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ISSUE 47<br />
People you need<br />
to know about<br />
Jennings Couch<br />
Andrew Bridgmont<br />
Nina Saunders<br />
Lydia Thornley<br />
Oleander Agbetu<br />
The Gentle Author<br />
plus<br />
Shopping local for<br />
the holidays<br />
and loads more!<br />
Kindness is like<br />
snow - It beautifies<br />
everything it covers.<br />
- Kahlil Gibran<br />
Your East London - What's on - Food - People
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2 LOVEEAST<br />
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Welcome to your local magazine<br />
Dear neighbour<br />
The holidays are here and it's the season to celebrate<br />
as well as be grateful for blessings large and small.<br />
I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to meet so<br />
many wonderful people through LoveEast and it<br />
was a pleasure to interview up-and-coming singer/<br />
songwriterJennings Couch, actor Andrew Bridgmont,<br />
artist Nina Saunders and entrepreneur Oleander<br />
Agbetu.<br />
I'm also pleased that The Gentle Author has shared a<br />
touching excerpt from his new book and it's great to<br />
connect with designer/illustrator Lydia Thornley, the<br />
Tower Theatre, the Grand Union Orchestra, Hackney<br />
Historical Society member Laurie Elks and the East<br />
End Traders Guild - worth a look for indie traders and<br />
small businesses.<br />
We also have four pages of gift ideas from local<br />
makers, and want to say a Big Thank You to all of our<br />
advertisers; it's an honour to highlight local businesses<br />
and provide opportunities for readers to shop local.<br />
In true festive spirit, we have a list of Pantos, Santa's<br />
Grottos and Ice Rinks on pages 30-31, along with a<br />
plethora of festive markets in the What's on section<br />
on page 40.<br />
I so appreciate all of our regular contributors; they<br />
really are the backbone of LoveEast, along with<br />
proofreader extraordinaire Yolanda Powell. Wine<br />
expert Eugenio at Vinarius puts us in the festive spirit,<br />
Diana Warrings supplies a quick and hearty recipe,<br />
Bell from Bow reflects on being grateful, Roger Love's<br />
interview with Matt Lovell povides some healthy tips,<br />
Sean Gubbins walks us through some of our glorious<br />
parks and we welcome new contributor Nicole<br />
Breeden's restaurant review.<br />
With that I wish everyone a joyous holiday season and<br />
a happy, prosperous new year!<br />
Kaz<br />
karen@chomp.me.uk<br />
07590 609 557<br />
@LoveEastMag<br />
@loveeastmag<br />
loveeast.london<br />
LoveEast is a proud member of the East End Traders Guild<br />
Cover image: © Elliot Morgan<br />
I N S I D E<br />
East life<br />
4<br />
10<br />
12<br />
20<br />
Art and Culture<br />
18<br />
22<br />
28<br />
32<br />
Retail therapy<br />
24<br />
Regular features<br />
17 Bell from Bow<br />
30 What to do with the kids<br />
33 Wine guide<br />
34 Eating in - and out<br />
37 Roger Love<br />
39 WalkHackney<br />
40 What's on<br />
Meet Jennings Couch, rising<br />
star of the East<br />
Actor Andrew Bridgmont<br />
plays multiple roles in The<br />
Wider Earth<br />
An excerpt from The Life and<br />
Times of Mr Pussy: Memoirs of<br />
a Favourite Cat<br />
Hackney Hero Oleander<br />
Agbetu, the engine behind<br />
Creative Lifestyle CIC<br />
Lydia Thornley's keenly<br />
observed illustrations<br />
Down the rabbit hole with<br />
artist Nina Saunders<br />
Welcome The Tower Theatre<br />
in Stoke Newington<br />
Have you heard The Grand<br />
Union Orcestra yet?<br />
Great ways to shop local for<br />
the holiday season<br />
To advertise in LoveEast Magazine, please call 07590 609 557 or email karen@chomp.me.uk for further information. PLEASE NOTE: Ad artwork and copy<br />
deadline for the Feb/Mar edition is 11 h January (please allow an extra few days if design is required). LoveEast Magazine is produced and published by<br />
Chomp Creative Limited. Chomp Creative Limited cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions, nor endorse companies, products or services that appear<br />
in this magazine. © LoveEast Magazine 2018/2019, all rights reserved. No reproduction can be made without permission. Be kind to the planet; please recycle.<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 3
East life<br />
Meet Jennings<br />
Couch - not<br />
'just a guy with<br />
a guitar...'<br />
Image courtesy of and © Marc Walsh<br />
With striking good looks and a mane that<br />
would make any Vogue model envious, a<br />
distinct sense of style and an easy-going<br />
demeanor, Jennings Couch certainly<br />
stands out in a crowd.<br />
Add to that an innate musical talent<br />
encompassing songwriting and vocals<br />
and the result is a recipe for certain<br />
success.<br />
Kaz met up with Jennings in early<br />
October for a coffee at Arancini Brothers<br />
in Dalston to find out about the man<br />
behind the mane.<br />
4 LOVEEAST
East life<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 5
East life<br />
What's the first song you remember as a child?<br />
Growing up in America, my parents were really<br />
into country music. We’d listen to a lot of country<br />
music on long car journeys. One of the first songs<br />
I remember listening to as a child went something<br />
like “Pearl, Pearl, Pearl, don’t give your love to Earl”.<br />
Still cracks me up to this day!<br />
Have you always wanted to be a singer and<br />
songwriter?<br />
Actually no! But I’ve always had an innate desire<br />
to create music of my own.<br />
Even when I was about<br />
seven years old learning<br />
guitar, I remember asking<br />
the teacher to teach me<br />
how to make my own song<br />
instead of learning already<br />
famous songs. After guitar I<br />
started learning piano, then<br />
drums, then vocals. Then it<br />
was time to go to university,<br />
and I didn’t know what I<br />
wanted to study. I couldn’t<br />
decide whether to study<br />
guitar, drums or vocals. One<br />
day someone said, "How<br />
about songwriting?" I never<br />
really even heard the word<br />
before, but it just clicked.<br />
So I went to school for<br />
songwriting when I was 18!<br />
Who are you influenced by<br />
musically?<br />
I’m influenced by several bands and artists, but a<br />
huge influence for me is Chris Martin of Coldplay.<br />
The way he creates chords on the guitar and piano<br />
is just stunning. This is most evident in their album<br />
Parachutes. I’m also influenced by the big sound<br />
of Imagine Dragons and the edgy, genre-spanning<br />
sound of Twenty One Pilots.<br />
Image courtesy of and © Elliot Morgan<br />
Who or what inspires you?<br />
My writing is mostly inspired by my other interests.<br />
I’m really into science, philosophy and astronomy<br />
and I like to incorporate some of these complex<br />
ideas into simple, relatable songs. For me its one<br />
of the many joys of songwriting: taking a very<br />
ambiguous idea and shoving it into a commercial<br />
pop song that people need to read into a little bit. I<br />
like to get people thinking and using their brains.<br />
You spent more time travelling for your China gig<br />
than you did in the country - tell us a bit about<br />
that.<br />
God what a nightmare that was! Being in China<br />
was great and the gig was awesome, but getting<br />
there takes like two days, and then you factor in the<br />
time difference and you’re screwed. We were on<br />
the ground for about 36 hours and spent double<br />
that getting to and from Chengdu. Getting back<br />
home was especially difficult.<br />
Our flight from Chengdu<br />
to Beijing was delayed due<br />
to fog, so we missed our<br />
original Beijing to London<br />
flight. After waiting for hours,<br />
we finally got to Beijing but<br />
the next flight to London<br />
wasn't until the next day,<br />
unless we wanted to re-route<br />
through Doha. Reluctantly,<br />
we chose the Doha route.<br />
Luckily, Doha has a very nice<br />
airport!<br />
You also played in Texas,<br />
USA - do international gigs<br />
feel any different to here?<br />
Yes! I played at SXSW 2017<br />
which was an amazing<br />
experience. International<br />
gigs are always fun because<br />
(unless you’re a big star) no<br />
one really knows who you are<br />
so you have a chance to really blow people away.<br />
Italy was the best for this, the people there didn’t<br />
know what to expect and they ended up loving my<br />
performances! In London, its difficult to stand out<br />
because so many people are doing amazing things.<br />
What's your definition of success?<br />
Success to me is being able to live off what I love<br />
doing, which is making music and performing!<br />
If I am able to do that and sustain it, I will be the<br />
happiest person alive.<br />
Hardest bit about being a musician?<br />
Right now, its getting the right gigs and getting<br />
your name out there. The amount of admin work<br />
that comes with trying to get a solo artist off the<br />
6 LOVEEAST
East life<br />
ground is just unbelievable. Sometimes I<br />
spend entire days in one chair tending to<br />
my social media, searching for more gigs,<br />
emailing an endless number of people. It<br />
can be really mind-numbing.<br />
And the best bit?<br />
The best bit for me is finishing a brand<br />
new song. I love everything about the<br />
writing and recording process. After all,<br />
I am a songwriter first and performer<br />
second. So for me, the best bit is being in<br />
the studio and finishing new music. After<br />
that, I love teaching the new songs to the<br />
band and being able to perform them.<br />
That is, if I am able to get some decent<br />
gigs.<br />
Any advice for up-and-coming musical<br />
artists?<br />
I would say finding your self-confidence<br />
is key, especially when performing on<br />
stage. People love to watch other people<br />
love what they do, if that makes sense?<br />
We can tell when someone is enjoying<br />
themselves, when someone is confident<br />
with their songs, and it lends for a good<br />
performance. I would also say that you<br />
need to cover all the bases when it<br />
comes to your musical career. If you are<br />
writing music, don’t only go out and<br />
perform your songs. Pitch your songs<br />
to radio stations, pitch to sync briefs<br />
with TV and film agencies, collaborate<br />
with other artists, as well as performing<br />
constantly. It’s tough, but there’s more of<br />
a chance of getting recognised if you are<br />
covering all the bases.<br />
What’s on the horizon for you?<br />
The future is looking very interesting<br />
indeed! I’m releasing a new single every<br />
4-6 weeks and playing endless gigs<br />
as well. In February, I will be shooting<br />
another four music videos for singles<br />
that will be released later in 2019. There<br />
is a lot of planning ahead to do, to<br />
ensure that my fanbase is growing. I<br />
am very keen on having the roots of my<br />
fanbase come from my local community.<br />
WATCH:<br />
www.jenningscouch.com<br />
youtube.com/c/JenningsCouch<br />
vevo.com/artist/jennings-couch<br />
LISTEN:<br />
open.spotify.com/artist/43RClIsYeah1rNFfJq25b6<br />
itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/jennings-couch/id705842596<br />
SOCIAL:<br />
facebook.com/@jenningscouch/<br />
instagram.com/@jenningscouchmusic/<br />
@jenningscouch<br />
UPCOMING GIGS:<br />
SAT DEC 1 at The Fiddler's Elbow, 1 Malden Rd, NW5 3HS<br />
thefiddlerselbow.co.uk<br />
THURS DEC 13 at The Workshop, 243, Old Street, EC1V 9EY<br />
roadtripbar.com<br />
FRI 11 JAN at Cafe 1001, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL<br />
cafe1001.co.uk<br />
Image courtesy of and © George Nikolov<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 7
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8 LOVEEAST
East London Entrepreneur<br />
Strength in numbers: Sarah Marks, co-founder of Buttonbag Ltd<br />
and EETG member talks about the East End Trades Guild<br />
What do a Stoke Newington fishmonger, a Walthamstow<br />
brewer and a Bethnal Green doll-maker have in common?<br />
They are amongst the latest local businesses to join the<br />
East End Trades Guild, a growing organisation of more<br />
than 300 independent businesses spread throughout<br />
East London. The guild includes a diverse group<br />
- cutting-edge tech companies, craft brewers, garages,<br />
opticians, restaurants, social enterprises and bookshops<br />
as well as some of East London’s longest established<br />
independent businesses. Take specialist printers,<br />
Baddeley Brothers, which traces its Victorian roots<br />
back to the City of London, Ince Umbrella, established<br />
in 1805, or Gardner’s Market Sundries, whose beloved<br />
Spitalfields shop has been supplying London market<br />
traders for four generations.<br />
The diversity of EETG members also reflects the historic<br />
waves of immigrants whose cultural contributions<br />
continue to shape the east end.<br />
The breadth, vibrancy and diversity of our members has<br />
been captured in a brand new map by Jerwood Prizewinning<br />
artist Adam Dant along with vignettes of some<br />
