@BODY-10-TIMES:I HAVE just had two of the most wonderful gastronomic experiences of my life. The first one was a long overdue visit to Borough market in Southwark, south east London. My friend Cindy had been begging me to go with her since my return to London but, not being one for early morning rising, I begged off until this past Saturday.

Now of course I could beat myself up big time for having been so slow off the mark. I would gladly forgo a night's sleep just to have the opportunity to go back again. You may have been to Portobello Road or Camden markets, but Borough certainly puts those two in the shade. It is pure and simply a food market but of a very sophisticated variety.

What makes it amazingly special is the fact that so many countries and cultures are represented serving their own particular specialities from many different regions. There is everything and anything that you have ever dreamt of on offer. I have been to numerous markets in Aix en Provence and the environs but nothing in my estimation comes close to the Borough as far as excellence and choice is concerned.

Cindy and I managed to have breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next week in the space of three hours.

We started off this food orgy which it turned out to be at a very delightful fishmongers. They specialised in freshly dived scallops and oysters and Alfie was very happy to shuck a dozen oysters for us to knock back with a little lemon and Tabasco to commence the proceedings.

These were the plumpest, largest most succulent oysters that I have ever tasted and a first for me as a breakfast item. Luckily I have a stomach like a cement mixer because the combination of what I consumed in the next few hours was definitely a slight mis-marriage in terms of compatibility.

A brief visit to a stand that was in reality a small transplanted Italian village was next on the agenda, where the most flavoursome olive oils were on offer. We dipped little bits of bread into possibly 20 or 30 different variations and I opted for one that had been steeped in Mandarins and was so deliciously orangey and olivey that I can't wait to slather it over duck or roast chicken. For dunking purposes it was unsurpassed. By the time that this final dipping occurred I think that I must have consumed at least an entire litre of oil.

We swanned around sampling various wind-dried hams from Spain, chillies of every description known to man and some unbelievably scrumptious Humus from Jordan. Every stall holder seemed willing to let you have a taster before purchasing - which is a great idea, especially when it came to the wines and ciders!

At this point a divine aroma of coffee was penetrating the area so we decided to sit down and have a lovely rich Cappuccino which was being served with some warm freshly baked double chocolate brownies. These swam around very nicely with the olive oil and scallops in my tummy but not Cindy's and she had to go and disappear for a few minutes.

We passed by a great looking place called Octopus House, which specialises in fish. If you want a full blown lunch you can go there and eat as much as you like for ?4. They were just getting it set up and from what we could see there were mountains of fresh salmon, sea bass, prawns and huge platters of wonderful looking salads.

We breezed around for a while longer, raving about the organic cheeses, every sort of conceivable type of game, rows and rows of home made chocolates and gorgeous, gorgeous flowers. There was even a barrow selling rare herbs none of which I had ever heard of let alone tasted.

One of my favourite stalls was called Aunt Alice at Pudding Lane. Aunt Alice had zillions of different puddings sold in little pudding basins with gingham frilly tops and all you would have to do is steam them. Cindy decided on a sticky toffee and ginger variety that she wanted to serve at lunch the next day but in reality it would be two or three days before either of us was able to open our mouths again for consumption purposes.

We decided to have one last little repast to make the orgy complete and to really feel like huge inflated Michelin men. I had noticed a large queue forming earlier at a little French stall where they were barbecuing Marquez and Toulouse sausages. These were served rolled in a very thin, herby, flaky piece of bread with a vast amount of wild Arugula, aioli and lashings of Parmesan. It was so unbelievably good that we could see why the queue was now half way round the market.

Cindy wanted to sample an Ostrich burger before our departure but I really had to draw the line at this point. There is only so much that even a cement mixer can hold and this one was just about brimming over. It was now time to waddle off home; I spotted a lone wheelchair in a corner and felt like hi-jacking it just to give my poor tummy a rest.

