Who Wants A Chocolate-Covered Strawberry? Answer: EVERYONE!
Have I got a juicy controversy for you! As you can see in the photo above, a cup of strawberries is being drenched with liquid chocolate – where it’s happening is why it’s so controversial! Let’s dig into the “Chocolate Strawberry Controversy!”
My wife and I were in London recently, and our friend Yvette took us to the terrific Borough Market, which is London’s oldest and most renowned food market, boasting a rich culinary history that dates back over 1,000 years.
Located in the London Borough of Southwark on the south bank of the River Thames, this market is filled with cafes and pubs, as well as market stalls selling fruit, vegetables, and my favorite: fresh oysters!
It was so much fun to wander, and I could order fresh oysters with “bumps” of caviar, plus meat pies, fish ‘n’ chips and much more.
But then, as I was wandering around, I noticed this:
“Strawberry Selfies!”
In one area of the market, I saw a lot of people taking photos of themselves with a plastic cup filled with fresh chocolate-covered strawberries!
I looked it up and here is what I learned:
The viral social media craze sweeping London involves cups of oversized, fresh strawberries generously drenched in cascading Belgian milk or dark chocolate, famously sold by the Turnips stall at Borough Market.
That sea of red on the left is a table filled with fresh strawberries! And there was a large line of people waiting to buy them…here’s why!
These chocolate-covered fruit cups cost roughly eight and a half british pounds – and have taken platforms like TikTok and Instagram by storm.
A “Strawberry” Controversy!
OK, so one of the market stalls sells this insanely popular treat – why a controversy?
Because the market banned them! That’s right: the dessert’s massive online popularity surged even further following a brief, dramatic market ban in 2024 that generated widespread internet outrage and free publicity.
Why the ban? Well, that’s where the story gets controversial: Market Adminstrator’s attempted to ban the treat last September even though Turnips is a longtime greengrocer there:
The reason?
They said the cup of chocolate-covered strawberries was “neither fruit, veg or related produce.”
I found the whole story online, and here’s what happened after the ban was imposed:
“An employee, later identified as manager Konan Hanbury, announced the news on site to would-be customers, and an unaffiliated fan uploaded footage to TikTok. “If you’re outraged that we’re closed today, and you can’t get your beautiful chocolate-covered strawberries, make a complaint to the Borough Market administration,” he said.“
Complaints flooded in, prompting officials to lift the ban after five days. The original video, which amassed more than 1 million views, is no longer accessible to the public on the platform, but it survives on X, formerly Twitter, in a Sept. 16 post by @ExploringAlway.
The story continues:
“Borough Market and Turnips officials refuse to comment on the incident, but more people than ever are buying the dessert. “Since that story hit the headlines,” explained Logan Morris, a Turnips supervisor, “the strawberries blew up even more.”
People packed the walkways to eat the treat and of course, take selfies and TikTok video!
So for now, the controversial cup of chocolate-covered strawberries continue to be best sellers, and if you enter the name online, you will see so many videos by content creators showing off the treat!
The story ends with a sort of detente: as noted, the cause for the ban heard ’round the TikTok video remains in large part a mystery. Some customers point to the dictionary, surmising the chocolate component is anathema to a strict definition of produce, given the strawberries are no longer purely a fruit to be consumed raw or used as an ingredient but rather a dessert item.
Well, that said, here’s some video of us wandering through the crowded market:
This was just one of our great food adventures…another involved sky high martinis!
Take a look!
WE ordered this Martini at one of the world’s greatest bars – see our entire experience here!
Some of you longtime readers know I am a bit obsessed with this British dish:
Fish ‘n’ Chips…the greatest…so I had to get some in London – and I will also share my fried debacle – see that story here:
Speaking of dishes with a UK connection connection, I offer up this:
Yes, it’s “Spotted Dick!”
Click here for the recipe!
And remember when I made these very unique deviled eggs – with a Martini twist?
A “Dirty Martini Deviled Egg” Martini!
Yes, it was the most unique Martini I’ve ever attempted and see how I did by clicking on my story here!
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Categories: Alcohol And Bars, Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Books / Media, Eat This!, Food, Food Pictures, Food Travel, Recipes, Travel, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
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Love it! We were in London years ago and I remember visiting that market! If I’d have seen those gorgeous strawberries and luscious chocolate, you can bet that’s what I would have bought! How funny for them to be banned. No doubt, that increased the popularity, too!
Well, to my way people are absolutely nuts! Chocolate covered strawberries, with an actually firm layer of chocolate around each piece of fruit, seem quite popular as a desserty type of offering in Australia – NOBODY would think of asking so much money for them even if they were sold at market stalls! Big deal!!! Otherwise Borough Markets have always been famous for selling many freshly produced and special food items oft produced by the small specialist farmer – HOWEVER, quite a few of my London foodie friends are decrying of matters changing as the Markets have become such a tourist hotspot instead of a ‘gourmet’ fresh food destination for the locals – have not been for a long time . . . ?