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LoveEast Summer edition - indie mag showcasing people, places and events in East London.

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ISSUE 50<br />

Oxford House<br />

Marina Sirtis<br />

Lemzi<br />

Simon Rumley<br />

Michele Kirsch<br />

The Gentle Author<br />

And lots of other stuff<br />

Deep summer is<br />

when laziness finds<br />

respectability<br />

- Sam Keen<br />

Your East London - What's on - Food - People


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2 LOVEEAST


Welcome to your local magazine<br />

Dear neighbour<br />

We've been out and about lately, visiting Oxford<br />

House in Bethnal Green; its history is quite remarkable.<br />

We also had the absolute pleasure of a phone<br />

interview with actor Marina Sirtis, an in-person<br />

interview with film producer Simon Rumley and our<br />

new keyboard warrior Mark Wincott met up with rap<br />

artist Lemzi. We even managed to find a piece of time<br />

to read Clean by Hackney resident Michele Kirsch,<br />

which was un-put-downable, discovered Flipside 2.0<br />

and caught Funicular's Immersive theatre show The<br />

Murdér Express.<br />

Sadly, we bid farewell to Bell from Bow, who<br />

has stepped away from the keyboard due to<br />

other commitments. We wish her well - we've so<br />

appreciated her contributions over the years and will<br />

miss her humour and insight.<br />

The Gentle Author on Bethnal Green's Mulberry tree<br />

Roger Love has some great fitness books and Sean<br />

Gubbins tells about the Joseph architectural dynasty.<br />

Vinarius gives some cork education and in the food<br />

department we have a yummy summer recipe from<br />

Diana Warrings and a great read about East London's<br />

Pie & Mash shops by Mark Wincott.<br />

We've combined June, July & August this year so<br />

that, going forward, the editions will coincide with the<br />

calendar year so check the Kids & What's on pages<br />

for lots of cool summer stuff to do and see in your East<br />

London. Let The Summer Begin!<br />

Cheers,<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 Trades Guild<br />

COVER IMAGE: Gants Hill Tube Station by our very own ELR founder &<br />

presenter, Ian Chambers. Follow ELR on twitter: @eastlondonradio<br />

THIS PAGE: Forest Gate, June 2018 by Tod Kavonic<br />

I N S I D E<br />

East life<br />

4<br />

8<br />

10<br />

Business<br />

20<br />

Culture<br />

16<br />

22<br />

Paper ships<br />

14<br />

Regular features<br />

26 The Gentle Author<br />

30 What to do with the kids<br />

33 Wine guide<br />

34 Eating in - and out<br />

36 WalkHackney<br />

37 Roger Love<br />

38 What's on<br />

Oxford House opens<br />

it's doors after major<br />

renovations<br />

Simon Rumley's new<br />

film, Once Upon a Time<br />

in London<br />

Lemzi sits down for a<br />

chat with Mark Wincott<br />

Flipside 2.0 - engaging<br />

East London's young<br />

tekkies<br />

The World Cinema<br />

Festival is back!<br />

Getting to know actor<br />

Marina Sirtis<br />

Review of Michele<br />

Kirsch's new book,<br />

Clean<br />

To advertise in LoveEast Magazine, please call 07590 609 557 or email karen@chomp.me.uk for further information. PLEASE NOTE: booking deadline<br />

for the next edition is 2 nd August. LoveEast Magazine is produced and published by Chomp Creative Limited. Chomp Creative Limited cannot be held<br />

responsible for any errors or omissions, nor endorse companies, products or services that appear in this magazine. © LoveEast Magazine 2019, all rights<br />

reserved. No reproduction can be made without permission. Be kind to the planet; please recycle.<br />

LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 3


East life<br />

Coinciding with its 127 th anniversary, Bethnal<br />

Green’s Grade II Listed Oxford House has recently<br />

undergone extensive renovation work and is now<br />

ready to fling open its doors and celebrate!<br />

Coinciding with its 127th anniversary, Bethnal<br />

Green’s Grade II Listed Oxford House has recently<br />

undergone extensive renovation work and is now<br />

ready to fling open its doors and celebrate!<br />

I must confess, I hadn’t heard<br />

of Oxford House until the East<br />

End Trades Guild put me in<br />

contact with them. Needless<br />

to say, I was pleasantly<br />

surprised to learn about the<br />

valuable work they do, as well<br />

as discovering the building<br />

itself and its long and proud<br />

history.<br />

Established in 1884 as a<br />

part of the Victorian era's<br />

Settlement Movement,<br />

Oxford House began as a<br />

residential facility for student<br />

and graduate volunteers from<br />

Keble College, Oxford. The<br />

idea was for the volunteers to<br />

live and work alongside the<br />

local community and in doing<br />

so, learn about the realities of<br />

urban poverty in tandem with<br />

providing practical support.<br />

Youth clubs, adult education<br />

classes, labour exchanges,<br />

legal advice and many other<br />

initiatives were established as<br />

avenues to provide education<br />

and support to those who<br />

needed it.<br />

In Victorian London, social programmes were<br />

virtually unheard of; the disenfranchised were<br />

left to their own devices, and the Settlement<br />

Movement can be credited with laying the<br />

4 LOVEEAST<br />

‘Oxford House is<br />

where East London<br />

comes together to<br />

work, learn, explore<br />

and create.<br />

We celebrate arts,<br />

community and our<br />

heritage.’<br />

foundation for establishing many of the social<br />

policy initiatives that (for the most part) still exist<br />

today. In those days, communities were largely<br />

defined by their economic standing – wealthy,<br />

middle class and slum – and one of the Settlement<br />

Movement’s objectives<br />

was to integrate society<br />

rather than segregate it.<br />

The thinking was that both<br />

would benefit by living and<br />

working alongside each other<br />

and being interconnected as<br />

a community. Considering<br />

the fact that the East End<br />

was one of the most poverty<br />

stricken areas of the country,<br />

it's no surprise that it became<br />

the natural birthplace of the<br />

movement itself.<br />

Today, the Settlement<br />

Movement’s vision of<br />

interconnectedness is alive<br />

and well at Oxford House.<br />

Although housing provision<br />

ended in the 1970s, the<br />

legacy of giving back to the<br />

community – indeed, being a<br />

thriving part of it – continues<br />

under the able stewardship<br />

of Chief Executive John<br />

Ryan, his staff and a group<br />

of dedicated trustees who,<br />

themselves, are a reflection of<br />

the diversity of Bethnal Green.<br />

"The settlement movement<br />

has always been based on the concept of a<br />

multi-purpose model which recognised that the<br />

needs of a community are often overlapping and<br />

interlinked. During the year Oxford House has


East life<br />

been a testament to this. From a weekly ‘dance<br />

to remember’ group for adults with dementia<br />

to classes for aspiring actors, performer and<br />

musicians through to a start-up care organisation<br />

specialising in the LGBT community, we continue<br />

to meet the diverse needs of our community."<br />

Located in Derbyshire Street and overlooking<br />

Pocket Park and Weaver’s Fields, the building<br />

is now home to a myriad of third sector and<br />

creative industries, providing affordable office<br />

space to over 30 organisations, charities and<br />

social businesses, as well as affordable meeting<br />

and events spaces. Community classes and events<br />

are also run on a weekly basis in partnership with<br />

various organisations, including dance and fitness<br />

classes which cater for all ages.<br />

TO FIND OUT MORE<br />

Oxford House<br />

Derbyshire St<br />

Bethnal Green, E2 6HG<br />

020 7739 9001<br />

oxfordhouse.org.uk<br />

@oxhouse<br />

info@oxfordhouse.org.uk<br />

volunteer@oxfordhouse.org.uk<br />

room.bookings@oxfordhouse.org.uk<br />

Oxford House is a real jewel in the crown of<br />

Bethnal Green and of the East End in general.<br />

It has several unique spaces that can be hired<br />

including:<br />

• A theatre that seats 120 theatre-style and<br />

stands 200. The theatre also has an adjacent<br />

bar and gallery/breakout area and is suitable<br />

for performances, rehearsals, conferences and<br />

events.<br />

• A dance studio which has a wooden sprung<br />

floor, full-length wall mirror, changing rooms,<br />

air cooler unit and a music system, and that<br />

can accommodate up to 15 dancers.<br />

• Two meeting rooms suitable for meetings,<br />

classes, training events or conference break<br />

out space.<br />

• An art gallery suitable for exhibitions and<br />

Photos courtesy of and © Oxford House<br />

receptions and which can also serve as a break<br />

