Traders of the month

Taiwanese favourite BAO Borough is the third permanent BAO restaurant from founders Shing Tat Chung, Wai Ting Chung and Erchen Chang. The menu is inspired by the late-night grill establishments often populated by commuters across Asia – as well as the founders’ own stories, upbringing and travels around Asia – serving dishes such as chicken nugget bao, beef meatball, fried egg, and Borough curry. BAO Borough is also home to BAO KTV – BAO’s first karaoke room – and has one of the few Suntory highball machines in the UK, pouring whisky and sodas that bubble like champagne.

Bianca Mora’s stall takes its name from two rare Italian animal breeds: the Bianca Modenese cow from Emilia Romagna and the free range Mora Romagnola pig, both of which are Slow Food Presidia, meaning they are actively being protected from extinction. The stall’s products – many of which are organic, Slow Food or enjoy Italian DOP status – are sourced from a collection of small farms in northern Italy, including red cow parmigiano-reggiano and other cheeses, charcuterie, aged balsamic vinegars and vegan organic wine.

Inspired by his roots, Giuseppe Mele offers a wonderful selection of food sourced direct from Calabria, the ‘toe’ of Italy. Cured meats include soppressata, the region’s most popular salami, and nduja, a spreadable salami made using pig’s cheeks, lard, belly and some lively spicing. De Calabria also stocks cheese, pure unfiltered olive oil, sundried tomatoes, honey and plenty more besides.

Restauranteur Tony Allan’s ever-popular Borough Market restaurant serves simple and classic seafood dishes, including its award-winning British beer-battered fish & chips. All produce is delivered each morning from Fish!’s very own fishmonger, Jarvis of Kingston, or sourced from other Borough Market traders. The restaurant is open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, offering a wide range of fish and shellfish dishes alongside favourites such as grilled lobster, oysters and fish pie. Enjoy your meal at the kitchen counter, a table in the restaurant or on the large terrace overlooking Southwark Cathedral. The Fish! Kitchen shop next door offers classic chip shop fare to take away.

Co-founders Fabio and Rob first wheeled out their wee coffee cart way back in 2008. A lot has changed since then, but their unique blend of single-origin speciality coffee and smiles remains the same. Beans are roasted just up the river from the Market, ready to be served in distinguished coffee shops all over town.

Phil and Steve Hook produce organic, unpasteurised dairy products from their small farm on the edge of the Pevensey Levels in Sussex. Use of sustainable farming methods and grass fed Friesian Holstein cows means that only the highest quality milk is produced by the Hook family, who have a history of more than 250 years of farming. Products include raw whole and skimmed milk, cream, raw butter and ghee.

La Pepiá began in 2016 in Brick Lane in east London, serving up a unique flare on the traditional ‘arepa’ corn cake. La Pepiá – meaning “the pretty” in old Venezuelan slang – has a logo inspired by owner Joel Ferrer’s grandma, from whom he learned most of his cooking skills. Their tasty salsa was developed in London using traditional ingredients, freshly homemade with green herbs responsibly sourced from local producers.

Specialising in marinated and grilled skewers made using sustainable, high-quality vegetables, meat and fish sourced from the Market, Oroshi brings traditional Japanese ‘robatayaki’ to Borough. Take away in a bento box with rice, pickles, and fresh seasonal salads, or pull up a seat at the bar and pick at their seasonal snack offering such as squash gyoza, samphire tempura or whelk fritters. A discount is offered to customers who bring their own container.

Created by Tim Siadatan and Jordan Freida, the duo behind Islington’s much-loved Trullo, Padella offers a simple menu of eight seasonal pasta dishes, combining traditional Italian techniques and flavour combinations with quality British produce. The pasta is all freshly made on site – passersby can watch it being rolled out by hand in the window of the restaurant. Split over two floors, diners can either sit at tables or take the more casual option of the kitchen counter seating.

The husband-and-wife team of Chris and Ana-Maria source exceptional food from around Croatia, a small country blessed with a disproportionately broad-ranging cuisine: from the long coastline of Dalmatia, to the produce-rich peninsula of Istria, to the inland agricultural heartlands of the east.

The stall’s specialities include the famous Paski Sir cheese from the Adriatic island of Pag, three-year-old prosciutto from the Dalmatian city of Sibenik, olive oils from Istria, fig and lavendar preserve, white truffle honey and wines and fruit brandies from wine-producing regions around Croatia.