With its in-your-face attitude and anti-establishment identity, Brixton is one of London’s most exciting food scenes. In the street around its stations, a vibrant, innovative and creative food culture has grown that is a heady mix of traditional market traders, restaurants, food producers, design stores, cash and carry supermarkets and Caribbean food markets. This burgeoning food scene is the result of a Space Makers urban generation project initiative “Empty Space Project” five years ago with London & Associated Properties Plc and Lambeth Council. Since then, the market has grown attracting newcomers as well as retaining its old residents. It is this mix of peoples and food traditions that makes Brixton so interesting. On a Saturday morning, you’ll mix with local shoppers bartering over prices with a new generation of locals enjoying breakfast. Take our free food walk through Brixton as beautifully illustrated by the fabulous Livi Gosling ... START HERE Discover more of Brixton
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Look out for our next food producer interview with Piddington Jam. We just loved this new startisan label discovered at Shepherd's Markets at One New Change. Inspired by the inventiveness of the Victorians, Catherine Piddington draws upon the culinary world and herbaceous border in her range of jams and chutneys that are nothing less than surprising. Absolute delicious - you'll want to eat it straight from the jar.
It's finally arrived - Recipes from Brixton Village full of recipes from one of London's best food destinations. Written by Miss South and illustrated by Kaylene Alder, this collection is as vibrant and cosmopolitan as the market itself with recipes from local traders like Okan, Cornercopia, Elepant and Lab G. We picked up ours at the market - hot off the press a few weeks ago and all we can say is that it's fabulous. You can buy the book here from Brixton Blog or from publishers, Kitchen Press. Discover more of Brixton Village ...
On Sunday mornings, Columbia Road is a buzz with the spectacle of flower traders hawking some of the best blooms in London — all to the cry of “everthin’ for a fiver”. However, Saturday is the best day to visit this small corner of E2. The pace of the street is slower making it the ideal destination for an unhurried lunch before exploring its famed vintage and home-wares stores, bars and galleries. For me, a trip to Columbia Road begins with lunch at Printers & Stationers. Hidden behind the main thoroughfare on Ezra Street, this converted warehouse has all the charm of a French village bistro. Its improvised bar, artful interior, menu of must-order charcuterie and cheese platters, and outdoor tricolour seating is perfect for a lunch for one. If the mood strikes, I order a shot of Armagnac as an excuse to laze a little longer before dropping into nearby grocer, Jones Dairy, for some British artisanal produce. If I am looking for a more social affair, a table at Brawn is perfect for a group. Columbia Road’s creative, independent and quirky style offers some of the best shopping in London. Typical of the neighbourhood is Oliver & Emma. Located at no. 134 Columbia Road, this literal hole-in-the-wall is the smallest coffee bar in the owners’ hallway. (They live upstairs.) Oliver & Emma’s coffee “any style” is close to perfection; if no-one is there, follow the instructions and ring the bell. At nearby, A Portuguese Love Affair, Dina and Olga’s collection of traditional and contemporary handcrafted wares pays a heartfelt homage to their homeland. From the hand-wrapped tins of canned fish (textbook classic design) to artisan olive oil, ceramics and Castelbel Porto luxury soap, everything is beautifully made and crafted. Down the road at no. 84, Pot Luck specializes in all things white china and at Vintage Heaven, any bowerbird will find something among the dinner sets, kitchenalia and books of this aptly named store. For a touch of the Welsh countryside, Jessie Chorley & Buddug Humphreys has handcrafted sentiments, jewellery and ornaments; while Choosing Keeping is devoted to the art of the written word and is where I go for my stationery. And then there is The Fox’s Knocker — a store specializing in natural, organic and biodynamic wines as well as local craft beer like Pressure Drop and Hoxton Stout from redchurch brewery. I always find something to take home, including a recent discovery — an aperitif called Stellacello made nearby in Bethnal Green that’s just heavenly when added to Prosecco. With its cobbled streets, Victorian terraces, and independent stores, Columbia Road on a Saturday offers the perfect day out in London. Printers & Stationers 21a Ezra Street, E2 7RH Jones Dairy 23 Ezra Street, E2 7RH Brawn 49 Columbia Road E2 7RG Tel. 0207 729 5692 Oliver & Emma 134 Columbia Road, E2 7RG A Portuguese Love Affair 142 Columbia Road E2 7RG Tel. 0207 613 1482 Pot Luck 84 Columbia Road E2 7QB Tel. 0207 722 6892 Vintage Heaven 82 Columbia Road, E2 7QB Tel. 01277 215968 Jessie Chorley & Buddug Humphreys 158a Columbia Road, E2 7RG Choosing Keeping 128 Columbia Road E2 72G Tel. 0207 613 3842 The Fox’s Knocker 110-112 Columbia Road, London E2 7RG Tel 0207 729 0538 Discover more of London
I love travelling and have the general life philosophy that you learn about people and cultures through your stomach. So I'm really pleased that this month, my article for Food&Co_ on a long lunch in Florence was published. Click here to read the article. I provide a taster below:
FOOD MEMORIES: IN SEARCH OF A GOOD LUNCH Words & Photography by Fiona M Symington I’m not one to argue with an Italian who is passionate about his food, especially one who has had lunch at the same place for the last thirty-five years. I had turned up early at Da Mario in desperate need of a good lunch. Tuscany had been a disappointment; places were either closed for the holidays or overpriced. So it was with a sigh of relief that I was lead to the last available seat at this trattoria near the Piazza del Mercato Centrale. It was here that I found Angelo, already in residence. |
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February 2017
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