of East London’s most noted independent businesses.<br />
60,000 copies are available from all of our members - look<br />
out for our logo when you are out and about.<br />
This practice was brought into sharp focus earlier this<br />
year when many of our members, who are tenants of<br />
Network Rail, faced massive and crippling rent rises<br />
ahead of the auction of Network Rails’ portfolio of<br />
commercially-let railway arches.<br />
What unites members is a shared belief in the power<br />
of small businesses to shape the vibrant and diverse<br />
cultures of London neighbourhoods rather than<br />
corporate giants and multiple chains, and EETG believes<br />
their survival is worth fighting for.<br />
Our members are also united by a shared experience of<br />
the challenges that make business survival difficult. Ask<br />
most members what their biggest threat is, and they will<br />
say rents and rates - with increases of up to 300%, many<br />
have been forced to relocate out of the borough, or close<br />
doors altogether.<br />
Rent rises are not unaffordable because businesses<br />
are failing or are badly run. In most cases, it is because<br />
landlords and the property agents that work for them<br />
take advantage of an entirely unregulated market and<br />
ruthlessly seek to maximise profit at the expense of<br />
existing tenant’s business survival or growth.<br />
In light of that, EETG recently launched its Affordable<br />
Workspace Manifesto to campaign for affordable,<br />
sustainable business rents that will allow small businesses<br />
to thrive. Presented with the first-hand experiences of<br />
hundreds of local businesses, the mayors of Hackney<br />
and Tower Hamlets have agreed to work with us to<br />
create a small business community land trust, create a<br />
register of landlords and comparable evidence, develop<br />
an affordable rent formula for small and micro businesses<br />
and identify at least one empty asset in their borough to<br />
convert to affordable workspace.<br />
To help move this manifesto forward we are now actively<br />
collecting information about empty units and commercial<br />
spaces in east London, so if Love East readers know<br />
of any buildings lying empty in their neighbourhoods<br />
please get in touch!<br />
BECOME A MEMBER<br />
Annual membership is £100 for businesses<br />
with up to 20 employees, £150 for businesses<br />
between 21 - 50.<br />
eastendtradesguild.org.uk<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 9
East life<br />
With a cast of only seven characters, a revolving<br />
stage and an array of mechanical creatures created<br />
by the famed Dead Puppet Society, watching the<br />
play really is quite an experience. Interestingly, it<br />
was the thought-provoking dialogue that lingered<br />
rather than the mechanics and moving stage. While<br />
visually quite striking, they become supporting<br />
players rather than the centre of attention, and<br />
perhaps that's the intention.<br />
The play explores subjects such as colonialism,<br />
religion, ethics and relationships. It's fascinating to<br />
imagine the world through a youthful Darwin's eyes,<br />
and the play provides great insight into Darwin the<br />
person. As with many historical figures, we tend<br />
to think of the Father of Evolutionary Theory as a<br />
rather stern looking, serious old man looking out<br />
from a grey etching. The play – refreshingly – brings<br />
Darwin to life by portraying him as an idealistic,<br />
enthusiastic, passionate and driven young man who,<br />
during his extraordinary 5 year journey, wrestles<br />
with and questions his own beliefs, morals and<br />
ethics.<br />
Andrew plays three separate roles in the play: The<br />
Reverend Henslow, mentor to Darwin and the<br />
person responsible for him going on the voyage,<br />
Sir John Herschel, a huge influence on Darwin's<br />
later theories, and an unnamed sailor, who, via<br />
Bridgmont’s subtle yet expressive body language,<br />
10 LOVEEAST<br />
Kaz meets Andrew Bridgmont,<br />
currently starring in the award<br />
winning play, The Wider Earth<br />
It’s not every day I get to see a play and<br />
meet one of the actors, so it was a rare<br />
treat to catch up with Hackney's very own<br />
Andrew Bridgmont, currently starring in the<br />
award winning play about the young Charles<br />
Darwin.<br />
The play is being performed at The Natural History Museum’s<br />
new theatre space, located rather appropriately in The Darwin<br />
Centre. It brings to life the little-known story of a rebellious and<br />
idealistic young Charles Darwin who, at the youthful age of 22,<br />
set out on a daring five-year adventure on the HMS Beagle.<br />
was able to communicate quite a lot without<br />
uttering a single word.<br />
As an actor, Andrew has performed on both stage<br />
and screen - his CV boasts roles at the Globe and<br />
the National Theatre to name but two venues, as<br />
well as feature films and several TV roles. Although<br />
his parents were both actors - and very involved<br />
with Joan Littlewood and the Theatre Workshop at<br />
Stratford East - Andrew hadn’t originally planned on<br />
an acting career.<br />
Instead, he embarked on a Foundation course at<br />
Central Saint Martins and went on to graduate from<br />
the Royal Academy. From there, he got involved<br />
with workshops at Ovalhouse, which was – and still<br />
is – “a home to experimental, radical and overlooked<br />
artists seeking to make theatre and performance<br />
that speaks to a world beyond the mainstream”.<br />
His acting career evolved from a keen interest in<br />
writing and directing; as he says, “with writing and<br />
directing, you have to put all the pieces of a story<br />
together whereas with acting your character is a<br />
component.”<br />
When asked what the best moment is on stage, he<br />
says, “It’s immediately after Press Night. That’s when<br />
you actually feel it’s launched; as if you’re launching<br />
a ship. Once it goes out into the world there’s a<br />
sense of relief.”
East life<br />
When asked what<br />
it's like to work on<br />
a revolving stage<br />
Andrew replied<br />
"Well, you need<br />
to make sure you<br />
get on at the right<br />
time!"<br />
We talked about the differences<br />
between acting on stage and<br />
doing film work. "You have to<br />
know how to project your voice<br />
on stage, whereas in film there<br />
are mics. There are also re-takes;<br />
on stage, that’s it - once you’re<br />
on, you’re ON."<br />
Whether it's acting, directing or<br />
writing, it's clear that story-telling<br />
is at the heart of what Andrew<br />
does, and The Wider Earth is<br />
certainly a great story.<br />
The Wider Earth<br />
The Darwin Centre at The<br />
Natural History Museum,<br />
SW7 5BD<br />
RUNNING TIME<br />
Approx 2 hours10 min, includes<br />
15 minute interval.<br />
AGE RECOMMENDATION<br />
Suitable for ages 8+. Puppetry<br />
and visual elements will appeal<br />
to younger people, but some<br />
scientific content may go over<br />
their heads.<br />
INFO & TICKET PRICES<br />
thewiderearth.com<br />
Great seats from £19.50<br />
Images courtesy of and ©Mark Doue<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 11
East life<br />
The Gentle Author shares an excerpt from<br />
The Life & Times of Mr Pussy - a Memoir of a<br />
Favourite Cat<br />
When the clouds hang heavy and the atmosphere is quiet, Mr Pussy<br />
divides his time between dozing on the bed and dozing under a bush.<br />
The pace of the city is stilled and Mr Pussy finds the climate conducive<br />
to resting.<br />
Mr Pussy observes me with doleful eyes as I go about my daily tasks,<br />
too gracious to be overtly critical, yet he hopes that I might one day<br />
learn to appreciate the virtue of sitting peacefully for extended periods<br />
of time without other occupation, as he does. To this end, Mr Pussy waits patiently until a<br />
suitable opportunity when I am settled at my work before he approaches me. Arriving silently<br />
like a ghost, Mr Pussy reaches out a soft paw to stroke my forearm gently while I am writing,<br />
as a discreet gesture of companionship, drawing my attention without interrupting my<br />
activity.<br />
12 LOVEEAST<br />
Settling at my side and savouring the<br />
tranquillity of the hour, a purr of contentment<br />
emanates from him. And if my concentration<br />
should wander from my page, searching<br />
for a word or casting around to seek the<br />
direction of my thought, then I chance upon<br />
his hypnotic golden eyes, meeting my gaze<br />
with their fathomless depth and opalescent<br />
gleam. He has my attention. He has an<br />
infinite capacity for staring. He knows I am a<br />
neophyte and he is an expert at it. He knows<br />
I cannot resist succumbing to his superior<br />
mesmeric powers. He has me spellbound<br />
and I share his stillness. The house is empty<br />
and we are alone. We look at each other eye<br />
to eye, without blinking, to see who flinches<br />
first.<br />
Almost imperceptibly, Mr Pussy begins to<br />
lower his lids and I do the same. I follow<br />
along, as his supplicant. Our eyelids move<br />
in sync and we are nodding off to sleep, it<br />
seems. I might enter the feline realm, if I did<br />
not open my lids again momentarily – only<br />
to discover that his eyes are open too. It is<br />
a moment of mutual recognition. Mr Pussy<br />
Text and images kindly supplied by and © The Gentle Author
East life<br />
Mr Pussy knows how<br />
to be. Mr Pussy keeps<br />
himself. Mr Pussy seeks<br />
to be calm. Mr Pussy is<br />
always present in the<br />
moment. Mr Pussy is<br />
sufficient.<br />
was testing the quality of my will, exploring<br />
my susceptibility to mental control. Mr Pussy<br />
observes me. Mr Pussy is implacable, yet he<br />
wants me to follow his example. Mr Pussy<br />
knows how to be. Mr Pussy keeps himself. Mr<br />
Pussy seeks to be calm. Mr Pussy is always<br />
present in the moment. Mr Pussy is sufficient.<br />
Equally, Mr Pussy is curious of me and the<br />
intriguing nature of my existence that revolves<br />
around things other than eating and sleeping.<br />
I am the object of his scrutiny, Mr Pussy is<br />
studying me. Mr Pussy is an anthropologist,<br />
living among those who are subject of his<br />
fascination. Mr Pussy’s research methods<br />
are unconventional, he thinks he may gain<br />
knowledge by osmosis if he sleeps close to me<br />
or he may imbibe understanding by lapping<br />
up my bathwater.<br />
Not always an entirely conscientious<br />
student, Mr Pussy likes to contemplate his<br />
findings at length. Mr Pussy likes to sleep<br />
on it, and he is a grand master in the art of<br />
somnolence. Mr Pussy knows how to behave<br />
in these dog days.<br />
Order your copy of the the book from Spitafields Books:<br />
spitalfieldslife.bigcartel.com/product/the-life-times-of-mrpussy<br />
The Gentle Author has a plethora of stories, history and<br />
images about life in Spitafields and writes a post every<br />
day. You can read them at spitalfieldslife.com<br />
You can also follow @thegentleauthor on twitter<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 13
From Christmas trees<br />
and holly, to festive<br />
flowers and mistletoe,<br />
AG Price has just<br />
what you’re looking for<br />
www.agpriceflowers.co.uk<br />
217-219 Well Street, E9 6QU<br />
020 8986 0250<br />
Urban Makers<br />
shop handmade<br />
and local online<br />
get 10% off Christmas gifts with the code loveeast10 - urbanmakers.co.uk<br />
14 LOVEEAST
Festive Special Offer<br />
20% off<br />
our Hydra-City Defence<br />
and Little Black Dress Facials<br />
This limited offer applies to all appointments for our new, signature,<br />
advanced facials, booked before 31 st December 2018.<br />
To book call 020 3905 5555, email sonia@skinandsanctuary.com or join us<br />
@skinandsanctuary<br />
Do pop in to meet the Skin & Sanctuary team at our Christmas Pop-up.<br />
From 8 th to 22 nd December 2018 we'll be talking and Christmas packing all<br />
things Skin at The Residence Gallery, 229 Victoria Park Rd, London E9 7HD.<br />
#LIVEBEAUTIFULLY<br />
*subject to availability, terms & conditions apply<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 15
Still £35, buy yourself or your loved one the<br />
gift of health and wellbeing this xmas.<br />
Closed From Dec 22nd<br />
And Reopen on Jan 2nd<br />
Wishing You A Merry Xmas<br />
And Happy New Year, LFFS<br />
175 CLASSES FOR £35<br />
INCLUDES 175+ CLASSES:<br />
ARMY BOOT CAMP.<br />
YIN YANG YOGA.<br />
LUNCH BREAK.<br />
ROCKET YOGA.<br />
VINYASA YOGA.<br />
WARRIORS.<br />
ZUMBA.<br />
HIIT.<br />
BOXING.<br />
PILATES.<br />
STRETCH.<br />
BALLETFIT.<br />
REBOUNDING.<br />
BELLY DANCING.<br />
DAYBREAKER.<br />
POWER YOGA.<br />
BOOTY CAMP.<br />
BODYWORK.<br />
YOGAHIIT.<br />
CIRCUITS.<br />
FIND OUT MORE AT:<br />
londonfieldsfitness.com / @londonfieldsfit<br />
16 LOVEEAST
How children take over, and<br />
why I’m so very grateful<br />
My house has a thin coating of toddler. Weetabix,<br />
hardened into a tough, rough paste,<br />
