Culinary tour of Queen's Park

Food expert Henrietta Green finds ample foraging opportunities for her website FoodLoversBritain.com here in the Grove, as she explains

Above: Queen's Park Farmers Market. Photo by Lydia Evans

In principle, I try and shop as near to home as possible: in practice it never quite works out. For one thing, I am forever on the move, sussing out food businesses on behalf of my website FoodLoversBritain.com. Last month, for instance, I returned from a trip to Wales with one pheasant, three chicken breasts (RSPCA Freedom Food approved, naturally), a soft goats cheese, smoked mackerel fillets and a bunch of amazing Russian red kale. That temporarily cut down the need for neighbourhood foraging.

Then there’s the pull of my former stomping ground. For years I lived in Notting Hill and I can’t quite relinquish my links with Michanicou, Lidgates, Kingsland Butchers, Kensington Place Fish Shop, Clarke’s… you know the favourites.

Queen’s Park is where I currently live, so that’s where I look to for ‘local’. Since I moved in, there’s been a big upsurge and Salusbury Road now boasts some serious food shopportunities. First to arrive was Baker & Spice which also claims to be the originator of the single large table, for customers sitting together in the modern way. Prices may be over the top but their croissants are the best in town.

Across the road is The Salusbury Foodstore with its recently introduced organic-only policy for fruit and vegetables. Here you’ll also find a good range of oils, vinegars, pasta as well as cheeses, charcuterie and, at lunchtime, freshly made sandwiches of doorstep proportions. Next door is The Salusbury Pub & Dining Room, (same owners) with its ‘eclectic’ chairs and tables and robust, earthy Italian-style food.

Mount of Olive is where I do most of my topping up… and then some. Huge bunches of flat-leaf parsley, essential for winter salads, Lebanese flatbreads, blood oranges and, in summer, flat-stoned sugary white peaches are just some of their staples. The never-failing good humour of Reza, Karim and all the boys is awesome as are the hours they trade.

A great, newish addition to the area is Queen’s Park Farmers’ Market, handily situated at the end of my street. I find most everything I need to last the week, from salad leaves to bread, butter, vegetables, meat and fresh fish landed in Dorset and the quality is unquestionably good. For summer picnics, I’ll buy from Mme Gauthier who does some splendid meals-to-go.

On the other side of the park is Minkies deli on Kensal Rise. It’s well-stocked, serves good coffee and a thoughtfully chosen range of jams, cakes, biscuits and condiments. Over the road is The Chamberlayne Pub & Steakhouse (from the owners of The Salusbury Pub & Dining Room) that does exactly what it name suggests. Aberdeen Angus beef is from Scotland, hung for 28 days, and then turned into any cut from rib eye, hulking T-bone to chateaubriand (for two) as well as burgers and steak tartare.

As a food-hound I’m always on the scent of somewhere new to shop or eat. In this vein, there’s the recently opened Alimentari, an Italian deli and coffee bar on Kilburn Lane. They make their own pasta, have a full range of Italian goodies and you can take away prepared dishes if you’re too tired to even sling some of their pasta in a pot.

Just down the Lane is Ida’s, an intimate Italian. I love it; the food is good, unpretentious, authentic and cooked with finesse and flavour. They also make their own pasta and I recently had one of the best ragù sauces in a long time there. Shame is it’s now so popular, you can hardly ever get in unless you book ages in advance. But that’s Queen’s Park for you nowadays.’

For more about Henrietta Green and the country’s best British food finds, recipes and features, visit www.FoodLoversBritain.com