One of my favorite events that I attended when I studied in London was attend the Real Food Festival at the Earl Court Exhibition Center. The festival is an annual 4 day affair dedicated to recognizing smaller producers and helping them create sustainability. It’s also their opportunity to market their products (the producers are subsidized for their samples). In order to enter the festival as a producer, you must prove yourself as “good, clean, and fair.” Everyone from those who sold olive oil, to jam, to chocolate were there showcasing their products. Tickets for the general public were 15 pounds, but with some clever Googling, we found a discount and got them for only $10!

The festival was huge. Supposedly, there were around 500 small producers there. With our ticket, we received a free pin, a reusable Whole Foods Market bag (made out of plastic bottles!) and free samples at any booth that offered it. The goal for the producers is to get you to buy their product. I hadn’t seen at least 90% of the products before. Krystal (she was the one who found this festival in the LondonLite) and I gorged ourselves right from the beginning by sampling all the bread/olive oils and jam and crackers. There were also wine and beer producers so we got to sample those too. About two thirds into the festival we couldn’t move. I just wanted to go to sleep; that’s how much we ate. It came to the point where we were actually refusing chocolate and cake!

(Duchy was actually started by Prince Charles)

(Yes, those are huge giant brownies, in stacks too!)

But eating the samples wasn’t the highlight of the festival. It was really fun being able to interact with those who truly loved what they do. We met a guy who started a new dessert line- Moonmud Desserts and it was a totally new concept of dessert. He isn’t launching for least another year, but he’s been experimenting so it was exciting being able to give him our feedback.

(Grana Padano Cheese, we got the cheese knife too!)

The festival also offered courses of every food topic imaginable. Some educate you about cheese, ice cream, chocolate etc… while others teach you to cook. These do cost extra and they’re filled up pretty quickly. The 10 pounds is definitely worth it and you’ll probably come back so full you won’t even need to eat dinner.

In a society where we’re used to trusting brand name products and accustomed to sticking with them, it’s tough for small producers to break that barrier. Even though we see these large food corporations involved in scandals and such, we continue to support them and that’s reflected in their stock prices each day. So, it was inspiring to see people who make food because they love their trade and have given their life to remaining a “real food” producer because that’s what they believe in.

(You can find Burnt Sugar at Borough Market)

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• Starbucks: A Comparison
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• Pizza Express

Londoners absolutely love markets, and there’s no blaming them. Supposedly, there dozens of markets, and you can easily access them all through the Tube or the bus. One book, The London Market Guide (how original) is extremely helpful. It lists all the markets, and breaks them down into areas. Otherwise, just go here for the Street Senationa’s 19 major markets and how to get there.

I diverge from the topic. Borough Market! It’s the dream market of any foodie’s palate and the market is armed with sandwiches, burgers, cheeses, breads, pastries, and much, much more. Really, if you could just picture a market of half selling produce and half vendors selling food, then you can picture Borough Market. I only went there twice because I was too afraid of eating just everything.

The first time I went, I had a sausage-wich. That’s not what they call it, but that’s what I called it. They slice up a sause into two and stick it into a bun with chutney and salad. I give it a 8 out of 10. I heard there are better sausage vendors, but this one was inside the closed market, the first vendor on the second left. It was 3.50 pounds

But this is the big winner- the CHICKEN SANDWICH. When you enter the inside market, make a right. Directly on the left, across from the produce selling vendor (it’s huge and enclosed with a wired fence), is a vendor who sells chicken burgers. Also, for 3.50 pounds, they do an amazingly juicy and delicious chicken. They top it with watercress and a fluffy bun. Seriously, it was so juicy, I think it must have had some sausage inside, but it was truly, the best chicken burger I’ve ever had. If you can’t find the place, just follow your nose because it’ll take you there. Definitely a 10 out of 10!

You should also check out:

• What is a pasty?
• Starbucks: A Comparison
• The Rocket
• Real Food Festival
• Ben’s Cookies