covers the table. I remove it with elbow<br />
grease, but honestly, I never get it all. When I sit<br />
down to eat my supper in the evening, I can see the<br />
crust of their breakfast on the edge of the table.<br />
Bell from Bow<br />
In a similar vein, when I’ve picked up all the plastic tat off the<br />
floor, there is always that one piece of Lego that catches you out<br />
when you do a midnight dash to the loo in the dark. When I get a<br />
pen out of my handbag to scribble a note in a meeting, I find a Matchbox car, or, more<br />
unpleasantly, a sandwich crust. My pockets are filled with raisins, conkers and one lonely<br />
glove.<br />
My make-up bag still contains the MAC lipstick that he used on<br />
the cat. My bedside table has a Paw Patrol sticker<br />
on (Skye should you care. He loves Skye because<br />
she’s got wings.) I’m bruised from<br />
crashing the pram into my<br />
shins, and of course my<br />
body shows the evidence of<br />
growing, delivering and feeding<br />
two sons.<br />
There is no part of my life that escapes the children. And no part of my grumpy, tired<br />
heart that gets bored of them. At a time of year when we are reassessing what we have,<br />
who we love, and what we do, I give huge thanks for the scuffs on the paintwork, the<br />
rubber ducks by the side of the bath, and the overflowing washing basket. I hope 2019<br />
is filled with as much love. (I’d take fewer sh*tty nappies, toddler tantrums and runny<br />
noses, but they come with the package, right?)<br />
ABOUT CELINE<br />
Mum from bow, gin addict, perma-knackered, fan of food,<br />
coffee and cheese. Follow Celine for more adventures in<br />
parenting:<br />
@bell_from_bow<br />
@bell_from_bow<br />
bellfrombow.com<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 17
It's art baby, art!<br />
Kaz falls in love with Lydia Thornley's drawings<br />
I first came across Lydia's drawings on Instagram and instantly fell in love<br />
with them. Gestural, immediate and beautifully executed, I instantly knew I<br />
wanted to feature her work. Read what she has to say about her drawings<br />
and feast your eyes...<br />
I’m a graphic designer and creative consultant.<br />
And I draw my way to and from my east London<br />
desk space, around town and on my travels.<br />
What I see on my commute depends when I travel:<br />
Labourers and cleaners, City workers, the main<br />
rush hour, then what I call the creative rush hour<br />
and the more relaxed to and fro during the day<br />
until it all starts again, the return home blending<br />
into London at play.<br />
My drawing style is loose line work. I often have<br />
only seconds to make a drawn note so these aren’t<br />
likenesses.<br />
But drawing makes me look. I notice more about<br />
my city and its people.<br />
I’ve drawn since before I could walk. As a designer,<br />
I’ve always thought on paper but had stopped<br />
keeping a daily sketchbook through decades of<br />
commissioning other people.<br />
18 LOVEEAST<br />
Then I went on a trip with a sketchbook as well<br />
as a camera and I rediscovered drawing in cafés.<br />
I made that year’s studio book, which was a sort<br />
of shorthand about drawing as part of my design<br />
practice. As an artist I was doing some teaching,<br />
which challenged me to do a drawing a day until<br />
it had to go to press. The easiest way to do that<br />
around my design projects was to draw my way<br />
to work. And then I didn’t stop…<br />
My daily drawings have turned into a prolific<br />
Instagram feed, with most of the drawings now<br />
coloured-up digitally.<br />
Images courtesy of and © Lydya Thornley
It's art baby, art!<br />
The sketchbook drawing has developed into<br />
other projects: Catwalk Dogwalk Whistle is a<br />
hand-stitched studio book about fashion on the<br />
London commute and Hair Lines has been a<br />
bespoke exhibition at Beaucatcher salon in Stoke<br />
Newington. The next project will be along soon. I<br />
also take commissions.<br />
But<br />
drawing<br />
makes<br />
me look. I<br />
notice more<br />
about my<br />
city and its<br />
people.<br />
Follow Lydia on Instagram: @lydiathornley<br />
Commissions: lydia@thornley.co.uk<br />
About the images<br />
• These people pictures are all about fashion.<br />
Each season in East London, a colour, a<br />
hem length, a trouser width is suddenly<br />
everywhere. And I see the turn of the<br />
seasons in clothes.<br />
• In cafes, I sometimes draw people but, as<br />
often, I’m sitting in front of a little still life.<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 19
East life<br />
Hackney hero Oleander Agbetu tells us about<br />
the inspiration behind Creative lifestyle CIC<br />
What inspired you to start Creative Lifestyle?<br />
Creative Lifestyle began as a group of four<br />
businesswomen who got together to support<br />
each other as a sort of network and at some point<br />
someone came up with the idea of doing something<br />
that would give back to the community. Charities<br />
are often used as a business model but we wanted<br />
to do something a bit different and someone said<br />
to us, ‘Have you heard about social enterprises?'<br />
'No, what’s is it?' ‘Oh, well it’s a business with a<br />
conscience’. I really<br />
liked the way that<br />
sounded because<br />
the more we learned<br />
about that business<br />
model the more it<br />
suited us. It gives<br />
us the flexibility<br />
of working in the<br />
community, enables<br />
us to apply for grants,<br />
work with contracts<br />
and be able to sell<br />
things, which gives<br />
us the ability to<br />
generate income. And<br />
as a CIC, all the profit<br />
goes back into the<br />
company.<br />
I then went on<br />
a course called<br />
School for Social<br />
Entrepreneurs,<br />
which is a term-time<br />
course about how<br />
to start and run a<br />
social enterprise or charity, where I met lots of<br />
people from likeminded organisations - fair trade<br />
companies and charities working abroad and so on.<br />
It was fantastic and I’m still in touch with some of<br />
those people today.<br />
Eventually two of the women went on to pursue<br />
other projects and my business partner and<br />
Creative Lifestyle director, Veronica Flemming and I<br />
remain today, 10 years on. In fact we’ve just become<br />
incorporated on September 9th.<br />
Ten years is quite an accomplishment in this<br />
economic climate. What’s the secret to your<br />
success?<br />
I think it’s because we are a local community group,<br />
very grassroots. We know the community well and<br />
we both live here, so I think it means a lot that we’re<br />
actually local. We don’t have office space so that<br />
saves on overheads,<br />
and we have a lot<br />
of passion – we love<br />
what we do in terms<br />
of imparting the<br />
knowledge we’ve<br />
gained over the years<br />
and also our love for<br />
the community. We<br />
are also fortunate<br />
in that we’ve done<br />
pretty well in terms of<br />
working with Hackney<br />
Council, Hackney<br />
Learning Trust and<br />
various community<br />
groups. Hackney<br />
CVS has helped us<br />
immensely, and we’ve<br />
been able to get<br />
a lot of local grant<br />
funders as well, like<br />
East End Community<br />
Foundation, Hackney<br />
Giving, The Big<br />
Lottery and Awards<br />
for All.<br />
So the combination of passion, the funding we<br />
get and the contracts that we’ve managed to pull<br />
together all contribute. And between the two<br />
funding streams (contracts and grants) it makes a<br />
massive difference as to how we can actually do<br />
our projects. We’ve learned also to try and work<br />
on a contract basis whenever possible because<br />
with grants your project may not be flavour of the<br />
20 LOVEEAST
East life<br />
month. It’s really important to be able to do what<br />
we’re good at and what we know is needed rather<br />
than using the shoehorn ‘follow the funding’ model.<br />
Tell us a bit about your workshops; what sort of<br />
training do you offer?<br />
We offer a variety of creative workshops that<br />
enable students to learn practical life skills that they<br />
can apply in their everyday lives, as well as build<br />
confidence. We do workshops on cake baking and<br />
decorating, sewing, hair care, soap making, knitting,<br />
making jewellery… the list is endless.<br />
We also run "Bring and Fix It" workshops which are<br />
hugely popular and came about quite organically.<br />
So many students wanted to fix their broken<br />
zips, sew buttons, patch their jeans, extend their<br />
curtains, fix their blinds etc. So this was a way<br />
for them to learn skills and also benefit directly<br />
from that knowledge. We run these workshops in<br />
the community as well as in Children’s Centres in<br />
Hackney and students have created some really<br />
great looking, practical items. And, due to it being<br />
a family event, parents and children get to have fun<br />
together as well.<br />
Your holistic approach aims to empower the<br />
individual in a variety of ways - it’s more<br />
than just teaching a skill. What are<br />
some of your strategies in that<br />
regard?<br />
With all of our programmes, our<br />
aim is for students to learn how<br />
to improve their homes, gain<br />
confidence, choose the creative<br />
future that is right for them<br />
through employment or selfemployment,<br />
meet new friends<br />
and gain the confidence to start<br />
their own enterprise or employment.<br />
We often work in partnership with other<br />
community self-help groups who provide wellbeing<br />
sessions giving extra support. We also work with<br />
deaf students, students with learning difficulties<br />
and families through Children’s Centres. This gives<br />
them the opportunity to learn a creative skill in a<br />
safe environment.<br />
Some of our projects target particular learners<br />
such as African/Caribbean women living with<br />
the challenges of mental illness and/or emotional<br />
distress due to a history of abuse, poor health or<br />
other occurrence in their lives. The aim is always to<br />
empower the individual to become confident and<br />
self-sufficient.<br />
We also have protocols in place which mean that<br />
we are able to spend more time with those who<br />
need the support due to their lack of confidence or<br />
natural skill. At the end of our workshops, we take<br />
people through creative business workshops<br />
giving them the opportunity of taking<br />
the first steps to starting their own<br />
businesses. We repeat part of our<br />
lessons if needed and provide extra<br />
‘surgery’ type sessions to support<br />
them as and when it is necessary<br />
to do so.<br />
Best piece of advice for budding<br />
entrepreneurs?<br />
Don't rely on grants - go for<br />
contracts whenever you can to ensure<br />
a stable funding stream.<br />
Check out Creative Lifestyle's Pop Up Shop at The<br />
Hackney Shop, 99 Morning Lane, E9 6ND, Sat 1 st and<br />
Sun 2 nd December.<br />
Creative Lifestyle CIC<br />
creativelifestyle.org.uk<br />
info@creativelifestyle.org.uk<br />
07538 321 416<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 21<br />
Images courtesy of and © Creative Lifestyle CIC
It's art baby, art!<br />
Fall down the rabbit hole with multi-media artist<br />
Nina Saunders, whose work with furniture and<br />
taxidermy is witty, elegant and powerful<br />
I first discovered Nina Saunders' work while on a course at Chelsea College of Art. She came to speak and<br />
showed some slides and I remember being comlpetely blown away because the images elicited an actual,<br />
physical reaction - as if my body groaned and sighed. It wasn't a negative feeling, more one of instinctual<br />
familiarity; as though I 'felt' the work.<br />
I mentioned this to her when we met up for a chat at Hang-Up Gallery in Stoke Newington recently and her<br />
response resonated as much as her work does:<br />
"Your body already has a relationship with a chair which is so familiar. It instinctively knows how to respond<br />
- it anticipates sitting down, for instance. But then the tables are turned because the chair is altered in some<br />
profound way and your body reacts instinctively, trying to process that<br />
new information."<br />
As we talked, we lamented the fact that words often get in the<br />
way when one is asked to explain their work as a visual artist.<br />
After all, it's called visual art for a reason. Additionally, the<br />
audience brings themselves to the work - art is perceived<br />
through one's own lens and is a very personal experience.<br />
Interestingly, Nina says that once a piece is finished and<br />
released into the world she feels that it's no longer hers; it<br />
belongs to the audience.<br />
Originally from Denmark, Nina came to London at the<br />
age of 17, where she met, fell in love with and eventually<br />
married the acclaimed photographer Red Saunders,<br />
one of the founders of Rock against Racism, a<br />
movement that had a profound influence and cultural<br />
impact in the late 1970's. I can only imagine what an<br />
exciting time that must have been.
