I like to think I’m a bit of a foodie.  Not that I’m an unbelievable cook, or a great food critic.  But I love food: eating it, learning about it, trying new things.  So when I travel, one of my favourite things to do is to find a local food tour.  It’s a great way to see the city while learning about local specialties, neighborhoods and what the ‘must-trys’ are for where I’m visiting.

I’ve done a few food tours on my travels, but in London I came across a food tour that was unique to any others I’d experienced before.  The London Eco-Eats Food Tour focuses on sustainability, fair trade and experiencing what London has to offer in the way of locally sourced products and restaurants.

Our tour meeting point was just in front of Borough Market.  I was thrilled because I had just received an email from a friend in London telling me to make sure I went to Borough Market on a Saturday because it’s foodie heaven.  I was about to find out how right she was.

You’ll find Borough Market just beside the London Bridge.  It’s one of the oldest markets in London.  Our tour guide Sarah explained to us that this area is part of the Bankside Urban Forest Project, where there’s a focus in making the area green.  As we walked around the neighbourhood it was clear to see that the project was succeeding and already well on it’s way.

Our first stop was a restaurant where everything inside from chairs to light fixtures was made from recycled materials.  Not only was the decor ‘green’ but all the food in the restaurant is from the neighbouring Borough Market.  It doesn’t get more fresh than that!

Our first food item was by far my favourite and I can’t wait to get home and try to recreate it, although I’m not sure I’ll be able to get it to taste as good as this was!

We were served a giant piece of toasted sourdough bread, sprinkled with olive oil and topped with mashed avocado and a giant slice of back bacon.  This was a party in my mouth that I could eat every day.  As a vegetarian option, it could also be served with a poached egg on top in place of the bacon.

After that delicious breakfast we had a bit of a digestive walk around the neighbourhood where Sarah pointed out some of the neighbourhood landmarks, green spaces and urban gardens that were being developed.

We then went back to Borough Market, where we visited a British Charcuterie that serves up all UK sourced products.

We sampled and array of dried sausage: Cobnut and red wine sausage, wild fennel, wild rabbit, blood, wine and chocolate sausage and beer sausage.  This was a perfect example of the importance of trying new things.  I was about to pass on the blood, wine and chocolate sausage, when I saw my 3 year old happily gobble it up.  She must have been lured in by the ‘chocolate’ in the name…for me it was that, plus the wine.  But I was pleasantly surprised, and it was actually one of my favourites that we tried!

What’s dried charcuterie without cheese, right?

We strolled through the market to a cheese stand where we sampled 3 year alpine cheese, Gruyere, Murgu, Belpur Knolle and fig and apple mustard.

The cheese was followed by another one of my favourites…..chocolate!

Sampling beans, learning about how they’re sourced and of course tasting chocolate!  We finished this stop off with a hot chocolate, where Sarah threw in the fun fact that we were enjoying our hot chocolate right across from Bridget Jones’ apartment.  It wasn’t food related, but with that being one of my favourite movies, I couldn’t help but get a bit star struck.

What’s a visit to London without going into a pub.  Our next stop was serving up steak and mushroom pie in a local pub that happened to be swarming with excited men in the middle of an intense football match! We got food and ambiance at this stop!

After our pie we needed another little walk to make room in our bellies, so we visited a green space with a beautiful view of one of the tallest buildings in Europe, The Shard.

Finishing on a high note wasn’t hard to do with the stop at the Gelato Shop we visited.  If I closed my eyes I could have been in Italy.  It was amazing!

The final thing that you might not think about when booking a food tour, is not only will you get to see the city, taste new food and leave with a full belly; but you meet great people from all over the world.  We came into the tour like a mild hurricane, with myself, my parents and my two toddlers in a double stroller.  But that didn’t seem to matter; everyone was very warm and welcoming.  By the end of the tour, my daughter was holding hands with one woman as she walked up a big flight of stairs, and another man was quick to help with my stroller and keep us all reined in through the crowded market.  We bonded on our journey and a group of strangers ended up as one big happy family, eating gelato on the streets of London.

It was great fun had by all!  Check it out if you have the chance.

Thanks to Eat. Sip. Indulge. for having us as guests on the tour.  All opinions are my own.