The Linen Draper Issue 2

Issue 02 Autumn/Winter 2015

THE URBAN FOOD ISSUE

*Cockney rhyming slang for ‘newspaper’

Fish Island smoked salmon – Hackney salad – London gin Shoreditch chocolate – Handmade soda – Foraging – Tottenham cheese

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FEAST YOUR EYES ON THIS

EDITED AND WRITTEN BY: Simon Manuel and Gina Wasikowski DESIGNED BY: Sally Grondowski CONTRIBUTORS: Alice Currell and Imogen Williams

CONTENTS

8-13COVER STORYLondon’s urban food producers on a mission to improve what we eat

4-7OUT AND ABOUTThe best of what’s on in and around north and east London this autumn

14-15ARTs AND CULTUREMeet one of The Big House’s success stories, Tiernie Thompson

20-23property and interiorsA deceptive house and this season’s trends in lighting for your home

28-33FOOD AND DRINKFish Island smoked salmon and the only gin distillery in the City of London

34-38LIFESTYLEMastering butchery, a fairer way to shop and foraging for your dinner

Cover image: PHOTOGRAPHY: Amy Currell, amycurrell.comSET DESIGN: Aliki Kirmitsi, alikikirmitsi.com

Printed in the UK by Mortons, mortons.co.ukPublished by Currell, currell.com

Food is big business in London and its reputation worldwide as a foodie mecca is on the rise. But as

well as the high-profile pop-ups and the Michelin-starred restaurants, the capital also has a wealth of less-heralded food and drinks producers. These skilled, committed Londoners are bringing fantastic locally grown and crafted food to our markets, shops, restaurants and bars.

For Issue 02 of The Linen Draper, we hunted down some of the best local producers on our doorstep in north and east London. Who would have thought that Fish Island would be home to one of the oldest and best smoked salmon producers in the UK (p28–29) or that a gin distillery sits in the heart of the City of London (p30)? Stranger still, who knew there was such a thing as Hackney salad (p13), or that you can forage for your dinner by the river Lea (p38)?

We also try our hand at butchery (p36–37), meet the Haggerston Food Assembly (p34–35) and round up the best things to do this autumn.

You can see some of the food that is mentioned in the following pages beautifully portrayed on our front cover, and in our cover story (p8–13), by talented food stylist Aliki Kirmitsi and photographer Amy Currell.

We would love to hear your feedback on our second issue, so please feel free to email us at [email protected].

Gina Wasikowski, Head of Marketing, Currell

4 The Linen Draperout and about

build a bike

If you fancy building a bike that is guaranteed to turn heads, we’ve got just

the place for you. The Bamboo Bicycle Club near Hackney Wick runs weekend workshops that help cycle enthusiasts build their own custom bicycles – out of bamboo. Bamboo is an excellent material for making bicycles as it absorbs vibration and offers a smooth ride even over London’s crumbling streets. The bikes are also light, strong and long-lasting. The workshop provides you with all the tools and materials you need to construct a frame tailored to your own unique vision. Creations can range from tandems to road bikes, electrics to hybrids, and more. The Bamboo Bicycle Club is a must for lovers of life on two wheels – and bamboo.

Workshops, 19–20 September & 3–4 Octoberbamboobicycleclub.org

GO POTTY FOR POTTERY

One of the best local museums in London, the Geffrye Museum, will once again play host to ‘Ceramics in the City’ during London Design Week.

The event sees 50 potters, both well-known and rising talents, from around the UK display their creative wares. The range of pottery on show, from classic homeware to delicate porcelain and more quirky one off pieces, will delight pottery enthusiasts as well as show those less in the know what it’s all about. More importantly, much of what is on display is affordable, with prices starting from just £10.

25–27 Septembergeffrye-museum.org.uk


autumn in the city

off the beaten track

If you’re looking for something different to do this weekend, Alternative London could be the answer. Specialising in

themed tours around east London, the Alternative London Walking Tour is perfect for Londoners new and old wanting to discover more about the capital’s coolest destination. Designed to educate people in the history of the area and what the future may hold, the tour also takes in some of the best street art that the city has to offer. Tours take around two hours, starting from Spitalfields Market. The best part? You pay as much as you want, making it affordable for everyone.

Tableware by Elliott Denny (left) and Deep Pink on Carved White Bone China by Penny Fowler (above)

6 The Linen Draperout and about

Following a hugely successful sell-out run in January, BalletBoyz return to

Sadler’s Wells in October with Young Men, a moving portrayal of love, loss and survival set against the backdrop of war. Drawing inspiration from images of conflict through the ages, the production is a compelling hybrid of dance, theatre and screen performance.

Produced by BalletBoyz’s artistic directors Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, the show is given an extra edge with a live score by English composer and poet Keaton Henson.

Young Men, 5–10 Octobersadlerswells.com

war dance

Good news for ping pong/party enthusiasts as Bounce, London’s

premier ping pong destination, is set to open its second venue in the capital. The idea behind Bounce is to bring the humble ping pong table out of the back room and into the centre of the action, mixing it with a high class night out. The new Shoreditch base will house 17 ping pong tables, a 25-foot pizza bar and a cocktail bar. There is even a private room for those looking to enjoy their ping pong in peace.

Bounce Shoreditch opens October 2015bouncepingpong.com

“A moving portrayal of love, loss and survival”

PING PONG party


Summer festivals might be over but there’s still time to discover some new

music. The Lexington on Pentonville Road plays host to a variety of bands and new acts in its retro American lounge bar. This autumn, up and coming London-based band Kidwave are on the roster. The band, led by Norwegian singer Lea Emmery, released their debut EP this year. Their distinctive sound has a dream pop and indie rock vibe, firmly influenced by 90s grunge, that will take you straight back to summer.

Kid Wave @ The Lexington, 5 October thelexington.co.uk

lyrics at The Lexington

Run through time

Set on an unassuming road near London Fields is one of the best ‘escape the room’ experiences on offer. Time

Run is an epic journey through time and space to recover a lost artefact, pushing participants to escape a series of three locked rooms or be lost forever.