It's art baby, art!<br />
Nina earned a First Class degree<br />
at Central Saint Martins College<br />
of Art and, as luck would have<br />
it, Charles Saatchi came across<br />
her work and bought a piece.<br />
As they say, 'the rest is history',<br />
which includes an impressive<br />
list of exhibitions, solo shows,<br />
museum shows, numerous awards<br />
and public art commissions. In<br />
addition to being highly regarded in<br />
London's contemporary art world,<br />
Nina is one of Denmark's leading<br />
contemporary artists. Her work is<br />
held in collections in the UK and<br />
internationally, including The Arts<br />
Council, The V&A and Denmark's<br />
Esbjerg Kunstmuseum, to name<br />
but three.<br />
Alongside the current Hang-Up<br />
Collections Autumn Edition show<br />
(go see it but be quick - it ends on<br />
2 nd Dec), Nina has just released a<br />
collection of limited edition prints<br />
and is currently working on two<br />
more, and, as she says, "a print<br />
that’s turning into an installation<br />
and back again", Tea with Andy<br />
(Warhol), which will be exhibited<br />
at Hang-Up Gallery from 24 th<br />
January.<br />
IMAGE CREDITS<br />
FACING PAGE: She may not Be Your Friend but she<br />
is Your Hairdresser, 2017. Photo © Neils Fabaek<br />
TOP RIGHT: Ever Onwards 2001, private collection,<br />
Greece<br />
MIDDLE RIGHT: Greta's Party 2015, Hermes flagship<br />
store, Madison Avenue, NYC; photo ©Tom Sibley<br />
BOTTOM RIGHT: Leaking Piano 2011, Taby Centrum,<br />
Sweden<br />
NINA SAUNDERS<br />
ninasaunders.eu<br />
@ninasaundersart<br />
@saunders_studio<br />
HANG-UP GALLERY<br />
81 Stoke Newington Road<br />
N16 8AD<br />
hanguppictures.com<br />
@hanguppictures<br />
@hangupgallery<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 23
Christmas Shopping<br />
The Rock Hound<br />
Support<br />
your local<br />
traders this<br />
holiday<br />
season...<br />
East London’s gemologist<br />
jewellers bringing the<br />
Aesthetics to Ethics.<br />
• Award-winning<br />
Jewellery Collections<br />
• Bespoke Commissions<br />
• Responsible Gemstone<br />
Sourcing<br />
Top: Chromanteq Bombe<br />
Rings in recycled 18ct gold<br />
with nano-coatings<br />
Bottom: RockStars,<br />
Our 18ct Fairtrade Gold<br />
jewellery, handmade in our<br />
East London Studio<br />
Collection Prices from<br />
£280<br />
Visit our Shoreditch Studio<br />
by appointment:<br />
studio@therockhound.com<br />
020 8985 7596<br />
therockhound.com<br />
@therockhound<br />
Forest Bake<br />
Top: Christmas Hamper:<br />
one packet of chai tea from<br />
Miss Teasmith delicately<br />
blended for a fantastic<br />
brew, tin of luxury lemon<br />
and cardamom biscuits, box<br />
of truffles made with top<br />
courveture chocolate and<br />
luxury traditional Christmas<br />
cake.<br />
Bottom: We also offer<br />
celebration cakes<br />
made with good quality<br />
ingredients and a choice<br />
of wonderful flavours and<br />
designs.<br />
Check our website for<br />
information about our<br />
baking lessons too!<br />
forestbake.co.uk<br />
07471 002 346<br />
stephaniejoslin@forestbake.<br />
co.uk<br />
R Consultancy<br />
Pure Grenadian Cocoa<br />
Butter is a natural<br />
alternative for skin and<br />
hair care brought to<br />
you by Hackney-based<br />
Rena Kydd Williams. A<br />
natural bi-product of the<br />
Cocoa pod, it is plantbased<br />
and suitable<br />
for Vegans. (not for<br />
consumption)<br />
At £5 plus postage<br />
and packaging it's the<br />
perfect stocking filler<br />
or gift.<br />
Orders can be made via<br />
the website.<br />
rconsultancy.org<br />
@inforconsultancy1<br />
24 LOVEEAST
Christmas Shopping<br />
Cocoa Bocoa<br />
With an array of<br />
mouthwatering,<br />
handmade chocolates<br />
to choose from,<br />
these luxury artisan<br />
chocolates by Cocoa<br />
Bocoa are always a<br />
welcome gift. From her<br />
signature Truffles to<br />
bespoke orders, there<br />
is something for all<br />
chocolate lovers.<br />
"As we struggle with shopping<br />
lists and invitations, compounded<br />
by December's bad weather, it is<br />
good to be reminded that there are<br />
people in our lives who are worth<br />
this aggravation, and people to<br />
whom we are worth the same."<br />
- Donald E. Westlake<br />
@cocoa_bocoa<br />
cocoabocoa@gmail.<br />
com<br />
Branch on the Park<br />
Clockwise from top left:<br />
Lily long leaf earrings, 18ct gold plate with<br />
chrysoprase £115.<br />
Lily long leaf necklace, 18ct gold plate with<br />
chrysoprase £115.<br />
Coloured stone Granulation rings £395 each,<br />
materials - 18ct gold & silver; stones: sapphires,<br />
tourmalines, topaz, spinel.<br />
Grey/black granulation rings £300- £1,600,<br />
materials 18ct gold, 22ct gold & silver; stones:<br />
black diamonds, grey diamond & salt & pepper<br />
diamonds.<br />
Local jewellery shop Branch is packed full of<br />
gorgeous stock for Christmas and is also still<br />
taking commissions, if you're quick...<br />
227 Victoria Park Road, E9 7HD<br />
020 8533 7077<br />
branchonthepark.co.uk<br />
@branchonthepark<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 25
Urban Makers<br />
LoveEast is proud to be the media partner for Urban Makers, a collaboration<br />
of talented designer-makers. They're hosting their annual Christmas Market<br />
on 8 & 9 December featuring over 50 different designers each day.<br />
You can now shop online at urbanmakers.co.uk<br />
Farryn Amber<br />
Yoyuu Kids<br />
Oh Hello Shan Creative<br />
Mollum Vellum<br />
Kate Gwilliam<br />
The Completist<br />
26 LOVEEAST
Urban Makers<br />
Urban Makers Christmas Market - Ecology Pavilion Mile End Park<br />
Origami 4 fun<br />
Make a Christmas<br />
ornament Saturday<br />
and Sunday<br />
Free for kids and adults<br />
Alphablots<br />
Custom Made<br />
Urban Makers Christmas<br />
Market<br />
8 and 9 December<br />
11am - 5pm<br />
Ecology Pavilion Mile End Park<br />
Grove Road E3 5TW<br />
For the kids - Slime Making<br />
with Fizz Pop Science<br />
Drop in both days<br />
Shop small and local<br />
urbanmakers.co.uk<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 27
Culture<br />
A big welcome to the Tower Theatre Company<br />
28 LOVEEAST<br />
Originally founded in 1932 as the Tavistock<br />
Repertory Company, where performances were<br />
given at the Tavistock Little Theatre in Bloomsbury,<br />
the Tower Theatre eventually moved to Canonbury<br />
Tower in Islington and became the Tower Theatre. It<br />
resided there for 50 years until the lease expired in<br />
2003, making the company homeless. The next 15<br />
years saw the company tour extensively as well as<br />
perform in London's The Bridewell Theatre, Theatro<br />
Technis and Upstairs at the Gatehouse.<br />
The search for suitable premises has finally brought<br />
them to Stoke Newington where they secured<br />
a lease on the former Sunstone House. After an<br />
extensive renovation, the building has now become<br />
a fully functioning theatre venue and has recently<br />
opened its doors to wide acclaim and community<br />
support.<br />
The theatre company is non-professional, however,<br />
many famous names have appeared early in their<br />
careers, notably Richard Baker, who for many years<br />
was president of its supporters club, The Friends<br />
of the Tower Theatre. Others to have acted with<br />
the Company over the years include the late Alec<br />
Clunes (father of Martin Clunes), Renée Asherson,<br />
Tom Courtenay, Siân Phillips, Michael Gambon,<br />
Alfred Molina and John Bennett.<br />
The relocation is great news for Stoke Newington<br />
residents - and East London residents as well. The<br />
Company presents some 18 full-scale productions a<br />
year, and its programme makes it one of the busiest<br />
companies of its kind in the country.<br />
The next production, King Charles III by Mike<br />
Bartlett and directed by Ruth Sullivan, opens on<br />
Wednesday 23 rd January and runs through Saturday<br />
2 nd February.<br />
TO FIND OUT MORE<br />
towertheatre.co<br />
@towertheatre<br />
@tower_theatre_london<br />
@towertheatrecompany/<br />
youtube.com/user/TowerTheatreCo
Business focus<br />
Introducing Broadway Market’s latest beauty space<br />
London's much loved brow bar, BAMBROWS, and new express wax bar WEWAXX,<br />
join forces to open a new beauty space tucked away inside vintage store Retrouve In<br />
Broadway Market.<br />
WEWAXX<br />
WEWAXX is a new, independent wax bar from hair<br />
removal expert Shimol Kanuga, who also founded Guys<br />
& Dolls salons in East London. Launching this month,<br />
WEWAXX specialises in express treatments for men and<br />
women using Lycon wax, a low temperature formula wax<br />
which shrink-wraps and removes hair as short as 1mm<br />
with minimal pain.<br />
Loved by beauty experts and celebrities including Sienna<br />
Miller and Victoria Beckham, all Lycon hot waxes use the<br />
same base formula, with the addition of aromatherapy<br />
ingredients to treat sensitivity and calm the skin. The<br />
naturally skin-soothing ingredients mean you won’t leave<br />
walking like John Wayne.<br />
BAMBROWS<br />
London’s favourite brow bar, BAMBROWS is excited to announce the<br />
launch of its second location in Broadway Market - the first permanent<br />
East London location for the brand.<br />
"East London is like home for me. I had a pop up on Cheshire Street<br />
when I first launched and have always wanted to come back."says<br />
founder and brow expert Chanice Sienna.<br />
Founded in 2017, BAMBROWS was created to meet the demand for a<br />
cool and current brow bar with a personal touch – and, a brow expert<br />
you can rely on.<br />
With each space reflecting the local area, the new location is<br />
decorated with neutral hues and living plants to create a Zen and<br />
homely escape from the busy market strip. Treatments include brow<br />
shape, brow tint and LVL lash lift. All BAMBROW stylists are trained<br />