out space for the theatre.<br />

• A cafe, newly renovated and spacious, which<br />

now opens out onto Weavers Fields.<br />

• A Chapel, beautifully designed by Sir Arthur<br />

William Blomfield who was also the architect<br />

of the Royal College of Music, and responsible<br />

for the rebuilding of the nave of Southwark<br />

Cathedral. The chapel still has its original wood<br />

panelling and can be hired by request and<br />

is quite a unique, intimate and atmospheric<br />

space.<br />

In addition to providing a range of spaces and<br />

facilities Oxford House also offers volunteering<br />

opportunities, enabling individuals to gain<br />

valuable skills while donating their time to<br />

support Oxford House’s work.<br />

LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 5


Wellness<br />

Let’s move! New<br />

Yoga and Fitness<br />

studio opens<br />

close to Victoria<br />

Park<br />

A new and vibrant addition to the ever-expanding East<br />

London wellness scene is move, a Yoga and Fitness<br />

studio which recently opened on Roman Road, E3.<br />

Housed within the large Abbott’s building (with a<br />

separate entrance on Dane Place) it's a hidden gem;<br />

a light, bright space filled with plants and boasting<br />

high-end equipment. The studio was created by east<br />

end residents Sam Abbott and Jessica Francis who<br />

are determined to realise their dream of bringing their<br />

community together through movement.<br />

The studio is a friendly and intimate space, with no<br />

more than ten people admitted per class. The founders<br />

wanted to keep the class sizes capped so that their<br />

students can receive precise, attentive instruction and<br />

consistent support for their fitness journey, irrespective<br />

of their starting point. ‘The last thing we want to be is<br />

intimidating in any way’ they insist. ‘Our teachers are<br />

all specialists in their areas and our focus is on mindful<br />

and safe training, so we offer a lot of attention to form<br />

and breath awareness’.<br />

With almost thirty classes per week, there’s something<br />

for everyone at move. The class categories are simple:<br />

Full Body fitness, Flow yoga and Slow yoga. The<br />

Full Body classes incorporate strength, cardio and<br />

resistance training, while the yoga classes are either<br />

Dynamic Flows or more restorative Slow practices; and<br />

the studio has a diverse team of ten instructors who<br />

each bring something unique to the table. You can find<br />

full class descriptions and all teacher profiles on their<br />

website.<br />

The studio also has a keen focus on pre and postnatal<br />

wellbeing. They currently run three mother and baby<br />

sessions per week (two fitness and one yoga) and<br />

one specific pregnancy yoga class. Both Sam and<br />

Jessica are trained in prenatal instruction and also have<br />

6 LOVEEAST<br />

knowledge of postnatal recovery; Sam gave birth to her<br />

first child in 2018, and was disappointed by the way she<br />

was treated in many classes. ‘The teachers were often<br />

afraid to let me do anything’ she says. ‘At move we<br />

really want to encourage expectant and new Mums to<br />

train with the reassurance that we will take proper care<br />

of them, but not treat them like babies themselves!’<br />

The postnatal classes are all 90 minutes long to leave<br />

time for a tea and a talk among local Mums, which is<br />

precisely the kind of community feel that the founders<br />

want to cultivate. They are already involved with<br />

some local youth charity projects, and will be running<br />

an event on 23 rd June to raise money for Ourmala<br />

(ourmala.com/) a Hackney based charity that provides<br />

help and support to refugees and asylum seekers<br />

through yoga and other means.<br />

The founders are hopeful that move will become a<br />

valuable asset to the local area. ‘We have each found<br />

that the joy and the freedom of regular movement<br />

has been invaluable in our own lives’ they say, ‘and we<br />

hope that we can help to bring a little of that joy to<br />

our neighbours’. Over the last five years Jessica has<br />

worked with people suffering from many of our most<br />

common and debilitating afflictions; stress, anxiety,<br />

depression, grief and trauma. ‘What we all need more<br />

than anything is care and connection’ she says. ‘To feel<br />

supported and appreciated, and that’s exactly what we<br />

want to offer. That’s why we named it move – because<br />

it may mean to move your ass and hopefully have<br />

some fun in the process, but it also means to inspire<br />

and arouse strong emotion. We hope that people will<br />

come along and let us move them!’<br />

Follow Move:<br />

movestudiolondon.com<br />

@movestudiolondon


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L o n D o n E X P ERT I S E . L o CA L K nLOVEEAST oW LED SUMMER g E2019 7


East life<br />

We catch up with Simon Rumley,<br />

director of the recently released feature<br />

film, Once Upon A Time in London<br />

The film is a sweeping saga of the madness, mayhem and manipulation reminiscent of<br />

British crime favourites Legend and Peaky Blinders. It chronicles the legendary rise and<br />

fall of a nationwide criminal empire headed by the notorious Billy Hill and Jack ‘Spot’<br />

