National campaign launches giving fresh, high quality food to those battling COVID-19

Borough Market, London’s world-renowned produce market, is today spearheading a national campaign to provide free fruit and vegetables to frontline workers battling COVID-19.

‘Feed the Frontline’, has initially been funded by private businesses for April 2020 and aims to run throughout the peak of the COVID-19 crisis. The initiative launches with the provision of regular deliveries of fruit and vegetables to frontline workers at four NHS hospitals in London.

Borough Market is now calling for more companies to fund the expansion across the nation with the help of the UK’s network of food markets and fruit and vegetable wholesale markets. The aim is to feed as many frontline staff as possible throughout the pandemic. Feed the Frontline will be delivering 2,000 fruit and vegetable bags to Leeds General Infirmary and St James’ Hospital.

Borough Market has initially partnered with four London hospitals – St Thomas’, Kings College Hospital, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and The Whittington Hospital. 6,000 bags of seasonal, high quality fruit and vegetables are being packed and delivered by Borough Market trader Turnips each week. Once at the hospitals, the bags will be distributed to frontline staff by NHS volunteers. The food is accompanied by recipe cards from Borough Market chefs to inspire easy, healthy home cooking of fantastic food.

Darren Henaghan, managing director, Borough Market said: “With the UK in lockdown, we owe an enormous debt to the fantastic people of the NHS and other frontline workers battling COVID-19. They are working around the clock to save lives, care for the sick and control the spread of coronavirus. With London at the heart of the UK epidemic we want to play our part in the national effort against COVID-19 by caring for the carers – giving them fresh, high quality food to help them stay healthy and feed themselves and their families.”

“We’re asking more companies to come on board with Feed the Frontline to fund the expansion to more hospitals. Borough Market’s position as a charitable trust and a home to high quality wholesale traders means that food can be sourced cost-effectively and at sufficient volumes to make a real difference to the hospitals supported by the campaign. This will mean that the people working tirelessly to look after the nation don’t have to spend time queuing at supermarkets and can spend precious time away from work with their families and housemates.”

Sara Danesin, a Masterchef finalist who has recently returned to work for the NHS as a Staff Nurse in a busy acute medical ward at the Royal Free in Hampstead,  said: “A good, balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables is paramount to maintain good health whilst we are under so much pressure and stress. Our shifts are so long that by the time we have finished, shops are closed or have run out of fresh produce.” 

Visit  feedthefrontline.uk for more information about the campaign and how to get involved. Spread the word on social media via #feedthefrontline

Borough Market, London’s world-renowned historic food market, is remaining open for business – selling essential supplies of fresh produce and store cupboard ingredients for those working and living in the local community. It has now completely closed all restaurants and its hot food provision area, The Borough Market Kitchen, to focus purely on produce provision. The Green Market area will also be closed, so that all traders are in the Three Crown Square area to avoid shoppers spending unnecessary amounts of time at the Market.

All stalls are being repositioned to allow at least 2 metres between them, and the ground will be marked out with 2 metre distancing for the public, along with clear signage on the importance of shoppers remaining apart.

Borough Market will be closely monitoring numbers, and if a stall gets too busy people will be asked to come back when less crowded. Customers are encouraged to pay with card, rather than cash, and reusable coffee cups and containers will no longer be accepted during this period.

In addition to usual extensive cleaning practices, particular attention will be taken to ensure all touch points are wiped thoroughly and regularly with disinfectant.

Kate Howell, Development Director, Borough Market said:

“Our message is clear – we have responded to the Covid-19 outbreak by changing our nature. Our priority is to keep the local community safe whilst providing much needed supplies for people and supporting our traders – who are all small, independent businesses. There is no lingering, no socialising, our restaurants are all closed and our hot food area, Borough Market Kitchen has also now closed. We are no longer a place to travel to and visit as we must all avoid unnecessary movement across London. But if you live near the Market or are still required to come to work in the vicinity, think of us as your alternative open air supermarket, well stocked with fresh produce and other essential foods.”

