With its seemingly endless list of restaurants, cafes and award-winning chefs, it’s no secret that London is one of the world’s most impressive gastro-capitals. But there’s more to the Big Smoke than high-priced eateries and Michelin-starred chefs.
Look closely among London’s bustling streets and sky-high buildings and you’ll find a thriving community of urban food producers tending everything from rooftop beehives to orchards in skips and roadside vegetable patches.
These passionate urban producers – specialising in ultra-fresh, local produce – are being celebrated at this year’s Urban Food Fortnight, which began on Friday and runs through to 28 September. Supported by a pioneering initiative called Urban Food Routes, which in turn is funded by Seeds of Change and the Mayor of London, the food-packed fortnight will incorporate around 100 events including supper clubs, foraging expeditions, pop-up cookery classes and botanical cocktail nights.
It helps educate young inner-city people about where their food comes from
“London has one of the most vibrant urban food-growing scenes in the world,” says Rosie Boycott, the Mayor’s food adviser and the chair of the London Food Board. “We are delighted to be supporting this initiative, which brings together wonderful small food businesses and some of London’s most amazing edible gardens, all of which make our capital’s food scene the envy of the world.”
One of the most eagerly anticipated Urban Food Fortnight events is the Global Generation Skip Garden Pop-Up Dinner, where members of the public will gather to feast on a banquet of food grown in one of London’s busiest areas.
“Global Generation is an educational charity that teaches young people sustainable growing techniques,” says the charity’s executive chef, Andrew Isherwood. “One of our most interesting locations is a collection of soil-filled skips in the centre of King’s Cross, where we grow a huge range of root vegetables and herbs – we even have one skip containing a mini orchard. During Urban Food Fortnight we’re inviting members of the public to dine here and to feast on some of the ingredients we grow, which we’ll be using to make stone-baked pizzas, beetroot brownies and mulled cider.
“Locally grown food is hugely important in urban areas for a number of reasons,” adds Isherwood. “It has a lower carbon footprint than most food, it tends to be organic so doesn’t contain any pesticides and it tastes absolutely delicious because it’s so fresh. But most importantly, it helps to educate young inner-city people about where their food comes from.”
At the Table Cafe in Southwark, south London, chef and owner Shaun Alpine Crabtree is hosting demos teaching amateur cooks how to make everything from pesto to pickle. And in the wilds of Tower Hamlets cemetery, food expert Olivia Sibony is hosting a forager’s guide to sustainable harvesting.
“We’re just at the beginning of an urban food revolution,” says Isherwood. “More people are arming themselves with the essential skills needed for food production and that’s what Urban Food Fortnight is all about. Am I optimistic about the future of locally grown food? Definitely, because once you’ve tasted fresh food there really is no going back.”
The Urban Food Routes programme, co-ordinated by the Plunkett Foundation and supported by the Mayor of London and Seeds of Change, helps develop London’s food-growing projects and enterprises.
Cream of the crop: urban food fortnight events
The new faces of London food
Where: The Paperworks, 48-50 Newington Causeway, SE1 6DR
When: 18th September, 5.30pm-11pm
kerbfood.com
Pop-up pickle-making class
Where: The Table Cafe, SE1 0HX
When: 15 September, 5pm-8.30pm
capitalgrowth.org/training
Skip garden pop-up dinner
Where: King’s Cross, N1 0AX
When: 17 and 24 September, 7.30pm
globalgeneration.org.uk
Dinner from our back garden
Where: Melior Street Gardens, SE1 3QP
When: 18 September, 6.30pm-9pm
teamlondonbridge.co.uk
Midnight Apothecary rooftop garden and pop-up bar
Where: Brunel Museum, SE16 4LF
When: 20 September; tours 10am-10pm; cocktail bar 5pm-10pm
brunel-museum.org.uk
Taste the wild, an intro to wild food foraging with Olivia Sibony
Where: Tower Hamlets cemetery, E3 4PX
When: 20 September, 1.30pm-5pm
grubclub.com
EastTwenty local feast
Where: ArcelorMittal Orbit, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, E20 2AD
When: 24 September, 7pm
arcelormittalorbit.com
Edible Gardens Open Day
Where: More than 60 edible gardens across London
When: 20 September – various times
bigdig.org.uk/london
See full listings at urbanfoodfortnight.org
Quick and good
Reflecting its position as one of the leading names in organic food, Seeds of Change is supporting Urban Food Routes. By donating 1% of its sales to research into and promotion of biodiversity and sustainable organic practices, it aims to help more people grow their own food more often. But it is also there when time is at a premium, helping cooks make an organic choice when planning a meal. The Seeds of Change range is made using organic ingredients and includes cooking sauces and pasta. And recently launched are its clever pouches of cooked grains and rice, including red and black quinoa with wholegrain rice. Seeds of Change products are available in a wide range of outlets.