Comer between the twenties and the mid-fifties. Known as the founders of organised<br />

crime in London, Hill and Comer were the forerunners to the infamous Kray Twins. In fact,<br />

Hill served as a sort of mentor during the Krays' formative crime years. Not for the feinthearted,<br />

it graphically depicts their ruthlessness and the absolute power they wielded in<br />

the East End and beyond..<br />

What inspired you to make this film?<br />

The script came to me, actually; I didn’t write it.<br />

Although I write my own stuff, I’m also a ‘director<br />

for hire’ so I take on projects that others have<br />

written. The script looked interesting and it just fell<br />

into place.<br />

How did you get involved in the film industry?<br />

I started out studying for a law degree at Hull<br />

University. I was also interested in film and at some<br />

8 LOVEEAST<br />

point I decided I wanted to direct but I was also<br />

doing a load of other things – I was a ski guide and<br />

was also writing a novel. I wanted to get to Japan<br />

to teach English as a means of earning money so I<br />

ended up getting a job at the Telegraph selling ad<br />

space in order to fund the trip. The desire to get<br />

into directing was still there so I eventually got a<br />

job as a runner for Molinare, a production company<br />

in central London and progressed to production<br />

assistant. During that time I started writing,


East life<br />

the easiest bit because it’s just you and the page<br />

with your own ideas. You are alone and have total<br />

freedom to set down what you want. There are no<br />

arguments at that<br />

point because no<br />

one else is involved.<br />

Not that it’s all easy<br />

- of course not - but<br />

at that stage it’s<br />

totally yours. All<br />

the negotiating and<br />

collaborating comes<br />

later.<br />

And what’s the<br />

hardest bit?<br />

Definitely getting<br />

a film seen and<br />

distributed. And, to<br />

a lesser extent, but<br />

equally important,<br />

ensuring you have<br />

the right actor for<br />

the right part.<br />

Images courtesy of Simon Rumley<br />

financing and producing my own films. In those<br />

days you could go on the dole in between jobs so I<br />

did that, which helped make ends meet, along with<br />

some journalism.<br />

How do you do your research for your films?<br />

I mostly use my imagination. I get an idea and<br />

start to flesh it out. I also use books, music and<br />

films relevant to the timeframe and location of<br />

my idea to ensure continuity. But really, each<br />

component has its own way of researching;<br />

the costume designer, set designer or make up<br />

artist, for instance. They bring their knowledge<br />

to the project, so it’s really a collective effort and<br />

everyone does their bit.<br />

What’s the easiest part of making a feature film<br />

– or is there one?<br />

That’s a good question actually – no one’s ever<br />

asked that before! In a weird way, the writing is<br />

Who are your industry influences?<br />

Nicolas Roeg was a huge influence. He directed<br />

the Bowie film, The Man Who Fell to Earth, as<br />

well as The Witches and several others. He’s<br />

gone now, sadly, but two of his films, Don't Look<br />

Now and Performance were listed as the 8th<br />

and 48th greatest British films of all time in the<br />

BFI’s Top 100 British films poll in 1999. Quite an<br />

accomplishment. I had the pleasure of working<br />

with him as he was the executive producer for my<br />

film, Crowhurst. I also have a lot of time for Martin<br />

Scorsese.<br />

What advice would you give to those starting<br />

out in the film industry?<br />

Keep doing stuff. Write shorts, push your ideas out,<br />

get others’ opinions and feedback.<br />

TO FIND OUT MORE<br />

simonrumley.com<br />

@simon_rumley<br />

@OUATLondonFilm<br />

@simonrumley<br />

WATCH<br />

apple.co/2Dig5Ma<br />

vimeo.com/simonrumley<br />

LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 9


East life<br />

Leytonstone’s very own Hip Hop artist, Lemzi,<br />

sits down with Mark Wincott at the Horizon<br />

cafe in Leytonstone. They talk music and<br />

growing up in East London over a cup of<br />

peppermint tea and a bowl lentil soup.<br />

What you up to musically?<br />

Coincidentally, it’s a funny time to catch me, I’m about<br />

to take a little break. The last couple of weeks I’ve<br />

started a little hiatus and will do throughout April to<br />

re-analyse and recoup. I released my album, “Leki”<br />

in [7th] December but since October at least, it’s<br />

been a huge build-up and promotion for the album,<br />

single B.O.T.S and more. Free promoting of gigs like<br />

Rich Mix, I was Madison Square Garden London’s<br />

artist of the month in January. I appeared on Sky<br />

news and London Live. December and January a lot<br />

