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Travel

Camden Market, London

How do I even begin to describe the craziness that is Camden Market? London’s most popular open-air market, Camden Market is a beast in and of itself. Think of it as a kooky foodie paradise with every sort of cuisine you could imagine and with vegan options galore. Add on top of that thousands of tourists, market stalls selling t-shirts, jewelry, and all sorts of trinkets, and a cafe dedicated to serving just cereal. Yep, cereal. There you have it folks, welcome to Camden Market. 

I myself had a tough time even deciding where to begin. First off, you are ushered in by this man in a traditional British uniform waving a massive bell and shouting about who knows what. We went around 11am and by that time it was already packed. We could barely make it through the main area of the market where all the food is.

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Naturally, people tend to gather around food no matter where you go.

Now when I said they had every sort of food you could imagine, I meant it. My boyfriend’s first stop was to get some hot winter tea to warm him up. Coming from Hong Kong, we were not used to the chilly, “wear 4 layers and thick socks with boots” sort of weather.

After one full circle around the stalls, we were ready to go for it.

The toughest part is choosing what you want to eat because it all looks so delicious. We decided it would be ideal if you could just try a little bit of each dish here and there, but unfortunately it didn’t work that way.

I started out at this healthy Indian place that had vegan & gluten-free options.

I was super excited because the woman behind the concept made all the dishes herself with little to no oil. She said she wanted to make Indian food that tasted really yummy but was also healthy and low fat too. The chickpea vegan curry was calling my name, so I got that with some rice. It was so delicious and not too spicy, just the way I like it!

I’m the type of person who always craves sweet food after savory, and vice versa.

So when I came across these vegan & gluten-free (and also some raw) desserts by Cupcakes and Shhht, I was really excited to try them. They had everything from raw vegan beetroot brownie balls to peanut butter caramel slices to coconut brownie balls. I’d recommend the peanut butter caramel slice (I’m a big sucker for peanut butter).

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You know that feeling when your mind is bigger than your stomach?

Nowhere was this more true than at Camden Market. Because just when I thought I was done eating, I found the famous Cookies & Scream Bakery that I’d heard so much about. Everything they make is 100% vegan & gluten-free, not to mention totally scream-worthy.

Cookies & Scream Bakery definitely made my list of the top 5 vegan restaurants in London. And for good reason, just look at all the deliciousness. First, I tried their chocolate chip cookie sandwich filled with the most yummy rich & thick vanilla frosting. This vegan cookie sandwich tasted so good. I couldn’t even believe it was vegan & gluten-free!

I was so impressed that I decided to take a couple of goodies to go: a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie bar, a blondie, a peanut butter & jelly cookie, an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie sandwich, and a regular chocolate chip cookie. Yes, I got all of that! I knew we were only going to be there once and I wanted to really stock up.

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After literally stuffing our faces, we walked around and did a little bit of shopping. The shopping is all over the place: from cheap souvenirs to quirky t-shirts to hipster glasses and trendy children’s clothes. You can really find it all here but you just have to go with an open mind. 

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We picked up a set of cream colored string lights for our apartment and both found ourselves a pair of handmade vintage glasses. I also ended up finding the funniest Adventure Time t-shirt that says “Epic Win!” with Finn and Jake on it. If you don’t know what Adventure Time is, you should for sure Google it.

Somehow after doing a full circle, we navigated our way back to the main food area for round two.

I didn’t end up finding anything else that I really wanted, but it was worth looking over again. If I wasn’t so full already, I probably would’ve tried some of the falafel with hummus or vegan Ethiopian food. But there’s only so much a girl can eat in a four hour time span.

I do want to point out that there is a place called Cereal Killer Cafe in the market.

They sell every sort of cereal there is. From American cereal to International cereal to special-edition cereal, they have it all. You can get it with all sorts of funky toppings too. Of course, it’s not exactly the most healthy or vegan-friendly place, but the branding was just so cool so I still wanted to share it.

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It’s definitely worth popping your head in to look if you’re ever in Camden market.

It’s got a very rocker/vintage vibe to it. Plus they do have soy milk and coconut milk, as well as some other lactose-free options if you really want to give it a go. 

As for the market in general, I’d highly recommend it but be advised that you should go on the weekend. It opens around 11am and is very busy, so be prepared that it will be packed. But I think it’s most fun to go when you can really get into the swing of things.

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Be sure to go with an empty stomach.

Trust me, you’ll find plenty of food to satisfy yourself when you’re there. And most importantly, allow yourself at least half of a day to fully experience it. It’s quite big and you’ll be doing a lot of walking, so you don’t want to have to rush. 

There’s also the occasional juice stand that you’ll find hidden away in the corner of the market. I noticed a large amount of vintage clothes as well. I managed to find a tie-dye t-shirt with bananas & watermelon on it that was just my style. Like I said, it’s a free for all so it’s best to go and just explore!

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Camden Market is a ‘must see’ for anyone visiting London.

My boyfriend and I went for the first time when we visited last year and we liked it so much we went back again this year. I’d love to know what you guys think, so if you do go or are interested please leave me a comment so I know!  

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