Borough Market remains open from Monday to Saturday, with the usual trading hours.
As part of its service to the wider community, Borough Market is also hosting a Community Facebook Group where those at home looking for culinary inspiration can access hundreds of free online recipes – many using store cupboard staples, and swap tips.

Live cooking demos and cook-alongs from a range of chefs are hosted on Borough Market’s Instagram Live:

23-Mar: Lisa Fearn – simple doughs to make with children
24-Mar: Jenny Chandler – Dhal recipes
25-Mar: TBC
26-Mar: Tim Maddams – cooking on a budget
27-Mar: Clare Finney – drinks

Borough Market’s delivery and collection service, Borough Market Online, offers an alternative way for customers to access Market produce. The option of a doorstep drop service allows it to be received without contact with couriers.

London’s iconic Borough Market is extending its online delivery service to all customers within the M25 amid the Covid-19 outbreak. The Market is also remaining open for shoppers, with new public health and hygiene measures in place in accordance with government guidelines.

Since its launch in November 2019, Borough Market Online has offered deliveries by zero-emission electric bike within a 2.5 mile radius. From 19 March, deliveries will be temporarily extended to any location inside the M25. Click and collect is also available from the market up until 9pm each day.

Electric bike couriers will still be used for deliveries within a reasonable distance of the market, but vans – hybrid where possible – will be used further afield. Strict hygiene practices mean that the food is securely packaged, and the option of a doorstep drop service allows it to be received without contact with couriers.

“In these extraordinary times, the delivery zone has been extended to within the M25,” said Kate Howell, development director at Borough Market. “The priority is for the market to be able to deliver wonderful food from our traders to Londoners who have to stay at home and live outside our normal delivery zone.”

Borough Market is also fulfilling its role of supporting the local community through a series of ‘Food Community’ measures – trader Bread Ahead is offering free yeast on request to those living in the local community who are keen to bake their own bread at home, and the Market will be selling flour alongside other dried goods to keep Londoners cooking at home. People across the UK (and the world) looking for culinary inspiration will be able to access hundreds of free online recipes – many using store cupboard staples, along with live cooking demos and cook-alongs from a range of chefs and Borough Market restaurants.

Borough Market’s partnership with the Plan Zheroes charity will continue, with surplus produce collected from the Market and delivered to community organisations that help feed some of the city’s most vulnerable people.

Darren Henaghan, managing director, Borough Market said:
“Our community is large and diverse, and our responsibilities to it go beyond the sale of food. We will use the online sphere to stay close to those who need comradeship or distraction—that’s why we’re using our resources, working with fantastic chefs, traders and producers to create a digital community which will support people stuck at home and give them a sense of connection through food.”

“We have taken steps to shift the nature of the market from a place of congregation and engagement to one in which contact is kept to a minimum. Of course Borough Market is first and foremost a produce Market – customers can think of it as an outdoor supermarket – so the produce traders selling meat, fish, fruit, veg and baked goods are still all operating.”

“We aim to remain a haven for food lovers while supporting our small, independent businesses. Borough Market has served this community for a thousand years, through thick and thin. It has survived wars. It has lived through food shortages and curfews. As recently as 2017, our community withstood the trauma of a terrorist attack and the subsequent weeks of closure. It did so by remaining close and supportive, by caring about people – and that’s how we’ll get through this crisis too.”

Communal seating has been removed from the Borough Market Kitchen and public events have been cancelled to minimise contact between customers and traders. Several of the market’s restaurants and hot food concessions have closed but produce stalls selling meat, fish, bread and vegetables will continue to operate to serve customers and the wholesale trade.

The Market’s online shopping platform is available for customers to order delicious produce from the majority of Borough Market traders. Once the order is placed the Borough Market Online team will gather the produce from the relevant traders and place them in a designated hub within the Market. From here, customers can either collect their order at the Market between 12pm and 9pm or it will be dispatched via state of the art zero-emission electric cargo bike, within a reasonable distance, or by van – hybrid where possible – to their address at a pre-booked time slot.
To order unique and delicious UK and international produce from a range of Borough Market’s traders, please visit https://www.goodsixty.co.uk/borough-market