The attention to detail in both the story and the epic set design, as well as comic and engaging performances by the actors, is what sets this experience apart. With just one hour to complete the mission, Time Run is genuinely exhilarating and will seriously test your powers of logic.

Time Run, Tuesday to Sundaytime-run.com

WORDS: GINA WASIKOWSKI

8 The Linen Draper COVER STORY Issue 02 Autumn/Winter 2015

With more and more Londoners demanding high quality, ethically produced food, The Linen Draper spoke to some of the people changing the way the capital eats

As every Londoner knows, some of the capital’s best food can

be found in its street markets and independent shops. After all, why buy supermarket food that’s travelled halfway round the world when you can buy better food from local people who care about what they produce?

Many Londoners prefer what’s on their plates to come from as close to home as possible. And they’re willing to pay that bit more to support local

PHOTO: AMY CURRELLSET DESIGN: ALIKI KIRMITSI

urban food fights backgrowers and producers if it means healthier, tastier food and a more ethical food system.

So who are these small-scale, inner-city producers offering us an alternative to our supermarket-dominated food system?

The Linen Draper took to the streets of north and east London to speak to some of the local people powering the capital’s growing urban food scene.

9

10The Linen Draper COVER STORY Issue 02 Autumn/Winter 201511

Wildes CheeseWildes Cheese, started in 2012 by

owner Philip Wilton, grew from the desire to do something creative. After working as a management consultant for many years, Philip became restless and decided it was time to pack it all in. After looking into different products, Philip and his partner settled on cheese.

“We thought for a long time about what we could make, looking into vodka, cake, beer and even jam. But we kept coming back to cheese. It’s something we love to eat so we thought, why not?” says Philip.

After a year of learning the ropes, the first cheese, named ‘Burt’, went into production. By Philip’s own admission it was not up to scratch. “It quickly became clear that making cheese in the kitchen at home wouldn’t work and that we couldn’t make a business out of it,” he says. “So we got ourselves a commercial unit and kitted it out.”

Their first cheese, a soft white variety called the Alexandra Palace, was ready

to go to market in November 2012. This was after six months of testing and refining to get it just right.

“I remember selling my first ever piece of cheese at Alexandra Palace Farmers’ Market. It was the first time anyone had given me money

for my cheese. It was lovely to see people enjoying

what I had made and taking an interest in who we were and what we did,” Philip recalls.

Since then, Wildes Cheese has continued to grow and is now stocked in delis,

restaurants and independent shops across

London. For Philip, this is how the

company will remain;

a London-made product for the London market. Part of this is staying true to his Tottenham roots.

“When we first discussed making cheese many people said to us ‘you can’t make cheese in Tottenham’. But why not in Tottenham? This is where we live, this is where our friends are and we are proud to live here,” he says. “We want to be a part of the area’s regeneration and put some commerce into the area. As far as we are concerned this is where we are and where we always will be.”

This local identity has played a huge part in the company’s success and Philip has seen loyal customers continually return over the last few years. Philip believes this is all part of customers turning away from bland mass produced products and looking for quality, local alternatives.

Philip is keen to point out that they are food producers, not manufacturers, and creativity will always be at the centre of what they do. “We try to create something new every month,” he says.

“If you come along to see us at one of our weekly stalls, ask for the ‘Brian’. This is the generic name we give to a cheese that we are currently experimenting with. We make something different every time. You might not like it but we will always offer our customers something new and different every time they come and see us.”

You can find Wildes Cheese’s products in markets and independent shops across London. wildescheese.co.uk

“If you come along to see us at one of our weekly stalls, ask for the ‘Brian’”


SQUARE ROOT SODA The inspiration for Square Root’s handmade sodas came from the micro

brewing industry. “You can go to a pub almost anywhere now and drink lovely handmade beers but they still just serve standard soft drinks,” says Square Root’s co-founder Robyn. “I thought we could do something more interesting and much tastier,” she says.

Duly inspired, Robyn and her partner Ed began juicing at home, drawing on her skills as a chemistry graduate and Ed’s experience working as a brewer. Their first flavour was fresh ginger beer, which they sold from kegs at Harringay Farmers’ Market. Customers loved it and they soon added new flavours from fresh, seasonal produce. Before long they were using a 1920s tricycle, named Elsie, to deliver their sodas to local shops and delis.

Square Root now operates from its own production space in Hackney and sells between nine and 12 thousand bottles of soda a week. “It’s suddenly become a monster,” says Robyn, laughing.

The bedrock of their success according to Robyn is the fact that it’s “a real product”. The ingredients come from sustainable farms in the UK, so far as possible. Rhubarb is delivered straight from a farm in Yorkshire and one in Kent supplies all Square Root’s raspberries and blueberries. Most of the rest is bought at New Spitalfields Market.

“People aren’t into an ingredients list where you don’t really know what any of it is, and it’s made in a factory where someone has just pressed a button,” says Robyn. “I think they like the story behind us and the fact that we do everything here ourselves. People are starting to respect that in the food industry.”

So much so that this year Square Root won Best Drinks Producer at the BBC Food and Farming Awards. Not bad for a business that started just three years ago at Robyn and Ed’s kitchen table.

They still sell their ginger beer, although rhubarb is hands down their most popular flavour, outselling the others two to one. Look out for their seasonal autumn soda, apple, and of course for Elsie, still delivering all over Hackney.

Square Root sodas are available in independent shops throughout London.squarerootsoda.co.uk

WORDS: SIMON MANUEL

“People like the fact that we do everything ourselves”

12The Linen Draper COVER STORY Issue 02 Autumn/Winter 201513

Mast Brothers chocolate growing comMunitiesBelieve it or not, Hackney salad is a thing. It is grown in no

less than 12 small market gardens situated in local parks and churchyards, and on estates and private land all over Hackney. Together these gardens make up the Patchwork Farm, the first organically certified food-growing land in London.

