The jam-maker on a local okonomiyaki joint, a restaurant in a former school that only serves lunch and a beautiful old-style grocery shop
EATING OUT
Pacific Social Club
8 Clarence Rd, London E5 8HB; +44 20 8525 8957
“It’s a café during the day and a Japanese restaurant at night. I go there for the okonomiyaki, a Japanese pancake made with cabbage and different fillings: pork, beef, prawn, vegetarian.” – Lillie
Lyle’s
Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JJ; +44 20 3019 2468, www.lyleslondon.com
“We love eating at Lyle’s. I used to work with James [Lowe], the head chef, and John [Ogier], the manager, at St John Bread & Wine. It’s a set menu at dinner, so we have whatever they choose and whatever is in season. Sometimes I don’t want to make the decisions at a restaurant: I trust James and his cooking.”
Rochelle Canteen
Rochelle School, Arnold Circus, London E2 7ES; +44 20 7729 5677, www.arnoldandhenderson.com (Open Mon-Fri for breakfast, elevenses and lunch)
Restaurant in a beautiful old Shoreditch school run by Margot Henderson (whose husband, Fergus, runs St John). “It is just off Shoreditch High Street, I really like to go there for lunch. They don’t open nights or weekends.”
St John Bread & Wine
94-96 Commercial St, London E1 6LZ; +44 20 7251 0848, www.stjohngroup.uk.com
“I worked at Bread & Wine for four years and I ate there quite a lot as well. I just love that type of food. I recommend the ox heart. They cook it very thin and grill it – it’s beautiful and the taste isn’t strong, it’s like minced meat. My mum didn’t want to try it when she came, she didn’t want to eat heart, but in the end she did and said that it wasn’t that bad!”
BUYING IN
Leila’s Shop
15-17 Calvert Avenue, Shoreditch, London, E2 7JP; +44 20 7729 9789
A beautiful old-style grocery shop in Shoreditch (just around the corner from Rochelle Canteen), with a café next door. “I sell my jam here and get a fruit and veg box from Leila, the woman who runs it, every week. She goes to the market every day for her shop and buys the best-tasting things. You never know what you’re going to get in the box, but it’s always good – and seasonal. I really admire her.” – Lillie
Ginger Pig
99 Lauriston Road, Hackney, London E9 7HJ; +44 20 8986 6911, www.thegingerpig.co.uk
“I’m an animal lover and I don’t eat meat that isn’t ethically farmed. This butcher in Victoria Park [with outlets around London] is really trustworthy. It’s expensive but we only have meat once or twice a week. I would rather be vegetarian than eat animals fed on antibiotics or a whole chicken that costs three pounds.”
L’Épicerie
56 Chatsworth Rd, London E5 0LS, +44 20 7503 8172; www.lepicerie56.com
“I don’t go to supermarkets. I do most of my shopping on Chatsworth Road. L’Épicerie is good for things like milk and butter.”
Chatsworths Supermarket
41-43 Chatsworth Rd, London E5 0LH; +44 20 8986 3607
“This is just around the corner from my shop. Even though it’s small, they have most things. I’ll go here to stock up on bits and pieces. MFR fruit and veg, just down the road, is good too – they pick up fruit for me when I can’t make it to the market.”