by Chanice to ensure the highest quality and utmost customer<br />
experience.<br />
Bookings can be made on bambrows.com/book<br />
Using her advanced technique, Shimol created WEWAXX<br />
to meet the demands of busy London lifestyles. With all<br />
therapists trained by her personally, WEWAXX promises<br />
to have you pruned to perfection in less than 20 minutes.<br />
That means you can get a last-minute defuzz on your<br />
lunch break, at the weekend before meeting friends or<br />
after work on your way ‘out out’.<br />
Find us in the basement<br />
at Retrouve, 23 Broadway<br />
Market, E8 4PH.<br />
Bookings can be made on treatwell.co.uk<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 29
Pantos<br />
Aladdin at the Hackney Empire (thru 6 Jan)<br />
hackneyempire.co.uk/whats-on/aladdin/<br />
Cinderella at the Tower Theatre (12 - 19 Dec)<br />
towertheatre.org<br />
Dick Whittington at the Denmark Arms, E6 (11 - 13 Jan)<br />
denmarkarms.com<br />
The Box of Deights at Wilton's Music Hall (30 Dec - 5<br />
Jan) wiltons.org.uk<br />
Rapunzel at Hoxton Hall (13 – 30 December)<br />
Sleeping Beauty at Theatre Royal Stratford East<br />
(thru 12 Jan) stratfordeast.com/whats-on/all-shows/<br />
sleeping-beauty/385<br />
The Wizard of Oz by the Victoria Park Players,<br />
Lauriston School E9 7JS (5 & 6 Jan) ticketsource.co.uk/<br />
victoriaparkpalyers<br />
Santa's Grottos<br />
Santa's Victorian Grotto at the Museum of London, 150<br />
London Wall, EC2Y 5HN; museumoflondon.org.uk<br />
Santa at Sutton House, 2-4 Homerton High St., E9 6JQ<br />
nationaltrust.org.uk/sutton-house-and-breakers-yard<br />
Santa's Snowflake Grotto at Westfield Stratford<br />
uk.westfield.com/stratfordcity/entertainment/events/<br />
santas-snowflake-grotto/49817<br />
Santa's Grotto at Walthamstow Winter Wonderland,<br />
E17 7JY; walthamstowwinterwonderland.com/santasgrotto/<br />
Music & Dance<br />
Tots Gigs is a monthly morning series of acoustic gigs<br />
for parents who want to see a great gig in the daytime<br />
and bring their babies in tow. Check website for dates<br />
& times: soundscreativeprojects.co.uk/whatson/<br />
Children’s Creative Movement & Dance classes<br />
Saturdays at Chisenhale Dance Space. Times and ages:<br />
chisenhaledancespace.co.uk<br />
Arts 'n Crafts<br />
Little Artists London offers an array of child-friendly<br />
workshops at CreatePlace, St Margarets House, 21<br />
Old Ford Road , Bethnal Green ,E2 9PL. Days, times &<br />
booking info: littleartistslondon.com/workshops<br />
The Geffrye Museum is holding a a Screen Printing<br />
workshop on Dec 1st (all ages) and a family-friendly<br />
(age 8+) Christmas Decoration workshop on Dec 8th.<br />
Info & to book: geffrye-museum.org.uk<br />
The Makers Guild at The Yard - play, discover and<br />
make; Fridays during term time. the-yard.co.uk<br />
Exhibitions & Activities<br />
Step back in time and experience Christmas of<br />
yesteryear at the Dennis Severs House, 18 Folgate<br />
Street, E1 6BX. Dates & tkts: dennissevershouse.co.uk/<br />
christmas/<br />
A Pirate’s Life for Me exhibition at the Museum of<br />
Childhood thru 22 April. Iimaginary swashbuckling<br />
world of adventure and exploration. vam.ac.uk/moc/<br />
exhibitions/a-pirates-life-for-me/ Also Open Play for<br />
Under 5s on Saturdays, 10.45 – 11.30 & 12.00 – 12.45.<br />
vam.ac.uk/moc/whats-on/ and Free drop-in activities<br />
during term time, including arts and crafts, tours, trails<br />
and storytelling. Check vam.ac.uk/ for holiday activities.<br />
30 LOVEEAST
Cinemas<br />
The Castle Cinema: thecastlecinema.com<br />
Genesis Stepney: genesiscinema.co.uk/GenesisCinema.<br />
dll/Home<br />
Picturehouse Hackney: picturehouses.com/cinema/<br />
Hackney_Picturehouse<br />
Picturehouse Stratford: picturehouses.com/cinema/<br />
Stratford_London<br />
RichMix Shoreditch: richmix.org.uk/events/type/film<br />
Splish Splash<br />
Use this handy site to find an indoor pool near you:<br />
swimming.org/poolfinder/ Just put in your post code<br />
and voilà.<br />
Outdoors<br />
Check out Living with Warmth, a children's what's<br />
on guide for Hackney & Islington with a playground<br />
and child-friendly cafe and attractions map:<br />
livingwithwarmth.com/london<br />
Ice Skating at Walthamstow Winter Wonderland, E17<br />
7JY (thru 28 Dec) walthamstowwinterwonderland.<br />
com/ice-skating/ the Tower of London, EC3N 4AB<br />
(thru 6 Jan) toweroflondonicerink.co.uk and Ice Rink<br />
Canary Wharf, Canada Square Park, E14 5AB (thru 16<br />
Feb): icerinkcanarywharf.co.uk<br />
Try Time Kids Rugby, Victoria Park, opposite<br />
the Victoria Band Stand during term time. info:<br />
trytimekidsrugby.com/victoria-park T: 01252 794 150 /<br />
danielled@trytimekidsrugby.com<br />
Hackney Wick FC offers a variety of football<br />
opportunities for children of varying ages and<br />
abilities. Contact Bobby Kasanga for info: Niaman.<br />
hackneywickfc@gmail.com<br />
Be sure to check times/availability via<br />
the websites or contact details provided.<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 31
Culture<br />
On our doorstep: Meet The Grand Union<br />
Orchestra and the Grand Union Youth Orchestra<br />
A registered charity, the Grand Union Orchestra draws<br />
together musicians and singers whose backgrounds<br />
embrace the enormous range of cultures flourishing<br />
in Britain today. Many of the musicians are<br />
internationally-acclaimed and, over the years, the<br />
orchestra has represented more than 50 nationalities.<br />
Tony Haynes, one of four original co-founders of the<br />
orchestra, now acts as the company's artistic director,<br />
and writes and arranges most of its music.<br />
The Grand Union Orchestra is a pioneer and leading<br />
advocate of cross-cultural music-making in the UK,<br />
and is described as ‘making cultural diversity an artform.<br />
For over 30 years it has been bringing together<br />
singers and instrumentalists from all over the world<br />
– many of them first generation migrants themselves<br />
– to create spectacular music.<br />
Based in Bethnal Green, the orchestra has been going<br />
strong since 1982 and has toured the UK numerous<br />
times in addition to performing internationally. As<br />
well as performing, they also facilitate workshops and<br />
education programmes.<br />
Running alongside the Grand Union Orchestra is the<br />
Grand Union Youth Orchestra, London's pioneering<br />
world music and jazz youth ensemble. Led by top<br />
professional jazz and world musicians from the parent<br />
orchestra, the GUYO brings together young musicians<br />
aged 12 - 26 who wish to explore the world's major<br />
musical cultures.<br />
The youth orchestra’s masterclasses and workshops<br />
take place at Rich Mix, where they also perform<br />
regularly. In addition to native Londoners, the group<br />
is truly international, with countries of origin including<br />
Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Turkey,<br />
Bangladesh, China, India, East Africa, South Africa and<br />
the Caribbean.<br />
32 LOVEEAST<br />
The Grand Union Youth Orchestra performs Trading<br />
Roots at Rich Mix on Sunday 2 nd December<br />
richmix.org.uk/<br />
The Grand Union Orchestra & Singers performs<br />
Uncharted Crossings at Shoreditch Town Hall on Sunday<br />
9 th December<br />
shoreditchtownhall.com/whats-on
The wine guide<br />
Christmas at Vinarius<br />
Christmas is about traditions and we cherish our<br />
annual tradition of hosting a Charity Wine Tasting and<br />
recommending, on LoveEast magazine, a selection of<br />
our unique wines, directly imported from the producers,<br />
for the festive season.<br />
WHITE: Pecorino “Zite” 2017 - Terra d’Aligi<br />
Pecorino is one of the most interesting grape varieties<br />
from central Italy and the Abruzzo region in particular<br />
where it has always been the white wine for weddings,<br />
festive season and special occasions. This is an excellent<br />
example with an attractive bouquet of white peach,<br />
lavender flower, tropical fruit and a touch of sweet<br />
spiciness. On the palate is full and well structured with<br />
a fragrant acidity and a long finish. Perfect as an aperitif<br />
or to be enjoyed with soft cheeses, any fish dishes or<br />
grilled poultry.<br />
RED: Chateau Grand Chemin - Cotes de Bourg 2015<br />
Vinarius’ little Chateau Lynch-Bages (for the<br />
resemblances of its label with the famous Bordeaux producer) it’s a<br />
classic wine for Christmas. Medium-to-full-bodied, with soft tannins,<br />
ripe black fruit on the palate and an elegant finish that can easily<br />
match many foods and recipes you bring to the table. Normal price<br />
is £14.95 with a 10% discount for this December only.<br />
RED: Barbaresco DOCG - Massimo Rivetti 2014 (Organic, Vegan)<br />
Considered one of the finest appellations in Italy for its intense but<br />
classy wines made from Nebbiolo grapes, Barbaresco is a natural<br />
choice for Christmas. This is a staggeringly concentrated, fruitforward,<br />
organic Barbaresco with all the panache you expect from<br />
this category. Only large Slavonian casks are used during the ageing<br />
process, which allows deep black fruit aromas and dense but clean<br />
tannins to come to the fore. A delightful fruit explosion and great<br />
complexity now that will age well for another decade. Try with red<br />
meats, stews, hard cheeses or strong flavoured vegetarian dishes.<br />
Charity Wine Tasting<br />
Our Charity Wine Tasting is very special as 100% of the proceeds<br />
go to the First Love Foundation. Thanks also for the support and<br />
collaborations of our wine producers and suppliers who donate the<br />
wines for the event.<br />
This is a very good occasion to taste six high quality wines with your<br />
friends, family or colleagues in a very lively and relaxed atmosphere<br />
and, at the same time, help to raise funds for a very a good cause.<br />