The Patchwork Farm is run by Growing Communities, a Hackney-based not for profit organisation that is tackling our food system head on. “The current food system is flawed,” says Growing Communities’ Fiona McAllister. “It is damaging environmentally and socially, in terms of farmers not getting fair prices.”

So how do you change a city’s feeding habits in the face of climate change and support local farmers at the same time?

Growing Communities’ answer is simple. First, you buy sustainably grown food from small-scale farmers based close to London and distribute it locally. Secondly, you grow some of it yourself and train up a new generation of growers at the same time. Hence Hackney salad.

“We’re working on the ground and doing practical things to change the food system,” says Fiona. “And we are creating local jobs. It’s all part of the social enterprise model.”

As well as its Patchwork Farm, Growing Communities owns a two-acre farm 11 miles away in Dagenham that grows a wider variety of vegetables on a larger scale.

Having a guaranteed market for the growers’ and local farmers’ produce is key, according to Fiona. Distribution of the food is through two community-led trading outlets: an organic fruit and vegetable bag scheme and the Growing Communities Farmers’ Market in Stoke Newington. The bag scheme has about 1,000 customers and Fiona says they are “super-proud” of their product.

“It hasn’t had the same crazy distribution as conventional supermarkets,” she says. “It’s really fresh, comes from much closer and isn’t full of pesticides. We try to emphasise the environmental and social benefits ahead of the health benefits but it’s difficult to deny those health and taste benefits.”

And Hackney salad could soon be about to reach a wider audience. It has just been nominated for an Urban Food award in the London Leaves category for “the sassiest salad and hoopiest herbs” grown in London.

Growing Communities’ award-winning organic fruit and veg bag scheme has 14 collection points across Hackney. The Farmers’ Market takes place every Saturday at St Paul’s Church, Stoke Newington, N16 7UY. growingcommunities.org

Brooklyn born and bred chocolate brand Mast Brothers opened in Shoreditch earlier this year bringing its craft

chocolate philosophy to a new audience.

Brothers Rick and Michael Mast started making chocolate in 2006 in their Brooklyn apartment, inspired by friends who were making their own craft food products. After some research, they started roasting cocoa beans and drying them out with a hairdryer or on the roof, before turning them into chocolate bars and selling them at local farmers’ markets.

Nearly 10 years down the line, the company has two flagship stores and further plans to expand. So can this growing chocolate brand still be considered a craft company?

Shoreditch manager Lani Kingston says: “All the chocolate sold in the store is made by our small team of 10 here in Shoreditch. We roast it, crack it, grind it and hand sort all the beans. We use traditional stone grinders like the Aztecs and Mayans would have used, which grind down the cacao nibs and the cane sugar to a really smooth texture, from which we make our bars. Currently we are producing around 1,500 a week but we aren’t yet at full capacity because some of our grinders are dedicated to experimental flavours.”

The shop is an education. Most of the chocolate we eat today holds less than 10% cocoa. At Mast Brothers, the minimum cocoa percentage is 60%, while the darkest bar contains a whopping 76%. Mast Brothers is all about changing people’s perceptions of what chocolate should be and showing that it can be produced on a large scale but in an artisan way.

This attention to detail even extends to the packaging, which is regularly changed for new flavour inspirations, making the

shop look more like an art gallery than a chocolate shop. The window looking into the production room allows customers to see the chocolate makers at work and the smell of chocolate is mouth-wateringly good.

“We take so much care in the whole process, everything is done by hand – it’s a minimum 40 days from bean to bar – that we feel the

presentation should showcase this handmade and lovingly crafted product in the best way possible,” says Lani. “Our philosophy here in Shoreditch is the same as in Brooklyn, only with a British twist. Shoreditch is a place that we think really gets what we are trying to do.”

Mast Brothers, 19-29 Redchurch Street, Shoreditch, London E2 7DJmastbrothers.com

“Mast Brothers is all about changing people’s perceptions of what chocolate should be”

“We’re doing practical things to change the food system”

Buy anything you want... as long as it’s chocolate

WORDS: GINA WASIKOWSKI WORDS: SIMON MANUEL

14 The Linen Draper

big house with a big heartThe Big House is a Hackney-based charity founded in 2013 by theatre director Maggie Norris. It uses drama and theatre workshops to help care leavers overcome difficult childhoods and transition to adulthood. In 2014, after a 12-week course,15 young adults put on a new play, BABY/LON, at Hackney Downs Studio, based on the cast’s personal experiences. It ran for three weeks and received rave reviews. Tiernie Thompson, one of the members of that cast, told The Linen Draper about The Big House and its impact on her life

“My social worker got me involved with The Big House. I had left my foster home and had started getting

into trouble. She knew I’d done drama in college and enjoyed it, so she sent me an email about The Big House but I refused to read it. Then Maggie got in contact and I arranged to meet her.

Maggie told me about The Big House but first she wanted to hear about me. There was this vibe about her and as soon as I met her I felt like I knew her. I don’t really trust people easily but I had so much trust for her. So I told her my story.

I had been in foster homes since I was 12 after social services found out about my mum’s drug problems. I can’t remember how many foster parents I had but I ran away about 10 times. Finally, I moved in with a foster carer in Broadstairs in Kent. When I left school I started studying Performing Arts at East Kent College but I fell out with my foster carer and came back to London.

My foster carer had made me feel I couldn’t do things on my own. She told me I’d get depressed or commit suicide and I needed to stay with her to survive. But I thought I should find out for myself if I could cope or not.

So I moved back to my mum’s in London and commuted to college for a year to finish my course. It killed me, it was an hour and a half train journey each way. And living back at my mum’s was stressful, as I had to stay under her roof, under her rules.

When we met, Maggie invited me to one of the Saturday workshops. I was dreading it, I was so scared. During my teenage years I would just sit in my room and isolate myself, as I was full of anger and hate for the world. I worried about being with people my own age as I thought they would hate me and bully me.

