Food for thought: markets vs supermarkets

“CONVENIENCE ISN’T EVERYTHING. AS WELL AS GREAT FOOD, WHAT YOU CAN FIND IN A MARKET IS HUMAN CONNECTION”

Portrait: Orlando Gili

Borough Market, which is run by a charitable trust, exists “for community, the love of food and a better tomorrow”. This statement informs everything from our Food Policy to our work with local schools; it also sparks lots of questions about what we do and why we do it. This autumn, we’re throwing some of those same questions out to experts beyond the Borough Market community.

This week’s answer comes from Camille Aubert of Call Her Chef. A highly talented private chef and recipe developer based in south London, Camille has for several years been making Borough Market her main port of call when buying ingredients to cook for her clients.

Question: What can markets offer that supermarkets can’t?

When I was growing up in Provence in the south of France, going to food markets was such a normal thing to do. For almost everyone there it’s just part of the routine. We have supermarkets too, of course, and they’re great for store cupboard ingredients, but the farmers’ market is where we go for produce. Across the different towns in your area there will be a farmers’ markets almost every day of the week, and you can buy all the fresh food you need. Provence is a region with so many beautiful local ingredients, and we make the most of what we grow.

What I found in London was very different. When I first moved here 15 years ago, I was surprised by how important the supermarkets were and how late they closed. Back home in Provence, the shops still close early. Here, there are supermarkets open until 1am. It says a lot about life in London – everyone in this city is so busy, and we expect everything to be open and accessible at all times of day and night.

At first, I thought it was great. Back then, I was working as a restaurant chef, starting early and finishing late, and I would go shopping at midnight on my way home from work. When I left France, people told me: “You’re going to really suffer with the food in England.” But I never suffered. I could find everything I needed whenever I needed it. Because of that, it took me a while to realise how much I missed going to the market. When I discovered Borough Market, I started coming here all the time.

Convenience is important, of course, but it isn’t everything. As well as food, what you find in a market is human connection. The experience at a supermarket is quick and cold – these days, you can shop without speaking to anyone at all; headphones in and just crack on. The market is different. In a busy week, I might go to Borough four times to pick up ingredients to cook for my clients, and the hour I spend there talking to the traders, these smiley people who are so passionate about what they do, it really makes my day. We’re social animals, and those moments of contact are so important, but you have to seek them out. The world we live in today simply isn’t made for it.

Conversations with traders have a social benefit, but they also help me professionally. When I’m cooking for a client, I always go to the market with a provisional meal plan. If the traders have the ingredients I want, I know they’ll be the best quality. If they don’t have something, it’s because it’s not in season or not at its best that day. But there’s no panic. I just talk to the people on the stalls. They’ll tell me: “Try this instead. It’s similar, these are the flavours, this is how you cook it.” Even though I’m an experienced chef, their knowledge of the produce means I can still come away with new ideas and inspiration. They have so much to share.

The sensory experience of the market is another part of its appeal. There’s a saying among chefs: “The eyes eat first.” First, it’s the appearance, then the smell, and only then does the sense of taste become important. If all those things are right, you have a great dish. It’s the same at a market, where inspiration comes from every sense being stimulated. The traders put their love into displaying the food, so when you arrive at Borough, everything looks so beautiful and smells so good. It’s a feast for the eyes and the nose.

And then you get to taste. If you’re in a supermarket, you never get to try the produce. At the market, if you want to buy some cheddar, for example, but you don’t know which of the many varieties to go for, the traders are happy to guide you and will often give you a taste. Recently, I was offered a spontaneous demonstration of different olive oils. I wasn’t planning on it, but the trader was so keen and lovely (“You should try this one, try that one, try this one too…”) so I started my day with several shots of olive oil. The one I left with was exactly what I needed.

Another great benefit is that you often buy exactly as much as you want. When you go to a supermarket, sausages only come in packs of six or eight. At Borough Market, you can say: “I just want two breakfast sausages and four rashers of bacon,” and they’ll give you two sausages and four rashers of bacon. You can get what you need, avoid unnecessary waste and also eat better food.

I know that for someone who has never shopped for produce at a market before, Borough may be a bit overwhelming at first. It’s big and it’s busy and you might actually have to speak to people! My advice? Start simple. It’s not about buying the craziest or most expensive of ingredients. Make a short list of familiar things, or the ingredients for a favourite dish; even if it’s just bread, salmon and carrots, the quality will be so high. Go with your list, walk around and don’t be scared to ask questions. Go a couple of times, get used to your surroundings, and, like me, you’ll soon have your own little routines – just like you do in the aisles of the supermarket, but in a far more beautiful environment. The more you talk to the traders, the easier it will get, and the more open you will be to trying new things.

It’s true that you can’t go shopping at Borough Market at midnight. But that doesn’t make me love it any less.