Please check our website for more information or to book a place.<br />
Merry Christmas and happy new year from all the Vinarius team!<br />
VISIT US<br />
536 Roman Road, Bow E3 5ES<br />
OPENING HOURS<br />
Mon: 12pm - 7pm<br />
Tues - Fri: 12pm - 11pm<br />
Sat: 10am - 11pm<br />
Sun: 10am - 10pm<br />
Food is served Tuesday to<br />
Sunday from 6:00 pm.<br />
We take reservations for private<br />
and corporate parties and wine<br />
tastings<br />
GET IN TOUCH<br />
store@vinarius.london<br />
020 3302 0123<br />
SOCIAL MEDIA<br />
@VinariusLondon<br />
@vinarius_on_the_roman<br />
vinarius.london<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 33
Eating In<br />
A winter warming Mexican Black Bean Soup with<br />
lime salsa and coriander yoghurt from Diana Warrings<br />
Ingredients:<br />
400g black beans (canned)<br />
100g cherry tomatoes cut into<br />
quarters<br />
1 ripe avocado<br />
1 red pepper - cut into 1 cm cubes<br />
2 red onions- finely chopped<br />
2 cloves of garlic- grated<br />
1 bay leaf<br />
2 red chili peppers<br />
1 tsp of cumin seeds (or heaped<br />
ground cumin)<br />
1 tsp of coriander seeds (or heaped<br />
ground coriander)<br />
1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon<br />
2 tsp of mild chilli powder<br />
400ml vegetable stock<br />
150g of natural yoghurt<br />
2 fresh limes (unwaxed)<br />
1 bunch of fresh coriander<br />
Freshly ground pepper and sea salt<br />
Diana Warrings is a Health &<br />
nutrition content producer, recipe<br />
developer & well-being cook.<br />
irmagreen.com<br />
34 LOVEEAST<br />
Method:<br />
1. Bring 400ml of water to a boil, add an adequate amount of vegetable stock<br />
cube or powder and stir until dissolved. Prepare all the vegetables and set<br />
aside, keeping the chopped onions separate. De-seed and finely slice one of<br />
the chilli peppers and just pierce the other one with a sharp knife.<br />
2. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds over medium heat in a large frying pan<br />
for a minute or two, then transfer into a mortar and finely grind.<br />
3. Using the same frying pan, heat up 1-2 tbsp of oil, sauté one of the finely<br />
chopped onions and chopped peppers for 4-5 min. until soft, then add the<br />
tomatoes, the whole pierced chilli pepper, garlic, bay leaf, all the spices and<br />
simmer for 10 min. until soft.<br />
4. In the meantime, drain the beans, keeping the liquid, rinse and set aside. Wash,<br />
zest and juice the limes and finely chop 3/4 of the coriander including the<br />
stem. Keep the rest of the coriander to garnish the soup.<br />
5. For the coriander yoghurt, place the yoghurt in a bowl, mix with 2 tbsp of lime<br />
juice, 1 tbsp of zest, a generous pinch of sea salt, half the chopped coriander,<br />
1 tbsp of finely chopped red onions, stir well and season to taste. For the lime<br />
salsa, place the remaining lime juice in a small jar, add 1 tbsp of finely chopped<br />
onion and coriander, 1/2 tsp of fresh chilli and a good pinch of salt, stir well and<br />
set aside. If you do not like spicy food, don't add the chilli.<br />
6. Once the onions, peppers and tomatoes are nice and soft, transfer into a<br />
medium sized pot, add beans and the vegetable stock and simmer everything<br />
for about 15 min. Add some bean liquid if needed. Once cooked, take out the<br />
chilli and the bay leaf and using a blender, blend half of the soup, so that you<br />
end up with a creamy but chunky texture. No need to do this in a separate pot,<br />
just part blend the soup as it is. If you prefer a creamy soup, you can blend all<br />
of it.<br />
7. Next cut the avocado in half, remove the stone with a teaspoon, then using<br />
a tablespoon scoop out the flesh and cut into thin slices. Place in a bowl and<br />
drizzle with some lime salsa. This will add flavour and prevent them from going<br />
brown.<br />
Enjoy!<br />
During the pre-Christmas season most of us<br />
are busy, running from one Christmas party<br />
to the next and trying to get all the Christmas<br />
shopping done, not to mention Christmas<br />
dinner preparations. In times like these, we need<br />
quick and easy, but healthy dishes that can be<br />
prepared in advance. This Mexican black bean<br />
soup exactly fits the brief and comes with the<br />
bonus of tasting even better the next day.<br />
Serve the piping hot soup topped with coriander<br />
yoghurt, a few slices of avocado, fresh coriander,<br />
lime salsa and zest and for those who like it hot,<br />
some more finely chopped chilli. Serves 2 - 3.<br />
Image: Diana Warrings
Eating Out<br />
Nicole Breeden test drives Modern<br />
Mediterranean restaurant Morito in Hackney<br />
As much as I love the food that comes with the festive season, I thought<br />
I’d break away from the cranberry sauce and spiced lattes for one day by<br />
visiting modern Mediterranean restaurant Morito.<br />
Located on the hip Hackney Road, Morito is a tapas/mezze restaurant<br />
which draws influences from Southern Spain, the Eastern Mediterranean<br />
and even North Africa. Adding to this uniqueness is the fact that the<br />
owners make it their mission<br />
to source uncommon produce;<br />
sometimes including items which<br />
aren’t even widely available in<br />
London yet.<br />
Prior to arriving to the restaurant,<br />
we booked a table online so I<br />
wasn’t quite happy when we<br />
were shown to our seats at<br />
the bar. However, sitting here<br />
actually turned out to be a great<br />
experience because we were able<br />
to feel the true welcoming culture<br />
of the Mediterranean by being<br />
up close and personal with the<br />
staff, and seeing how they were<br />
serving. This was reiterated with<br />
the inviting open kitchen.<br />
Whilst Morito features a wide array<br />
of wines from the likes of Portugal<br />
and mainland Spain, I decided to<br />
try their special cocktail for the<br />
night which positively oozed notes<br />
of fruit and floral. The delicious<br />
and light sharing dishes which followed were a mixture from Turkish and<br />
Spanish cuisine.<br />
The highlights for me were the small plates of beautifully charred<br />
halloumi with chopped salad and walnuts, and then the mouthwatering<br />
scallops with chorizo and spinach. Not forgetting the dessert which was<br />
baklava with a difference; drizzled in warm, melted, gooey chocolate<br />
goodness as opposed to the usual honey or syrup.<br />
Overall, I would highly recommend Morito as it allows you to taste a<br />
number of dishes from a variety of Mediterranean cuisines in one place.<br />
Due to its laid back atmosphere, it would be great for a casual dinner<br />
with friends, a mid-week date night with your parter, or even a visit by<br />
yourself for some good food and wine. Morito welcomes a very open and<br />
honest culture, so you won’t feel alone.<br />
Images: Nicole Breeden<br />
MORITO<br />
195 Hackney Road, E2 8JL<br />
You can also enjoy Morito in<br />
Exmouth Market.<br />
COST<br />
Dinner for two including 5 dishes,<br />
dessert and cocktail each is in<br />
the range of £100.<br />
TO FIND OUT MORE<br />
moritohackneyroad.co.uk<br />
@moritotapas<br />
@MoritoHackneyRoad<br />
@moritohackney<br />
Nicole is a 24 year old marketing<br />
executive and blogger from<br />
Essex. She enjoys all things<br />
beauty, fashion and food;<br />
especially food, making it her<br />
mission to locate the hidden<br />
gems of whichever city she's in.<br />
discoveringdifference.com<br />
@NicoleAlexiaB<br />
@nicolealexia<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 35
History<br />
Hackney, Portrait of a<br />
Community 1967 - 2017<br />
Published by The Hackney Society and edited by<br />
Laurie Elks, this wonderful book was created to mark<br />
the 50th anniversary of The Hackney Society.<br />
Enlightening and informative, its pages are filled<br />
with a collection of stories, observations, reflections<br />
and memories, presented in chronological order by<br />
authors who draw on their own experiences and<br />
expertise.<br />
The book takes us through the evolution of the<br />
borough over the past 50 years, but it also looks<br />
towards the future, posing questions about<br />
sustainability, planning, social housing, regeneration<br />
vs gentrification, education, diversity and culture.<br />
An array of fabulous images are dotted throughout<br />
the book. Poignant and well chosen, they add<br />
richness and depth, reminding us of what once was,<br />
and nudging us to consider what the future holds. It's<br />
interesting to 'see' how the landscape has changed,<br />
and yet, in some ways, how it's stayed the same.<br />
Rather than being a snapshot in time, or a 'frozen<br />
moment', the book embraces both the past and the<br />
future with clear eyes. It does not shy away from<br />
some of the more difficult points in the borough's<br />
history and acknowledges the fact that the borough<br />
is constantly evolving.<br />
It's an absolute treasure - and a great gift - for<br />
anyone with an interest in history and a love of<br />
Hackney; perfect to curl up with on a cold, winter's<br />
evening.<br />
You can order copies from The Hackney Society's<br />
website or pick one up from independent bookshops.<br />
It's also available at Sublime in Victoria Park,<br />
J Glinert in Wilton Way, E8 and The Hackney<br />
Museum. Happy reading!<br />
The Hackney Society is a membership organisation of<br />
Hackney residents and friends, run by volunteers. Its aim<br />
is to promote the highest standards in design and protect<br />
Hackney's unique heritage.<br />
hackneysociety.org<br />
IMAGE CREDITS FROM TOP:<br />
Ridley Road Market Stall 1980 © Neil Martinson<br />
Lesneys Matchbox Toys Factory © Neil Martinson<br />
The last days of Broad Street Station ©Gordon Edgar<br />
Tim O’Rourke at the Cock Tavern – voted London’s most<br />
beard-friendly pub © Neil Martinson<br />
36 LOVEEAST
Wellness<br />