On the first Saturday, Maggie met me outside and took me into The Big House. Everyone was dancing and jumping around and having fun but I didn’t join in. I just moved into the corner and tried to make myself invisible.

After that first workshop, Maggie asked me to come back the following Saturday. I wasn’t intending to go every week, I thought I’d go once so I could tell my social worker and she would leave me alone.

But I went back to The Big House, and even though I didn’t want to admit it, I enjoyed it. One of the things we did was ‘circle time’ where we would talk about our life. No one else in college had been in care, but at The Big House no one had come from a perfect life, everyone had their own struggles. That

ARTS AND CULTUREIssue 02 Autumn/Winter 201515

brought us all together. I was shy at first but after a few workshops I settled in and started to accept these people into my life, which was really hard for me.

One Saturday Maggie handed out rough scripts that Andy [The Big House’s playwright] had written and we did a read through of what would become BABY/LON. We went in every day for rehearsals and as Maggie had teamed up with the Job Centre it counted as work

experience. I loved it, even though there was so much to remember.

BABY/LON ran for three weeks. After every performance the crowd was cheering – it was a feeling you can’t describe. All that hard work we’d done had paid off with those claps and whistles. My mum and dad came and it was the first time I heard my dad say he was proud of me. I’ll always remember that night.

I’ve now got a job at M&S and am auditioning for acting parts. Before Christmas I was in a Sam Smith video and I have also played a waitress in the BBC drama, Detectorists, with Mackenzie Crook. By the end of next year I want to be in a movie with Tom Cruise. If you don’t dream, you’re not going to get anywhere. Also, I’m setting up my own independent production company. If roles don’t come to me, I’m going to set up my own.

I wouldn’t even be here today if it wasn’t for The Big House. I’m happy and stable now. I was in a really bad place and now I’ve found the end of the rainbow. The Big House gave me structure, commitment and friendships. Everyone I was with at The Big House is still a friend, in fact, they’re not even friends, they’re family. We all still talk and hang out. That’s what it gives you, a family.

There are loads of people who need something like The Big House in their life. Every time someone goes into The Big House I see them leave with a smile and it makes me smile. There aren’t many places like it. You can go to drama school but they don’t give you the same support. The Big House treats you differently, with more respect. They acknowledge your background and they work with you through it.

They also give you that extra support that you need, such as filling in CVs and applying for jobs. They helped me with my hostel as I had problems with benefits and paying rent because I wasn’t working. Now I live in my own flat – it’s nice having my own place.

Maggie is a great woman, a guardian angel sent down to earth. If I hadn’t had Maggie and The Big House in my life, I can’t imagine my world right now.”

The Big House is putting on True Man from 18 November to 12 December at Rio Cinema, 107 Kingsland High Street, E8. For ticket information go to thebighouse.uk.com

“It was the first time I heard my dad say he was proud of me. I’ll always remember that night” “I was in a Sam Smith

video and also played a waitress in the BBC drama, Detectorists, with Mackenzie Crook”

BABY/LON was a huge success

The Big House helped Tiernie Thompson turn her life around

WORDS: SIMON MANUEL

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20 The Linen DraperPROPERTY AND INTERIORS


SMALL SPACE

BIG THINKINGFrom the street, the appearance

of this delightfully modern home is incredibly deceptive. The slim white façade, dotted with a series of small windows, hides an altogether larger interior.

The property, by award-winning developers Noble House Properties, opens up as you walk through the narrow entrance into a light-filled open plan interior.

Every inch of space has been used to maximum effect. The enclosed garden at the rear is a stunning feature that brings the garden inside all year round. Previously a garage and yard, extensive planning was required to reconfigure the unusual space into a three bedroom house that includes a cinema room.

The Linen Draper takes a look at a modern De Beauvoir house that is deceptively large

Alex Oliver, a director of Noble House, says: “Our aim was to create a modern, cutting-edge space using specialist materials and taking advantage of the natural light. The site is unusual as it is a narrow infill at the front, opening substantially at the rear, so it was important to make a statement of the narrow façade. This was the thinking behind the tiled frontage.”

The result is a modern property that manages to both blend into the surrounding architecture while still marking itself out as unique.

The house is in the De Beauvoir area of Islington, close to the boutiques, bars and restaurants of Upper Street and Essex Road. It is moments from Essex Road railway station and within easy reach of both Angel and Old Street underground stations.

This three bedroom house is small on the outside, but large and bright on the inside

“Our aim was to create a modern, cutting-edge space, taking advantage of the natural light”

Northchurch Road is on the market for £1,350,000All enquiries 020 7226 4200 currell.com

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PROPERTY AND INTERIORSIssue 02 Autumn/Winter 201523

As the nights start drawing in, keep your home feeling warm and looking bright with the latest lights from some of the best lighting designers in the business

style watch Lighting

22 The Linen Draper

Launched at Clerkenwell Design Week 2015

Launching at the London Design Festival 2015

Core pendant in Carrara marble, Single pendant, £125, Terence Woodgate terencewoodgate.com

Tilt brass pendant lamp,from£340, Nytanyta.eu

w152 Busby LED lighting collection,

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WORDS: SALLY GRONDOWSKI

Austin Collection at MADE,Table lamp, £49Floor lamp, £79 Clustered ceiling pendant, £79made.com

Equipo Santa & Cole Collection at twentytwentyoneTripode G5 floor lamp, 1994, £415GT6 pendant light, 1994, £255Tripode G6 table lamp, 2002, £330twentytwentyone.com

currell.com

IslingtonSales: 020 7226 4200

Lettings: 020 7288 [email protected]

An impressive five-storey terraced Victorian property, refurbished to an exceptionally high standard. This spacious and beautifully presented home offers well-proportioned living space, with luxurious bathroom suites and spacious bedrooms, as well as an enclosed rear garden. Although modernised throughout, the restoration of original features has maintained the period charm of the property. Aubert Road is situated just off Highbury Grove and offers easy access to Highbury and Islington. EPC Rating: C

Aubert Road, N5£POA

currell.com

A rare opportunity to purchase a Grade II listed property on the renowned Wilmington Square in Bloomsbury. The property is currently configured into three flats, with original period features and scope to create a unique home. Conveniently located for easy access to Angel, Exmouth Market and the local shops of Amwell Street.

