delicious and decadent weekend (though, I’ll have you know that we walked approximately 36 miles over the course of it!) and before we packed up to head home, we made one more stop at the cutest coffee shop, The Black Penny, located just around the corner from our Covent Garden Hotel.

It was just thing thing to set us right for a day on the road and in the air. Cozy, unpretentious with the most charming wait staff, it made us really not want to leave.

But, reality calls. Until next time, London.

Heading to London? Check out my more comprehensive list on my favorite things to do, see and eat!