We were both totally and utterly satiated in the nicest possible way and feel that the "foodie experience" at Borough Market was just pure, unadulterated culinary paradise. I know that many of you come to London and I implore you to make a visit here when next in town. You will be completely amazed at what you see and not only that the camaraderie and buzz of the place will turn this visit into an occasion that you will never forget. I suggest that you get there as early as possible if you go on a Saturday as by the time we left it was really getting a little bit too crowded for my liking. It is open from 9-6 and on Fridays I think that it's 12-6 but check before you go. During the week it is for trade only. It is situated over the river on Southwark Street between Southwark and London bridges. They have a web site which is www. boroughmarket.org.uk

I highly recommend that you fast for a few days before you go!

I now hardly have any room left to tell you about the other dining eatathon that left me yet again in seventh heaven. I think that perhaps I shall save it for next week because it will be a must for those of you who may be headed in this direction. Suffice to say that it is a brilliant new restaurant that has recently opened on the Embankment between Battersea and Albert bridges that I know you will love.

I will leave you with some recipes with a vaguely market theme to them that I think you may enjoy. I will finally be back on "The Rock" next week and have collected a ton of recipes whilst on my travels which I shall divulge in the forthcoming weeks.

Chutney 4 pears, peeled and cored and cut into largish chunks,3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped, 8-ounces sugar, 1/2 cup white wine vinegar, 1/2 cup white wine, 2 large onions, grated, 1 red chilli, deseeded and very thinly sliced, 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped, 1 thumb sized piece of ginger peeled and grated.

Crust for the Brie 10-ounces Brie, 1/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs, 1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves, salt and fresh black pepper, 2 dessert spoons flour, 1 egg, beaten, oil for deep frying To serve - mixed salad leaves such as Arugula and baby spinach.

For the chutney, put all the ingredients in a saucepan over a moderate heat. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes or until the chutney is reduced and thick. Transfer to sterilised jars.

For the herb crust cut the Brie into 8 equal sized pieces. Combine the thyme, breadcrumbs and seasoning. Coat the brie in flour, dip into egg and then into the breadcrumbs. Repeat until all the pieces are coated. Pre heat the oil in a fryer or a wok, when a small piece of bread goes crisp and golden in seconds it is ready. Deep fry Brie pieces for 2-3 minutes or until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towel, and serve on individual plates on top of the salad and with a little chutney on the side.

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1-pound smoked Haddock fillets, a brimming 2 1/2 cups full fat milk, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 medium onion chopped, 2 garlic cloves chopped, 8-ounces potato pieces diced into 1/2-inch cubes, 1 red pepper cut into the same size, 1 tablespoon flour, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, 1 X 7-ounce tin corn, drained, 3 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley, 6 slices of French bread, cut in half.

Place the Haddock in a frying pan and pour over the milk. Simmer for 6-8 minutes until the fish is just cooked. Lift out and set aside. Strain the cooking liquid into a jug. Melt the butter in a large pan and add the onion, garlic and potatoes and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring often, until softened. Add the pepper and cook for a further 3 minutes, stir in the flour and turmeric and cook for 30 seconds. Gradually add the reserved cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Remove skin and any remaining bones from the fish and break the flesh into rough flakes. Add the fish and the corn to the pan and heat gently until piping hot. Meanwhile heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the bread. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden, stir the parsley into the chowder, spoon into bowls and top with the croutons.

7-ounces (200 grams) Digestive biscuits, 1/2 cup whole pecans, roughly chopped, 1/2 cup whole, peeled pistachio nuts 10 glace cherries, (optional) 1/2 a cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon golden syrup (Miles/Supermart) 7-ounces dark chocolate Break the biscuits into small pieces directly into a large bowl. Add pistachios, pecans and cherries if using, mix together. Put the rest of the ingredients into a separate bowl and place over a pan of simmering water until the butter and chocolate have melted. Combine the biscuit mix with the chocolate mix. Line a 12-inch by 8-inch plastic container with plastic wrap, leaving plenty of extra wrap at the edges to help turn the cake out later. Pour in the mixture, pressing down hard to pack nicely, then fold the wrap over the top. Leave in the fridge for a few hours to harden, turn out and cut into chunky slices. This cake can be kept in an airtight container for a few days and it actually improves in flavour.