Naoroji Street, WC1X£1,125,000 Leasehold

Wilmington Square, WC1X£2,600,000 Freehold

A two bedroom, two bathroom apartment with a large terrace set within the West City One development. Accommodation measures approximately 906sqft and further comprises an open plan kitchen, living room and dining room area. An expansive terrace can be accessed from both bedrooms. Underground parking available by separate negotiation. EPC Rating: B

Clerkenwell020 7253 2533

[email protected]

Nestled in this quiet development is this beautiful two bedroom mews house, set over two floors. The property is stylishly finished with plenty of entertaining space and access to communal outdoor areas. Shore Mews is well located between the open spaces of both Victoria Park and London Fields, close to both Broadway Market and Victoria Park Village. EPC Rating: C

Situated in a popular Victoria Park location is this substantial four-storey, mid-terrace Victorian house. The property has three bedrooms, including a grand master suite with dressing room and en-suite bathroom. There is a decked garden accessed from the kitchen diner, making it perfect for entertaining. Available now, part furnished.

Victoria Park020 3222 5555

[email protected]

Shore Mews, E9£610,000 Share of Freehold

Fremont Street, E9£1,100 per week*

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*Tenancy fees apply. For more information visit www.currell.com/info/fees

Hackney 020 7241 4111

[email protected]

An end of terrace period house located in the heart of London Fields. Located on a quiet residential street, this five bedroom family house is arranged over three levels, at just over 2,000sqft. Offering practical space with a mixture of contemporary fixtures and Victorian charm, the current owners have refurbished and extended the house. A rear enclosed garden is accessible from the large kitchen/diner. St Phillip’s Road offers easy access to the amenities of London Fields, Broadway Market, Dalston and Victoria Park. EPC Rating: D

St Philip’s Road, E8£1,850,000 Freehold

currell.com

FOOD AND DRINK28 The Linen Draper Issue 02 Autumn/Winter 201529

London’s answer to champagne

When you think about smoked salmon, you are unlikely to think

of an industrial warehouse in Fish Island. But that’s exactly where you will find H. Forman & Son, one of the country’s oldest and best smoked salmon producers, who have been plying their trade in east London for more than 100 years.

The company was started in 1905 in Stepney Green by Harry Forman, a Russian immigrant who brought with him a knowledge of fish curing. Harry developed a special cure for the salmon he imported from Scotland and before long his client list included Fortnum & Mason and some of the top 5-star hotels in London. To this day, it is Harry’s ‘London Cure’ for which H. Forman & Son is famed.

Lance Forman, current owner of the business and great-grandson of Harry, only joined the company in his early

30s but has always had the business in his blood. “I could slice a smoked salmon at the age of six,” he says. “Vacuum packed smoked salmon didn’t exist when I was young, all salmon had to be carved. Dad would bring home a whole side of salmon at the weekend and I would learn how to do it.”

Lance has spent the past 17 years working to maintain the quality for which H. Forman & Son has become known, as well as trying to keep the East End tradition of smoking salmon alive.

“There’s a common misconception that smoked salmon is a Scottish thing,” he says. “It isn’t, it’s a real East End trade. It is only since salmon farming was introduced on a large scale in the

70s and 80s that it has migrated up to Scotland because it’s closer to where the fish are. Even as late as the 70s there

were around a dozen smokehouses in the East End. We are the last remaining one,” he says.

So how is it that H. Forman & Son has survived where others have failed? “Our methods haven’t changed in

over 100 years, we do things in a very traditional way” says Lance. “We don’t believe in using machines, everything is done by hand. This is why we are an artisan business because real skills are required to produce our salmon.

“What a lot of other companies did was try to cut costs with new technology in order to compete. We have never

compromised on the quality of the product in this way which is why I think we have survived,” he says.

As well as maintaining the high quality of salmon that Forman’s customers have come to expect, Lance is anxious to educate people about what smoked salmon really is.

“Smoked salmon in general has lost its way,” he says. “If you think back 15 years, there was respect for this product, it was seen as something special, the first gourmet food in the UK. Now, it is so readily available in supermarkets that people don’t understand what it should taste like because what mass producers supply is not smoked salmon in the traditional sense.”

If the big supermarkets aren’t giving us the real deal then, what should we be getting? “Firstly, you aren’t supposed to taste smoke. The purpose of the smoke

in the process is purely to preserve the fish. This is a technique that has been used for hundreds of years before we had the luxury of fridges. It is not to add flavour,” says Lance.

“Most complaints I hear from people eating cheap salmon is that it leaves an unpleasant smoky aftertaste. The other is that the salmon is slimy. If salmon tastes slimy, this means it hasn’t been dried properly and has retained too much water. Smoked salmon should truly just taste of salmon and the curing process serves to enhance this taste,” he explains.

To emphasise the quality of his product, Forman’s salmon has recently received Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status – an award by the European Commission that protects and promotes named regional food products. This means Forman’s ‘London Cure Smoked Salmon’ now has the same status as

champagne, and amazingly is the first London-based food to achieve this accolade. Lance hopes it will show people that salmon is a London product and one that the East End can proudly claim as its own.