Local personal trainer Roger Love talks to Matt Lovell, a Hackney-based nutritionist, about<br />
how to eat healthily over the Christmas season and still enjoy yourself. Matt has worked with<br />
rugby players Jonny Wilkinson and James Haskell, and many sports teams including the<br />
England and Georgia rugby sides, Saracens and Manchester City.<br />
What's the best way to prepare for the excesses of<br />
the festive season? Try and get ahead of the game by<br />
being stricter about food and drink and upping your<br />
exercise levels before Xmas. The festive season is a time<br />
for family and friends, so be sure that if you want to do<br />
some exercise, you’ve negotiated it with your partner.<br />
Going out for a run on Christmas morning won’t seem<br />
so neglectful if you’ve cleared it beforehand! Any extra<br />
exercise puts you in credit and means that you will have<br />
room for an extra piece of cheese and cake. You’ll sweat<br />
out the toxins from any drinking you may have done the<br />
previous night. You can actually start now, with a good<br />
drive from now until Christmas you could lose half a<br />
stone of fat by then.<br />
What's the best food plan? In the holidays, I like to get<br />
clients to use intermittent fasting more. So try and go<br />
until 2/3pm before your first meal.<br />
If you train in the morning, which is a good idea, you can<br />
have a protein-rich breakfast afterwards then fast until<br />
supper time. On Xmas Day, aim to keep to the one big<br />
meal and a little turkey sandwich before bed. To be fair<br />
it’s a day which should really be the best treat day of the<br />
year.<br />
What are the best Christmas day snacks? Make sure<br />
you have some healthy snacks at hand in case the<br />
turkey ends up taking too long to cook. Have some<br />
raw vegetable crudites cut up and ready to go: carrot,<br />
cucumber, peppers and celery, with a tub of hummus or<br />
a pot of cottage cheese, and some nuts: walnuts, brazil<br />
and cashews. With nuts generally, get ones that are still<br />
in their shells as having to crack open the shells will slow<br />
down your eating of them, rather than getting a big<br />
handful of ready salted peanuts and throwing them back.<br />
Choose natural nuts rather than salted or roasted ones.<br />
As much as possible, avoid these deadly Xmas foods:<br />
biscuits, confectionery, sausage rolls, pastries and mince<br />
pies.<br />
What would you suggest for Christmas Day breakfast?<br />
A great breakfast is smoked salmon and scrambled<br />
omega eggs, a true Omega 3 extravaganza! Keeps<br />
you nice and full as well and a good base for a glass of<br />
champagne.<br />
What about alcohol? The key is to enjoy alcohol in<br />
moderation, drink plenty of water in between courses,<br />
and go for a walk after lunch. If you are going into a<br />
situation where there will be a lot of drinking, then drink<br />
lots of water before and after the event, and if you can<br />
drink water during the party then do so. Light aerobic<br />
activity will sweat some of the booze out the following<br />
day but this only works if you’ve drunk enough water<br />
before hand. It’s the parties and socials before Christmas<br />
that really add up. Doing more exercise to balance these<br />
out makes sense.<br />
What are the best drinks to choose? Spirits with lots<br />
of diet mixers and white wine spritzers. Try and avoid<br />
beer, especially lagers. Support your liver if you are<br />
going to drink a lot – milk thistle and dandelion is a good<br />
supplement - or get a liver formula from a health food<br />
store. Egg nog is probably the worst drink for gaining<br />
weight.<br />
Is it ok to eat Christmas pudding? Yes, but leave out<br />
the brandy butter – have a little low fat fromage frais,<br />
instead. Leave a big gap before you have your dessert.<br />
Generally, you’re pretty full after a roast dinner and all<br />
the trimmings anyway. Often, I’ll wait a couple of hours<br />
before having pudding or dessert. It helps prolong the<br />
meal and also balances insulin levels.<br />
Can we have cheese? Of course - but have another long<br />
break before having your cheese. Eat the cheese with<br />
celery, grapes and apples rather than crackers.<br />
Finally, what is the one thing that I could do to ensure<br />
I don’t put on fat? Go for a run - or a brisk walk - on<br />
Xmas morning and Boxing Day morning – start your New<br />
Year’s resolutions a bit early.<br />
Follow Matt on Twitter: @mattlovell<br />
Visit his website: aminoman.com/<br />
Roger Love Is a personal trainer<br />
based in Netil House E8.<br />
rogerlovept.com<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 37
Please Call - 07805 612127 or<br />
email - michellecrawford123@gmail.com<br />
And check out our web page -<br />
michellept.wordpress.com<br />
38 LOVEEAST
History<br />
Sean Gubbins tells us about Hackney’s Greens<br />
Another derivation of<br />
today’s open spaces<br />
were burial grounds,<br />
the largest being the<br />
magnificent Abney Park.<br />
From the 1850s, central<br />
London churchyards were<br />
closed for burials, had<br />
gravestones cleared and<br />
paths laid, to become<br />
Recreational Grounds. Many can be discovered tucked away in various<br />
parts of the borough.<br />
Shoreditch Churchyard became the largest open space for local people to<br />
stretch their legs and get away from overcrowded living conditions of what<br />
was the most densely populated part of Hackney. Otherwise, Shoreditch<br />
folk only had the front gardens of today’s Geffrye Museum, Hoxton or<br />
Charles Squares. Hackney boasts some of London’s prettiest squares: de<br />
Beauvoir and Albion. But it was not always thus. In 1899 the local paper<br />
described neglected Albion Square as ”the greatest eyesore” in Dalston.<br />
Of course, the borough’s largest open space is Hackney Marsh, also<br />
common land, purchased for public use in 1893. Hackney’s open spaces<br />
would have been greater had it still contained Victoria Park, which is now<br />
run completely by Tower Hamlets. One open space that got away was<br />
Kingsland Green, where fairs and cricket matches were held. After an<br />
attempt made to buy it for a public space, it was built over in 1882. The<br />
name survives, just north of Balls Pond Road.<br />
With 15% of its land green space, Hackney must vie for the<br />
inner-London borough with the most open spaces. How did we<br />
get to enjoy these 58 parks and gardens?<br />
Some of this land has been available for local people’s use for<br />
centuries. It was common land, not owned by the people but<br />
accessible for their use at a certain time of the year. In 1872<br />
Clapton, Stoke Newington, Well Street Commons, North and<br />
South Millfields, Hackney Downs and London Fields were<br />
bought up by the local authority of the time and laid out as<br />
public parks.<br />
Others of our parks had been in private ownership as parkland<br />
surrounding big mansions. After local campaigns these lands<br />
were bought up by local subscription and the LCC: Clissold<br />
Park (1889); Springfield (1902).<br />
Two of Hackney’s post war parks were returned to open green<br />
space where for about 130 years there had been housing and<br />
industrial buildings, built up beside the Regent’s Canal which<br />
came to the area in 1820. Haggerston Park is built on the site of<br />
a gasworks and streets of<br />
houses behind. Shoreditch<br />
Park too was created from<br />
cleared bomb sites; traces<br />
of the roads they replaced<br />
can be seen in both parks.<br />
Looking for something to<br />
do one weekend? Intrigued<br />
to find out more about<br />
Hackney?<br />
Look up walkhackney.co.uk<br />
and pick a walk that takes<br />
your fancy. The next four<br />
are in this edition's What's<br />
On section. I look forward to<br />
welcoming you on one of my<br />
walks.<br />
Images courtesy of Sean Gubbins<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 39
What's on<br />
Where to see<br />
some art...<br />
New works by Yayoi<br />
Kusama at Victoria Miro,<br />
6 Wharf Rd, N1 7RW thru<br />
21 Dec<br />
victoria-miro.com<br />
Robin Footitt’s Open<br />
Window and exhibition<br />
The Toast thru 21 Dec at<br />
New Art Projects, 6D<br />
Sheep Lane, E8 4QS<br />
newartprojects.com<br />
Heidi Bucher at Parasol<br />
Unit, till 9th Dec &<br />
Hyon Gyon from 23 Jan,<br />
14 Wharf Rd, N1 7RW<br />
parasolunit.org<br />
Civilisation, thru 22 Dec<br />
at Flowers Gallery, 82<br />
Kingsland Rd, E2 8DP<br />
flowersgallery.com<br />
A Stone in the Mountain<br />
Georgia Hayes & Grant<br />
Foster on thru 23 Dec at<br />
Transition Two, 110a<br />
Lauriston Road, E9 7HA<br />
ALSO: Paracosmic Revue,<br />
group show from 12 Jan<br />
transitiongallery.co.uk<br />
Felipe Baeza thru 6 Jan<br />
at Maureen Paley, 21<br />
Herald Street, E2 6JT<br />
maureenpaley.com<br />
CONDO with Edouard<br />
Malingue Gallery from 12<br />
Jan at Kate McGarry,<br />
27 Old Nichol St., E2 7HR<br />
katemacgarry.com/<br />
Hang-Up Gallery will be<br />
featuring Nina Saunders'<br />
Tea with Andy (Warhol)<br />
from 24 Jan<br />
hanguppictures.com<br />
Dec<br />
SAT 1 Dec<br />
Creative Lifestyle Pop Up at<br />
The Hackney Shop, 99 Morning<br />
Lane, E9 6ND, Also Sun 2 nd Info:<br />
07538 321 416<br />
Walthamstow<br />
Wonderland from 10am &<br />
Christmas Lights @ 6pm,<br />
Walthamstow Town Sq. Info:<br />
walthamstowwinterwonderland.<br />
com<br />
Jennings Couch at The<br />
Fiddler's Elbow, 1 Malden<br />
Rd, NW5 3HS, Info:<br />
thefiddlerselbow.co.uk<br />
Food and Theatre collide with<br />
Scripts for Supper at The Tab<br />
Centre, 3 Godfrey Pl; also 6 th , 7 th<br />
& 8 th Info: scriptsforsupper.co.uk<br />
SUN 2 Dec<br />
Happy Hanukkah<br />
Dance Cardio Class, 11.45am<br />
at Popfit, 19 Sidworth St, E8<br />
3SD. Info: wearepopfit.com<br />
Weekly yoga class 9 - 10am<br />
Sundays thru 30 Dec, £6, Bow<br />
