Best Laid Plans Fall Apart

13 April, 2017

Thursday morning broke as a typical spring day in London, slightly chilly and overcast. We didn't have much of an agenda and thought it would be enjoyable to stroll through Westminster Abbey. Although we've visited a number of times over the years there isn't a shortage of things to see and learn. A quick check of Google indicated that Thursdays were typically less crowded than other days of the week, so we hopped on the tube and headed over to Westminster.

When we exited the station the first thing we noticed were the barricades across the street put in place after the March terrorist attack on Westminster bridge, the next thing we noticed was the increased number of heavily armed Metropolitan Police officers in the area. Just across from the site of the attack in Parliament Square Garden a makeshift memorial for the victims.

As it turns out, Google didn't consider the additional traffic generated by a holiday week. There were two lines outside the Abbey, each stretching a couple hundred feet from the entrance. Since we weren't interested in using a significant amount of our day waiting in line we went around to the gift shop to look for a couple of items, took a few photos, and then decided to head over to Borough Market for lunch at two of our favorite spots.

 If you've read through the older archives of this blog you're already familiar with the object of my desire at Borough Market. Scotch Eggs from Scotchtails are simply amazing. They have been gracious enough to share their cooking technique and I hope to have an opportunity to try and replicate their divine creation in the near future. Look for them under the green umbrellas near Southwark Cathedral. If there's a queue don't let it put you off, they keep a steady stream of production and I've never had to wait more than a few minutes to be served.


In my opinion the other can't miss item is the toasted cheese sandwich from Kappacasein Dairy. They've graduated from the green umbrellas to a permanent shop on Stoney Street, just next to the Southwark Tavern. This isn't your father's grilled cheese sandwich. A blend of artisan cheeses enhanced by a sprinkling of leeks is toasted between two slices of the most amazing hand-cut bread you've likely ever experienced. While the queues don't move as quickly here as they do for scotch eggs, let me assure you that the wait is well worth the reward!

They also offer Raclette, which is, in its most basic form, melted cheese over boiled potatoes. (A cousin of poutine, if you will - same primary ingredients, different presentation.) The queue for Raclette is generally comparable to that for toasted cheese, so apparently they've got something going there as well. For me, I'll stick with the sandwich, thanks!

After lunch we caught the tube to Oxford Circus so we could stop by Liberty for a few odds-and-ends, primarily fabric requested by friends at home.

Between travel and shopping a fair amount of time passed, so we opted to grab afternoon tea in Café Liberty, which is one of our favorite places and an exceptional value. A large pot of tea with scones fresh from the oven, jam, and clotted cream is £10.95. They will gladly refill your teapot with hot water for a second steeping, and the quality of the tea is such that I can vouch that the English Breakfast holds up well. When they are busy it can take a few minutes to get the bill, so plan accordingly if you are under any scheduling pressure.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with our feet up in anticipation of meeting friends for dinner at Rocca, just down from the South Kensington tube station. If you're interested in a restaurant in good favor with locals and of low tourist density then you may want to give them a try. All our dishes were quite good, and our party covered the better part of the menu.