You can try H. Forman & Son’s award winning smoked salmon at their on-site restaurant, where you can also see the salmon curers at work. Or, visit their online shop formanandfield.com.H. Forman & Son, Stour Road, Fish Island, London E3 2NT

Hackney’s H. Forman & Son has been celebrated for its smoked salmon for more than 100 years. The Linen Draper’s Gina Wasikowski met owner Lance Forman at the company’s Fish Island smokery to discover the secret of his family business’s success and hear about the award that puts Forman’s smoked salmon on a par with champagne

“There’s a common misconception that smoked salmon is a Scottish thing. It isn’t, it’s an East End trade”

Beetroot cured salmon at Forman’s restaurant

All Forman’s smoked salmon is prepared by hand on site at its Fish Island premises

Forman’s restaurant overlooks Stratford’s Olympic Stadium

Salmon is still smoked using traditional artisan methods

FOOD AND DRINK30 The Linen Draper

With gin back at the top of the capital’s cocktail menus nearly 300 years after it first took the city by storm, we spoke to Jonathan Clark, owner of the City of London Distillery (COLD), about his locally distilled gin and London’s rekindled passion for ‘mother’s ruin’

The first thing you notice when you descend the stairs into COLD’s speakeasy-style bar just off Fleet Street

are two huge copper stills standing proudly behind a large sheet of glass.

Given that this is the first distillery in the Square Mile for nearly 200 years, you can see why they would be put so prominently on display. Plus, they are beautiful, unusual looking pieces of machinery.

“Meet Clarissa and Jennifer,” says COLD owner Jonathan Clark. “I had them made to measure in Germany. They’re named after the TV chefs, the Two Fat Ladies.”

Jonathan set up COLD in 2012 on the site of what in Fleet Street’s heyday had been a drinking den humming with journalists. “Fleet Street had gone so I had to reinvent the place,” says Jonathan. “I had a new-found love of gin so I thought I’d put a distillery inside a bar. No one in England had done that before.”

His timing couldn’t have been better. The UK is riding the wave of a new gin craze that has seen the number of distilleries rise from five to more than 35 in the last six years.

Jonathan puts this down in part to the fact that people are always looking for something different. “Also, I don’t really like the name ‘craft’ gin but I think people buy into how it is made and the botanicals [the ingredients used to give gin its flavour], as well as the history behind the gin,” he says.

Jonathan is keen to keep the recipes for his gins, all of which are made in Clarissa and Jennifer, a closely guarded secret. But he is more than happy to show me a giant

GIN is the new black

cauldron of sloes that have been marinating “for a while”. He won’t be more precise.

He then puts me to a taste test of his City of London Sloe Gin against one of its rivals. His is a deeper red colour and is richer and smoother tasting even to an undiscerning gin drinker like myself. “That won Outstanding Silver at the International Wine and Spirit competition,” says Jonathan. “Out of 26 gins we got the highest award in the country.”

John is hoping for further accolades following the recent appointment of Tom Nichol, former master distiller of

Tanquery Gin, as a consultant distiller. He sees this as a big coup for a small distiller. “I’m doing 25,000 bottles a year now, which is small, but that will increase with Tom on board.”

Together they have created a new gin, called the Sir Christopher Wren, to go alongside his sloe gin, Dry Gin (best for G&Ts), higher-proof one-shot Square Mile gin and an Old Tom gin made for the Dorchester

Hotel. The new gin goes on sale at the end of October and will be the only one Tom makes in the UK.

COLD also runs tours and a Gin Lab Experience where visitors can mix the botanicals, distill their own bottle of gin and design their own label. It is a far cry from the days when gin was distilled in virtually every building in the City but it matters to Jonathan. “We are now the only distillery in the City of London and heritage is everything, absolutely everything.”

COLD is offering Gin Lab Experiences to two readers chosen by him who can correctly answer this question: “What type of still is Clarissa?” Answers to [email protected]. More details about COLD can be found at cityoflondondistillery.com

“We are now the only distillery in the City of London and heritage is everything, absolutely everything”

WORDS: SIMON MANUEL

City of London Distillery Millionaire Cocktail

32 The Linen Draper Issue 02 Autumn/Winter 201533

Method

1. Start by prepping the vegetables: deseed the pepper and then finely shred it, and the mange tout, into thin strips; finely chop the spring onions, carrot ginger, red chilli, lemongrass and coriander.

2. Cut the pak choi in half, drizzle a little oil over it and roast in the oven for 4‐5 minutes until it starts to soften but is still crispy on the outside. Keep warm.

3. Heat some sesame oil in a wok, add all the vegetables and stir‐fry; you still want a little crispiness to the vegetables. Add the beansprouts and coriander and stir. Fry for a further couple of minutes. Keep warm.

4. Place the marinated black cod on a baking tray and cook in the oven at 210C for about 12 minutes. You want a nice charred effect on the cod.

5. To serve, put the stir‐fry vegetables on a plate, then place the cod on the vegetables, skin side down. Garnish with the roasted pak choi and drizzle a little of the miso sauce over the top.

4x portions of black cod in miso (purchased from Forman & Field)250g beansprouts200g mange tout1x red pepper1⁄2 bunch spring onions100g ginger2 sticks of lemongrass1x red chilli1⁄2 bunch coriander1x carrot2 heads of pak choiSesame oil

This version of the recipe made famous by Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa comes from Forman & Field’s chef Matthew Smith. It is perfect for entertaining friends, tastes great served with oriental stir fry vegetables and couldn’t be simpler to make

Roasted Black Cod in Miso

Ingredients (Serves 4)

formanandfield.com

FOOD AND DRINK

What does the future hold for children like Kieran?

020 7288 6941 islingtongiving.org.uk

Opportunity in Islington

Did you know that 34% of children in Islington are living in poverty? Or that Islington has a higher proportion of 16 to 18 years olds not in employment, education or training than the national and London averages?

Look beyond the leafy affluence and you will find lots of disadvantaged young people in Islington who simply want to make a better life for themselves. To get involved. To make a difference.

We fund local organisations to provide the activities that young people want and need. So that they can have fun, build confidence and social skills, promote healthy living and connect to new opportunities. If you want to help kids like Kieran grasp a better future, right here on your doorstep, get in touch.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and pour in all the ingredients. Shake well and then strain into a cocktail glass. Serve.