of fresh things were happening, it was intense and<br />

overwhelming, and I haven’t really stopped to feel<br />

the benefit of it all and that’s why April is going to be<br />

my time away. I’ve been looking into Brexit too much<br />

as well haha. The more I watch videos the more I get<br />

despondent and I shouldn’t, it’s impossible to focus on<br />

it right now and I don’t want to have to think about it,<br />

so when I go away it’s just to unplug from it all.<br />

I’ll be back in May with a bunch of things happening.<br />

February, I started the Coffee Music Project<br />

competition and I’m in the final on Wednesday 1st. I<br />

applied last year and didn’t get through. I tried again<br />

this year, as more has happened for me musically,<br />

such as Sofar Sounds and Pizza Express live, and<br />

organisations like Coffee Music Project love live<br />

instrumentalization. I got into the preliminary round<br />

[in February] and then the semi-final in March, now<br />

I’m in the final eight on the 1st of May [in 229 Club,<br />

Great Portland Street]. The coffee festival was on<br />

last weekend at Brick Lane and I played with IK, my<br />

guitarist. To be honest, I never knew there’s a coffee<br />

community about, it shocked me how many people<br />

were there, it’s heaven for coffee drinkers like my Dad,<br />

but we chilled with a cider! As for the Coffee project<br />

final, the winner gets the chance to go to New York,<br />

so I’d love to win.<br />

So, when you get back from holiday/Hiatus what gigs<br />

you got lined up?<br />

The Coffee Music Project in May, on the 4th I headline<br />

Boondocks (Harlem Soul) on City Road. Wednesday<br />

the 8th to the Sunday 12th we go on a UK tour, hitting<br />

up Coventry, Leicester, Manchester a show in London<br />

and finally Birmingham with my team Exclusive<br />

Collective and Tray Avlon who’s from Barking and<br />

Dagenham, who’s so talented.<br />

10 LOVEEAST


East life<br />

Tell us more about Exclusive Collective.<br />

My cousin, FERNS and I created Exclusive and it’s<br />

developed over the last three years, morphing into<br />

what it is today. Initially, we had six or seven members<br />

and out of those original 6 or 7, he and I are the last<br />

remaining. Everyone else has been picked up along<br />

the way because of how well they fit into what we are<br />

trying to do. Currently, there’s Ghetto Hippie, a poet<br />

he does marketing and social media too, Timmy B,<br />

Wyllis & Jerome Leetz, all primarily rappers but with<br />

loads more to offer. Guys from East London who are<br />

just looking to express themselves. We’re individual<br />

artists who are friends in an association. We don’t<br />

necessarily move around as a group, for instance, if<br />

I have a show or Wyllis has a show it doesn’t always<br />

mean Exclusive<br />

have a show, what<br />

we do is connect<br />

and help each<br />

other make strong<br />

networks which<br />

will help all of us.<br />

Tell us what you<br />

were doing before<br />

you got into music<br />

and how you got<br />

into it<br />

When I was 8 or 9,<br />

I heard Eminem,<br />

he got me invested<br />

in an individual<br />

artist with his Lose<br />

Yourself video and song. I didn’t know there was a<br />

film at the time, but he got me interested as to how<br />

someone can talk like he can, use beats as he can and<br />

a video like that and a film…I was in awe of what he<br />

was doing, it was mind-boggling. This was early 2000<br />

late 90s, he was always on TV with music videos, he<br />

made me think, this is cool, and it linked me to others<br />

like Dr Dre, 50 Cent, Jah Rule, Ashanti, Jay Z and Nas.<br />

Being a 10, 11-year-old they opened this new world,<br />

called America, specifically the Hood side.<br />

What about UK artists?<br />

So Solid Crew’s 21 seconds was my first UK tune I<br />

liked. I also remember my Cousins were at my house,<br />

they put on Pow! and I thought it was so bad when I<br />

first heard it, I really didn’t like it. I was used to people<br />

with a lot of lyrics and a certain style with a way of<br />

getting their point out. Hearing Pow! repeated in an<br />

East London accent just didn’t add up then. Despite<br />

that, I don’t remember what happened to me or the<br />

main thing that stood out, but a year later my iPod<br />

was just grime and UK garage, off I went on a new<br />

journey of development and insight into everything<br />

happening around here. Even though I’m from<br />

Leytonstone I went to private school, so I was around<br />

a lot of people who didn’t really like grime, only me<br />

and a small circle of friends, it’s a reflection of what<br />

we were into. The genre wasn’t heavily professed in<br />

my school, but with the internet, It helped me go on<br />

my individual journey with sites like MSN & Limewire.<br />

