The best things to buy at Borough Market for a sizzling summer barbecue

The market sizzles to life in the summer (Getty)

As the sun stretces its warm fingers over London, Borough Market sizzles to life, promising to make your summer barbecues truly unforgettable. Every stall holds a secret, every taste a tale.

So we’ve tapped some of our favourite stallholders for their top grilling tips and most-loved ingredients to take your barbecue to the next level and make it extra special.

At the heart of this culinary haven, Joel Ferrer of La Pepia beckons with his spectrum of salsas, Michael Hickson of Hickson and Daughter insists on Sicilian Romama courgettes, and Dawn Smith from Pimento Hill advocates for simplicity with a bunch: elevate your burgers with jerk seasoning and exotic chutneys that sing of summer spice. Not to be outdone, Marianna Kolokotroni of Oliveology introduces the Mediterranean touch, extolling the virtues of grilled halloumi and marinated feta, each bite a burst of sunshine on the palate.

Joel Ferrer, La Pepiá

Boost your flavour! We have three salsas that we’d highly recommended for a barbecue, from zero spicy to our hottest yet.

Our Green Herb Salsa is perfect for any grilled meat, chicken or beef. The combination of coriander, green peppers and organic olive oil, are refreshing and non-spicy, and intensify the flavours of meats. It’s also great for barbecue sides such as potatoes, breads and salad dressings.

For those looking for something with gentle yet flavoursome spice, our Salsa Picante is a blend of parsley and habanero chilli, and works best with chicken, fish, tofu and marinades. While mild, this one does build up in spiciness!

And for the chilli lovers, we have our Malvada Salsa, made with roasted burnt peppers, garlic and scotch bonnets. This salsa has a sweet and smoky flavour to start with, before the spice builds up and intensifies. This is best as a topping for any kind of meat either grilled or roasted, grilled veggies or tofu. I find it excellent for BBQ tacos. Note: this one will make you sweat!

Michael Hickson, Hickson and Daughter

In terms of seasonal produce in July, my top recommendation for veg would be our Sicilian Romana courgettes. They are so flavoursome on a barbecue and they have more of a natural sweetness than a regular courgette, which, when combined with the smoky flavour from the barbecue, works amazingly well!

Dawn Smith, Pimento Hill

My top tip for barbecues is to keep things simple, yet tasty. Explore what’s in your fridge and cupboards before doing your big shop, as you could end up with some lovely surprises if you have the basics on hand. Our top products for the season would be Jerk Seasoning, Chilli Salt, Garlic Oil, Caramelised Red Onion Chutney, Mango Chutney and Hot Banana Chutney and Scotch Bonnet Chilli Jam.

For burgers, whether bought or made from scratch at home, I like to marinade them in a blend of Pimento Hill Jerk Seasoning and Pimento Hill Garlic Oil. While grilling, pop a burger bun on the barbecue to warm through and then add our Caramelised Red Onion Chutney as a spread with some lettuce, cheese, the burger patty, Pimento Hill Mango Chutney, slices of red onion and our fabulous hot mayo, which is made with our Caramelised Red Onion Chutney, Pepper Sauce and Scotch Bonnet Chilli Salt.

If you’re thinking about side salads, I often perk up a potato salad by adding Pimento Hill Hot Banana Chutney. Just one tablespoon per serving adds zing and colour without an overpowering banana taste.

Dom McCourt, Northfield Farm

Everything is better on the barbecue! Every country has a culture of cooking over fire of some sort. We’ve been barbecuing long before we had kitchens.

With this in mind, my advice would be to get the basics right. Start off with a good steak – any cut works, but I always prefer something with a little bit of fat, which then melts into the fire and creates that delicious, smoked flavour. Make sure the barbecue is nice and hot, as you would if you were cooking a steak in a pan in the kitchen. A tip for achieving this on a charcoal grill is using a chimney starter – they’re available in lots of shops and aren’t too expensive. This then gets the coals glowing, which is what you want before popping your meat on.

If you get the basics right, all you then need is your friends over to enjoy it!

Marianna Kolokotroni, Oliveology

We love our 17C Olive Oil with Lemons, Oranges and Thyme, drizzled over fish, chicken and veg. It’s a very special organic oil made from unripe olives crushed together with lemons, oranges and wild thyme. It’s also great for all your summer salads.

No BBQ would be complete without halloumi, a summer staple at our Oliveology home. Ours is made exclusively from goat’s and sheep’s milk and has a bright flavour and mellow texture. Simply grill it and enjoy it as part of your summer salads.

We always go for Kalamata olives for the ultimate Greek salad. They come from our farm in Sparta and have a full, rich flavour. Perfect with any tomato salads.

And of course, it isn’t summer without tzatziki. We make ours in our kitchen in Bermondsey, using thick, creamy Greek yoghurt and fresh cucumbers and dill from the market. It’s the perfect accompaniment to any barbecue.

Last but not least, we love grilling our feta in a foil parcel. Just wrap it in tinfoil, drizzle some olive oil, wild oregano and grill for a few minutes. And speaking of herbs, we always go for a mixture of wild oregano and thyme from the mountains of Epirus in our marinades and glazes.

Darren Brown, Shellseekers Fish and Game

It’s got to be scallops and wild seabass for an impressive barbecue!

Scallops grill beautifully in their shells. Pop them on the barbecue with some butter and cracked pepper and serve with a dressing made of finely chopped shallots, capers and parsley, mixed with a squeeze of lemon juice and enjoy!

Wild seabass also works well on the barbecue with some chorizo and lemon. We like to use wild boar chorizo sausage, removed from the skin and mixed with butter to make a paste. Wrap your scaled, gutted and scored wild seabass in foil with a drizzle of oil, one sliced onion and two garlic cloves, then pop the chorizo and butter paste into the cuts on each side of the fish before wrapping the foil loosely. BBQ for 20-25 minutes. After 15-20 minutes add some samphire into the foil parcel on top of the fish and BBQ for 5-10 minutes before serving with a squeeze of lemon.

For more tips, recipes and information on what you can find at Borough Market, visit: boroughmarket.org.uk