The City of London Distillery bar has the feel of a Prohibition-era drinking den so it is appropriate that the cocktail it recommends dates back to that time. There are a variety of Millionaire Cocktails around but this recipe is based on the classic one in The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock, first published in 1930

20ml of City of London Sloe Gin20ml Apricot Liqueur 20ml Rum20ml Lime Juice10ml Grenadine

DRINK LIKE A MILLIONAIRE

Ingredients

cityoflondondistillery.com

A FAIRER WAY TO BUY FoodHaggerston Food Assembly enables lovers of good food to cut out the middle man and buy direct from local farmers and producers. The Linen Draper talked to organiser of the assembly Becks Scurlock about her passion for high-quality, local produce

What is the Haggerston Food Assembly?Haggerston Food Assembly is a weekly food market, where people buy food directly from producers and farmers. Any produce sold has to be sourced from within 150 miles of Haggerston. Broadly speaking, the Food Assembly is a movement of people creating a better and fairer food system.

34 The Linen Draper

How did it start?Food Assembly was set up in France in 2011 and quickly spread across Europe. It launched in the UK in the summer of 2014, which is when we heard about it. We have always been interested in high-quality, local food and knew that in Haggerston there would be an appetite for this kind of thing, so we signed up.

Why did you think it would work in Haggerston?As Haggerston residents ourselves, we had become frustrated with the lack of quality food available in local shops. We were limited to Tesco, convenience stores or a long walk to Shoreditch or Dalston. We sensed an opportunity to bring together some of the amazing small food and drinks producers in Hackney and make their stuff available locally at a time when the community is growing and demand is increasing.

So how do people go about buying food from the Food Assembly?There are three simple steps to buying from the Food Assembly:1. Register online as a member (see details below). 2. Select the food you want to buy before the online shop closes on Sunday evening. 3. Pick the food up the following Tuesday between 7 and 8.30pm at the Proud Archivist on Hertford Road, N1.

Why is this way of shopping ‘better and fairer’?Firstly, the assembly takes the anonymity out of shopping by connecting the producer with the consumer. Secondly, there is no waste because the farmer knows exactly how much to deliver in advance of the assembly. The average distance of a meal made with Food Assembly produce is 27 miles, compared to 90,000 for a typical supermarket meal. This has a huge impact on the environment. Finally, it is better economically for the producers as on average they get 83.3% of the sale price compared to 10% at mainstream supermarkets.

What are your roles as the local hosts for the Food Assembly?It’s our responsibility to manage the weekly sale, organise events, market the

Frustration at the lack of good quality local food shops spurred Becks and Theo to set

up Haggerston Food Assembly in 2014


assembly to the local community and find the venue. As hosts, we receive an 8% commission on products sold.

How do you source producers?There are a few basics that each assembly has to provide such as, meat, fish, bread, and fruit and vegetables. Beyond that, each host is free to identify other producers and farmers that diversify their range. We are always on the lookout for interesting, well-crafted products that we can get excited about and enjoy. We also try to find producers that are very close to Hackney.

How many producers have you currently got signed up, and what kind of products do they sell?We currently have 15 producers on board, with more to come later in the year. We have a real range of products on offer including biodynamic fruit and eggs from Brambletye Farm in Sussex; British quinoa, beans and pulses from

Hodmedod’s in Suffolk and organic vegetables from Brockmans in Kent. Local producers include: Cobble Lane Cured, an Islington based charcuterie, Square Root, who make handmade sodas, brewers Signature Brew, and

Barnes & Webb, urban beekeepers. All these producers are passionate about providing quality produce.

How many members do you currently have?

We have nearly 1,000 members and that number is steadily growing. Members of the Food Assembly can join up to three assemblies in London or beyond if they wish, so not all 1,000 members will be local to Haggerston. But we’ve worked out that nearly one in three people that have signed up as members have made a purchase with us.

Is there a typical customer profile?Our customers come from all walks of life: retirees, bankers, graphic designers, Hackney born and bred to Californian,

Irish and Kazakhstani. There’s no obvious pattern. The thing that binds our customers is a love of good food, a frustration with the monopoly of the supermarkets and the relative exclusivity of the established food markets (e.g Broadway, Borough) which are often difficult for smaller producers to access.

Why do you think promoting small and local producers is so important?It’s important because it reconnects people with the food that they’re eating, which is lost when buying household brands from supermarkets. There is such an amazing array of talent and creativity that often doesn’t have a fair route to market. Food Assembly provides a platform to those producers. Their produce comes with a story and is the result of a lot of hard work and passion for what they are doing. It’s great to give them and the customers the chance to share that experience.

Haggerston Food Assembly takes place from 7pm on Tuesdays at the Proud Archivist, 2-10 Hertford Road, London, N1 5ET.

To register with Haggerston Food Assembly go to thefoodassembly.com

“The produce comes with a story and is the result of a lot of hard work and passion for what they are doing”

Suppliers to the Food Assembly typically receive 83.3% of the sale price of produce sold

compared to just 10% at most supermarkets

LIFESTYLE


LIFESTYLE36 The Linen Draper Issue 02 Autumn/Winter 201537

The NSPCC Islington Branch Literary lunch with

of Us, One Day, The Understudy and Starter For Ten

Kindly sponsored by JD Law

DATE:Wednesday 14 October 2015

TIME:12:00–14.30

VENUE:Almeida Restaurant,Almeida Street,Islington,N1 1AD

TICKETS COST £45 Please contact Alison: 020 7226 7738 [email protected]

Standing in a white jacket and apron, knife in hand, isn’t my usual start to

a Tuesday morning. Today, however, is going to be a bit different. I’ve made a trip to MEAT in Stoke Newington, to sharpen up my butchery skills.

