London must-eats: Raclette at Borough Market

There’s much to love about living so close to London’s Borough Market. It’s become our little Saturday morning ritual, where we take it easy and wander around the stalls, check out the new produce, and make a beeline for Konditor & Cook for a “real” coffee (because Monmouth's always too busy). But sometimes? I’m not quite sure how living in such close proximity to cheesy heaven, aka Kappacasein’s raclette stand, is advantageous for my arteries.

The premise for a Swiss raclette is ridiculously simple: a white carb celebration of melted Ogleshield cheese, new potatoes, baby gherkins and pickled onions. But it’s also ridiculously delicious – and the long queues are a testament to this fact. The plus side of the waiting time is that you get to watch the whole mesmerising raclette-making process, which involves scraping hot, bubbling cheese onto your pile of potatoes and gherkins. Oh lordy!

I especially love the acidic, crunchy baby gherkins, which contrast beautifully with the creamy, cheesy potatoes.

They also make the most unbelievably good toasted cheese sandwiches with Montgomery cheddar, onions, leeks and garlic on Poilâne sourdough.

Kappacasein is at Borough Market on Fridays 10am-6pm and Saturdays 9am-4pm, and can be found just opposite Southwark Cathedral.

Borough Market
8 Southwark Street
London SE4
Nearest tube: London Bridge
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Comments

[A Singaporean in London]

Thanks for the intro!

Borough Market is also a personal favorite and it's also one of the first place where I've brought my friends who are visiting London.

Pity that I've never tried one of those raclette. It does seem quite artery clogging. lol. That's an excuse really, I would head straight to the nearest burger joint and walk around the Market with a burger in one hand and a mull wine in another.

C K

[Char]

Oh, that looks good. Reminds me of the Ministry of Food recipe I tried a few weeks ago - you cut out a small hole in the top of a round of camembert, stick some crushed garlic and rosemary in it and bake it until it goes all gooey in the middle. Then you pour it over pasta... so good but sooo bad!!

[Top Bird @ Wee Birdy]

Char - that sounds amazing. Is that the Jamie Oliver book? Wow.

[*gemmifer*]

Finally! A reason to be happy I don't live in London instead of the many why I wish I did. My arteries would be filled with cheese cholesterol if I lived anywhere near this stall. I just saw raclette for sale in a local shop and may have to go back for a wedge to try my hand at preparing a mini-raclette feast for myself!

And that camembert pasta dish would just make me have to live in the cardiologist's office! Cheese is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

[Rose]

The cheese raclette is absolute food heaven isn't it.

At Borough market the weekend before last I took one of the bacon sandwiches from the burger stall, some prosecco from the wine dealers (with free panetone), a cider round a the National Trust pub, a brownie from the Borough Bakers, the raclette (for which we sat in the church yard so we could truly enjoy it) all rounded off with a hot dog from the German stand. On the walk back down the south bank I was understandably I think feeling slightly unwell... I didn't eat anything until 4pm the next day.

Borough is perfect. I tell everyone who comes anywhere near London the must go. You are really lucky living so near.

[jennifer]

Oh my goodness that looks amazing. It has been far too long since I've been to Borough Market!

[abby]

i so need to taste that! i love borough market too, but if you're not there really early, it is just too stressful. i like to stroll and browse and it isn't possible to do that there.

[desiderata]

I keep coming back to this post to drool. I miss cheese.

[gia]

I wish I lived close to such kind of a market! :) Very nice pictures. It really captured the spirit of the market, how accessible and perfectly casual as it should be.

[the likkle girl who wurves pwetty things]

Nyum nyum! Melted raclette! What a brekkie! xx

[Delicious Industries]

Mmmmm...Raclette, potatoes, gherkins and some crusty bread is one of my favourite meals! Our friends have a raclette table top machine/grill thing and we have the best raclette nights - so 70's!

Will definitely have to visit Borough Market soon!

[Emily]

All things cheese, it's really wonderful. I've already tried it out. It was sumptuous.

[Fionnuala]

Bubbly cheese!

[Digressica]

Mmmm, the grilled cheese sandwiches are one of the top five most amazing things I've ever eaten in my life. FACT. Haven't tried the raclette yet though, think that's one for next time.

Borough Market is the best market in London, hands down. I don't visit it early enough. Haven't been since before Christmas.

[Digressica]

(That was meant to be 'nearly' enough. Although I never visit it early enough either!)

[Mario and Ely]

We will be in London soon and I have planned a visit at Borough Market. It's a MUST SEE!!!

:))

[Lauren]

Mmm, my brain has just entered cheesy heaven! It all looks so good!

Reminds me of a meal I bought at a pub last year, for the grand sum of £2.99. For this bargainous price we got a three meat roast, and veritable piles and piles of cauliflower cheese - it looked just like that!

[Film Upstart]

Ok this is the next meet - forget tea lets do cheese!!

[Jules]

When I eventually get to Borough Market I know which stall I'll be heading to. The Raclette looks delicious.

Fab blog by the way!

[GUGAW]

ooh yes please! we popped by that exact stall in october, here's my pics :)

http://gugaw.blogspot.com/2008/10/9-years.html