Arts at RAW Lab, Royal Albert<br />
Wharf, E16 2QJ. Info: bowarts.org<br />
Lower Clapton History Walk<br />
'Literati and Revolutionaries',<br />
11am-1.30pm. Meet on steps of<br />
The Round Chapel, E5 0LY, £10<br />
/£8 conc. Info: walkhackney.<br />
co.uk/lower-clapton/<br />
Grand Union Youth Orchestra:<br />
Trading Roots 7pm at Rich Mix,<br />
35-47 Bethnal Green Rd, E1 6LA.<br />
Info & booking: richmix.org.uk/<br />
MON 3 Dec<br />
Urban Makers at Old Spitafields<br />
Market, 11am - 6pm, on thru the<br />
18 th . Info: urbanmakers.co.uk<br />
Power Flow Yoga Mondays<br />
at Victoria Park Community<br />
Centre, 5 Gore Rd, E9 7HR. Info:<br />
176.32.230.29/powerflowyoga.<br />
co.uk/classes-bookings/<br />
WED 5 Dec<br />
Giftland at DIY Art Shop, 129<br />
Shackwell Lane, E8 2EB. Info on<br />
FB: @HackneyFleaMarket<br />
Over 50s Social Club every<br />
Wednesday, 11.30am - 3.30pm<br />
at Manor Park Community Ctr,<br />
524 High St N, E12 6QN. Info:<br />
mpca@ymail.com<br />
Life Drawing sessions<br />
every Wednesday, 7.30pm,<br />
7 Roach Rd, E3 2NT, materials<br />
included, £10. Info on FB: @<br />
HackneyWickLifeDrawing<br />
THURS 6 Dec<br />
Open Studio 6-9pm, Submit<br />
to Love Studios, Headway East<br />
London, Timber Wharf, 238-240<br />
Kingsland Rd, E2 8AX. Info:<br />
headwayeastlondon.org/blog<br />
Light up a Life Remembrance<br />
Service, tree lighting &<br />
dedication ceremony at<br />
St Joseph’s Hospice, Info:<br />
fundraising@stjh.org.uk<br />
SAT 8 Dec<br />
Hoxton History Walk, 'Mad<br />
Houses and Music Halls',<br />
11am-1.15pm, meet at entrance<br />
to Hoxton Station, £10 /£8<br />
conc. Info: walkhackney.co.uk/<br />
hoxton-walk<br />
Greatfield Winter Market,<br />
11am - 2pm, St George & St<br />
Ethelbert Church Hall, Burford<br />
Rd, E6 3NN. Info on FB: @<br />
GreatfieldE6<br />
Urban Makers Market, Mile<br />
End Ecology Pavilion, E3 5TW,<br />
also Sun 9 th . Info: urbanmakers.<br />
co.uk/<br />
Bingo Academy at The Kitty<br />
Hawk, 13 South Pl, EC2M 7EB.<br />
also SAT 15 th . Info: bingoacademy.com<br />
SUN 9 Dec<br />
Hoe St Christmas Market, 12 -<br />
5pm at Walthamstow Trades Hall,<br />
17 Hoe St, E17. Info on FB:<br />
@HoeStMarket<br />
Indie Ceramics Market, 11am<br />
at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green<br />
Road, E1 6LA. Info: richmix.<br />
org.uk/<br />
Grand Union Orchestra &<br />
Singers: Uncharted Crossings<br />
7.30pm at Shoreditch Town<br />
Hall, 380 Old St, EC1V 9LT.<br />
Info: shoreditchtownhall.com/<br />
whats-on<br />
Festival Chorus Hackney<br />
preforms Handel's Alexander's<br />
Feast at St John of Jerusalem<br />
Church, E9 7DL. Info:<br />
festivalchorushackney.org.uk<br />
WED 12 Dec<br />
Charity Wine Tasting Evening,<br />
7pm at Vinarius, 536 Roman<br />
Road, E3 5ES. Info: vinarius.<br />
london<br />
THURS 13 Dec<br />
Jennings Couch at The<br />
Workshop, 243 Old Street, EC1V<br />
9EY. Info: roadtripbar.com<br />
Giftland Late Night at DIY Art<br />
Shop, 11am - 9pm,129 Shackwell<br />
Lane, E8 2EB. Info on FB: @<br />
HackneyFleaMarket<br />
FRI 14 Dec<br />
E15 Jazz Sessions featuring<br />
Muntu Valdo at Stratford Circus<br />
Art Centre, £10/adv £12/door.<br />
Info: stratford-circus.com<br />
SAT 15 Dec<br />
Mean Girls Xmas Dance Class<br />
at Popfit, 19 Sidworth St, E8 3SD.<br />
Info: wearepopfit.com<br />
FRI 21 Dec<br />
Winter Solstice<br />
SAT 22 Dec<br />
Hackney Flea-Mas Market,<br />
Abney Public Hall, 73A Stoke<br />
Newington Church St., N16 0AS.<br />
Info on FB: @HackneyFleaMarket<br />
TUES 25 Dec<br />
Happy Christmas!<br />
MON 31 Dec<br />
New Years Eve<br />
40 LOVEEAST
What's on<br />
Jan<br />
TUES 1 Jan<br />
Happy New Year!<br />
FRI 4 Jan<br />
Supper club with The Bread<br />
Companion, also 5 th and 6 th at<br />
Host of Leyton, 658 High Road<br />
Leyton, E10 6JP. BYOB - booking<br />
essential. £37 with an additional<br />
£3 towards recycling Christmas<br />
trees. Info: thebreadcompanion.<br />
com/<br />
MON 7 Jan<br />
Power Flow Yoga Mondays at<br />
Victoria Park Community Centre,<br />
5 Gore Road, E9 7HR: Seated<br />
Yoga 4:45 - 5:45pm, Yoga Basics<br />
& Nidra 6 - 7pm, Power Flow<br />
Yoga & Nidra 7:15 - 8:15pm. Info:<br />
176.32.230.29/powerflowyoga.<br />
co.uk/classes-bookings/<br />
WED 9 Jan<br />
Life Drawing sessions<br />
every Wednesday, 7.30pm<br />
at Stour Space, Green<br />
Gates, 10 Stour Rd, E3 2NT,<br />
all materials included, £10;<br />
hackneywicklifedrawing.bigcartel.<br />
com or hackneywicklifedrawing@<br />
hotmail.com<br />
THURS 10 Jan<br />
Ladies who Latte, relaxed, free<br />
networking, 10.30am-12.30pm,<br />
Bumpkin Westfield. Info: rachel@<br />
rachelkmiller.com<br />
Sing your heart out with Sing<br />
Tower Hamlets community choir<br />
at St Paul’s Shadwell, Thursdays<br />
during term time, 7.30-9.30pm;<br />
first time is free and term fees<br />
and info here: singtowerhamlets.<br />
com/cost/<br />
FRI 11 Jan<br />
Coworking Fridays every<br />
Friday at Create Place, St<br />
Margaret's House - two time slots<br />
(10am-1pm or 1pm-4pm) lowcost,<br />
flexible coworking space.<br />
Info: stmargaretshouse.org.uk/<br />
coworking-fridays/<br />
Jennings Couch at Cafe 1001,<br />
91 Brick Lane, E2 8JD. Info:<br />
Cafe1001.co.uk<br />
London Short Film Festival,<br />
Various venues thru 20 th . Info:<br />
shortfilms.org.uk<br />
SAT 12 Jan<br />
London Fields History Walk,<br />
'Where pig-swinging was once a<br />
sport', meet on steps of Hackney<br />
Town Hall, E8 1EA, £10 /£8 conc.<br />
Info: walkhackney.co.uk/londonfields-3/<br />
MON 14 Jan<br />
Comedy with Sarah Pascoe +<br />
Guests, 8pm Backyard Comedy<br />
Club, 231 Cambridge Heath Rd,<br />
E2 0EL. Info: backyardbar.co.uk<br />
TUES 15 Jan<br />
Life drawing at Red Door<br />
Studios, 7-9.30pm, £7 incl snacks<br />
& paper, High St S, E6 3RW. Info:<br />
throughthereddoor.org<br />
Improvisation: Sound & Music<br />
10 week course Tuesdays<br />
7-9pm, Chisenhale Dance Space,<br />
64-84 Chisenhale Rd, E3 5QZ.<br />
Info: chisenhaledancespace.<br />
co.uk<br />
NOW 19 kicks off at the Yard<br />
Theatre featuring Brian Lobel<br />
with Gweneth-Ann Rand<br />
7.30pm & Fk Alexander with<br />
Andy Brown, 9pm, Unit 2A<br />
Queen’s Yard, White Post Lane,<br />
E9 5EN. Further shows &<br />
dates: theyardtheatre.co.uk<br />
Comedy with Omid Djalili,<br />
Wilton's Music Hall, 1 Grace's<br />
Alley, Ensign St, E1 8JB. Info:<br />
wiltons.org.uk<br />
WED 16 Jan<br />
Running for Good screening<br />
in aid of Tower Hill Stables<br />
Animal Sanctuary, 6.45pm<br />
at The Chapel Cinema, St<br />
Margaret's House. Info:<br />
stmargaretshouse.org.uk<br />
Wick Wednesday - A<br />
day and night of special<br />
offers, exhibitions, events,<br />
performances every 3 rd<br />
Wednesday of the momth Info:<br />
creativewick.com/blog/wickwednesday/<br />
London Art Fair at the Business<br />
Design Centre, 52 Upper Street,<br />
N1 0QH daily thru the 20 th . Info:<br />
londonartfair.co.uk<br />
FRI 18 Jan<br />
Dial M for Music, monthly music<br />
night at the Sir Alfred Hitchcock<br />
Hotel, 147 Whipps Cross Rd,<br />
Leytonstone, E11 1NP. Free<br />
(with a collection for the 2 acts).<br />
Contact Brad for info: bradwry@<br />
yahoo.co.uk<br />
WED 23 Jan<br />
King Charles III at the Tower<br />
Theatre & runs thru 2 nd Feb,<br />
16 Northwold Road, Stoke<br />
Newington N16 7HR. Info:<br />
towertheatre.org<br />
FRI 25 Jan<br />
Burns Night<br />
UPBEAT experimental open<br />
mic evening with music &<br />
spoken word at The Gate Library,<br />
Woodgrange Rd, E7 0QH. Info &<br />
to book a slot: forestgatearts@<br />
gmail.com<br />
SAT 26 Jan<br />
Stamford Hill History Walk,<br />
'The Heights of Hackney', meet<br />
at Abney Park Cemetery Gates,<br />
Stoke Newington High St, N16<br />
0LH, 11am-2.30pm, £10 /£8 conc.<br />
Details/booking: walkhackney.<br />
co.uk/stamford-hill-walk-2/<br />
Pop up cafe at Red Door<br />
Studios, 12-5pm, High St S, E6<br />
3RW. Info: throughthereddoor.org<br />
TUE 28 Jan<br />
Christine Bovill's PARIS,<br />
7.30pm + Matinee Sat 2.30pm<br />
Wilton's Music Hall, 1 Grace's<br />
Alley, Ensign St, E1 8JB. Info:<br />
wiltons.org.uk<br />
Independent<br />
bookshops...<br />
Is there anything more<br />
satisfying than curling up<br />
with a good book on a chilly<br />
winter evening? Perhaps,<br />
but you have to admit, it's<br />
hard to beat. Below, we<br />
list some great places to<br />
browse the stacks and<br />
choose a damn fine read.<br />
And the best bit is that<br />
you will support your local,<br />
independent trader.<br />
Artwords Bookshop<br />
20-22 Broadway Market E8<br />
4QJ and 69 Rivington St,<br />
EC2A 3AY<br />
artwords.co.uk<br />
The Broadway Bookshop<br />
6 Broadway Market, E8 4QJ<br />
broadwaybookshophackn<br />
ey.com<br />
Brick Lane Bookshjop<br />
166 Brick Lane, E1 6RU<br />
bricklanebookshop.org<br />
Burley Fisher Books<br />
400 Kingsland Rd, E8 4AA<br />
burleyfisherbooks.com<br />
Libreria<br />
65 Hanbury St, E1 5JP<br />
libreria.io<br />
The Newham Bookshop<br />
745 - 747 Barking Rd,<br />
E13 9ER<br />
newhambooks.co.uk<br />
Pages of Hackney<br />
70 Lower Clapton Rd, E5 0RN<br />
pagesofhackney.co.uk<br />
TI PI TIN<br />
47 Stoke Newington High<br />
St, N16 8EL<br />
tipitin.com<br />
LOVEEAST DEC 2018 - JAN 2019 41
TUESDAY DEC 4<br />
Steve Rubie and<br />
Jonathan Gee band<br />
£8<br />
TUESDAY DEC 11<br />
Dennis Rollins<br />
trombone and band<br />
£7<br />
TUESDAY DEC 18<br />
John Etheridge –<br />
guitar, Derek Nash –<br />
sax’s, Pete Whittaker<br />
– organ and Clive<br />
Fenner drums<br />
£8<br />
The Club will reopen<br />
Tuesday 8 Jan - see<br />
website for details<br />
See our website for all other dates<br />
Tuesdays, 8.30pm - 11pm<br />
Leytonstone & District Ex-Servicemen’s Club<br />
2 Harvey Road, Leytonstone, E11 3DB<br />
(behind the Red Lion)<br />
eastsidejazzclub.blogspot.co.uk<br />
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