I meet Paul Grout, co-owner and long-time butcher, to chat through the requirements for becoming a top class butcher. Fortunately, according to Paul, no essential skills are required. Excellent! “I mean being skilled with your hands is an obvious requirement,” says Paul. Ah.

“But really,” Paul continues, “more than anything it’s about the will to want to do it. If you don’t try to get better then you won’t; it’s as simple as that. Butchery is all about learning at your own pace. It could take some people weeks to learn one skill and someone else months. It

Independent butcher MEAT sources quality produce from across the UK. MEAT’s co-owner Paul Grout is determined to put meat we can trust onto our plates,and to educate people about the skilled art of butchery

doesn’t matter as long as you keep trying.”

So don’t give up. I can do that. But is being a woman a hindrance in this traditionally male dominated trade? “It’s not like it used to be,” says Paul. “Obviously a lot of the role is incredibly heavy lifting but there’s no reason why a woman can’t do that. It would be sexist to say a woman couldn’t carry a 20kg side of beef. Nor could I! Women are as capable as men in this trade.”

With these words ringing in my ears I meet Troy, the head butcher at MEAT who has kindly offered to give me a one-on-one masterclass. There is no messing about, we jump straight into boning a

shoulder of lamb right on the shop floor.Firstly, the spine has to be removed, which thankfully no longer has a head attached. It’s quite simple according to Troy – follow the line of the bone and don’t push the knife in too far. I watch him do one side and try to mimic him on the other. My line ends up being rather shaky with varying degrees of depth in the cut but I just about get away with it.

Once the spine is removed it’s on to the remainder of the shoulder bone. The key lesson here is: follow the bone. The main problem is that I’m not entirely

sure what is bone and what is meat. Forty minutes later this confusion leaves me with a slightly hacked piece of lamb sitting in front of me. To make it worse, Troy can bone a shoulder of lamb perfectly in around 30 seconds. Clearly I have some way to go. Butchery inefficiency aside, I am keen to know more about the lamb itself, and where it came from, before it unknowingly became my next meal.

“Our lambs are Colne Valley and Dorset Down breeds, our beef is from

“I can look my customers in the eye and assure them about where the meat comes from”

the Scottish Highlands and our pigs are from the South Downs where they literally roam around free range; all from quality British farmers,” says Paul. “We have great relationships with our suppliers and I can look my customers in the eye and assure them about where the meat comes from, the food they eat and the life they lived. Yes, this costs the customer more, but people are willing to pay for better, honest products.”

At the end of my masterclass I have a shoulder of lamb worth £21 tied up

THE KNIVES ARE OUT

and ready to take home to expectant dinner party guests. It might not look as nice as Troy’s but it’s not half bad.

Knowing I can trust the provenance of the meat 100% makes it even better and with all ten fingers still attached, it feels like a triumph.

MEAT offers a variety of butchery masterclasses in the shop at 104 Stoke Newington Church St, N16 0LA.

For more information visit meatlondon.co.uk

MEAT stocks only the finest quality produce from British farmers


Head butcher Troy puts Gina to work boning a lamb shoulder

MEAT also sells wine, cheese and deli products

Currell Chartered Surveyors, 309 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 2TU020 7354 5050

[email protected] currell.com

RICS VALUATIONS LEASE ADVISORY COMMERCIAL AGENCY INVESTMENT DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANCY

I’m standing on a towpath next to an industrial estate. In front of me is the

muddy grime of the river Lea. Behind me, Amazon’s gigantic distribution centre. Across the water I can see the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf.

I’ve come foraging for wild food with guide John Rensten. Surely a less promising place to unleash my inner hunter-gatherer would be hard to find? Not according to John.

“Turn on your green vision and start seeing things,” he encourages his group

Why buy food when you can pick it straight out of the ground? The Linen Draper sent Simon Manuel foraging for his dinner

LONDON AS A LARDER

of 30 urban foragers. I look around and spot an empty Heineken can, some weeds and a few straggly bits of scrub.

My shoes look more edible. But for John, it is like walking into a giant larder. Within seconds he has picked out Hoary Mustard (a member of the cabbage family), Fat Hen (a type of wild spinach) and Sea Buckhorn (whose small orange berries are good with cheese, and for making jams and cordials). John’s enthusiasm is infectious: “Compared to what you usually eat, eating wild food is like turning the volume up,” he says. Soon, we are all at it, munching away on bits of leaf, twig and the odd berry.

Some of it tastes only vaguely like food but John is keen to point out that “nature is not a supermarket. You need to pick stuff at the right time and the window of ripeness for any particular food may only be a few days.”

John is an engaging teacher as he describes the virtues of Rose Hip (seven times the vitamin C of oranges) and Ribwort Plantain (a superfood whose tiny heads have as much fibre as a bowl of porridge). He explains how one of the keys to foraging is being able

to identify plants as they change and grow. “It’s a lovely slow, multi-layered learning process,” he says. “It’s like the reverse of the Internet. The information isn’t readily available, it comes gradually with repeated visits.”

With that he wanders off toward the banks of the river and plucks out a plant with parsley-shaped leaves and a strange umbrella-like flower on top. “This is Hemlock Water Dropwort, the most poisonous plant in Britain,” says John. “The amount in my hand would be enough to kill you. It would be a slow, agonising death.”

I find myself staring anxiously at my feet as if being told off by a teacher in case I’d even thought about eating it. My shoes are looking tastier by the second. It has been a fascinating few hours but maybe foraging isn’t for me after all. The event was put on by Create London as part of a project being delivered by the London Legacy Development Corporation to promote The Leaway, a new route that will connect the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to the Royal Docks and the river Thames.

Details of foraging walks and courses run by John Rensten can be found at foragelondon.co.uk

John identifies Britain’s most dangerous plant (top); the fruits of our labours (above); urban and ready to forage (right)

“The amount in my hand would be enough to kill you”

LIFESTYLE38 The Linen Draper

PHOTOS: EMIL CHARLAFF

WORDS: SIMON MANUEL

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