This music helped shaped me on how to appreciate<br />

and write music. The hip-hop I listened to was content<br />

driven and full of concepts, the more I got into grime,<br />

it was all about<br />

energy with<br />

delivery and work<br />

on different flows.<br />

The amalgamation<br />

came as I got older,<br />

meaning I can do<br />

conceptual while<br />

doing it in different<br />

styles, where I am<br />

now. I still rap on<br />

a drill beat, I like<br />

the sounds I have<br />

a technical ability<br />

to rap on it without<br />

it sounding like<br />

I’m necessarily<br />

a drill artist. My<br />

musical journey’s been one for decades…..well nah not<br />

decades I’m not that old…but it’s been one for over a<br />

decade, let's say that.<br />

[Some would say] I was never meant to be a musician,<br />

I studied Law and Criminology at Manchester<br />

University. While at Uni I learnt that time is so<br />

valuable to use it in a beneficial way, giving me time<br />

to network, play sports and listen to many different<br />

albums as possible. Going back in time listening to<br />

music from the 80s, 90s and 2000s hip hop, like Big<br />

L. One of my friends gave me a bunch of music with<br />

Big L, Dr Octagon, all proper 90s New York sounding<br />

hip hop, but I was so into grime at the time and the<br />

culture of grime meant if it’s not grime, then it’s no<br />

good. I really had a myopic view and I rediscovered<br />

it on my computer [in uni], realising Big L lead me<br />

into the freestyle stuff with Jay Z, realising he isn’t<br />

LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 11


East life<br />

just this crazy in love singer, but his concept with the<br />

way he knows how to talk about his environment<br />

got me, the same with Big Pun and others we don’t<br />

really talk about much anymore. I listened to KRS<br />

One and watched loads of documentary’s as well<br />

as discovering a bunch of contemporary artists like<br />

Kendrick & J. Cole which got me back into American<br />

hip hop.<br />

The UK hip hop scene is great now, but between<br />

2008 – 2011 everyone was trying really hard to be<br />

mainstream and they started losing people. It just<br />

didn’t have the same authenticity or value as the<br />

original stuff.<br />

Did you pass Law and Criminology?<br />

Yeah, I got 2 1. Someone<br />

introduced me as the<br />

guy who went Uni,<br />

but left for music,<br />

that didn’t happen, I<br />

qualified with my 2 1<br />

and I tried to be part of<br />

conventional society.<br />

Was it something you<br />

were interested in?<br />

The culture of a private<br />

school generally<br />

determines you will<br />

get to university and<br />

in my family as well.<br />

I was destined to<br />

go to university, get<br />

an education, and<br />

hopefully secure a really good job. Theoretically, it<br />

makes sense, sounds perfect. But I graduated in the<br />

phase where tuition fees went up. The collaboration<br />

parliament of Cameron and Clegg started<br />

capitulating. A plethora of students got a first or 2 1<br />

and then it’s, what do we do now? Even when you go<br />

through higher education there are few opportunities<br />

for someone to sit down with you and tell you what<br />

you really need to pay attention to.<br />

I was talking to the kids at the school I was at today<br />

about assets and liabilities, what the two terms are. I<br />

thought if anyone ever told me what these two terms<br />

mean when I was 12 or 13...I wouldn’t haven’t listened<br />

haha. But the fact it is there it could mean ten years’<br />

later I could’ve looked back and remembered hearing<br />

it. In school, Uni or sixth form, none of it was given<br />

much importance, it was always about the next stage,<br />

12 LOVEEAST<br />

you go to school to get to Uni, once qualified you’ll<br />

get a job. That may have been my naivety. I could’ve<br />

done with some clear instruction, such as, if you don’t<br />

do X then Y will happen to you and so on.<br />

I graduated in 2013, for a year I was looking for a<br />

graduate job, I broadened my horizons. I don’t think<br />

I’m really built for the office, I tried it, I worked in an<br />

accounting role, then at my dad’s Beauty Salon in the<br />

e-commerce side with another person who taught me<br />

a lot of good promotional tricks. I did a legal assistant<br />

role for about 11 months, 8 months in I was getting<br />

depressed, anxiety and never knew how to articulate<br />

it, feeling low and It stopped me from feeling I was<br />

achieving anything. I was still making music, and<br />

doing open mics around<br />

London engaging with<br />

other artists<br />

First, open mic?<br />

I don’t remember my<br />

first one as I was doing it<br />

two-three times a week<br />

running around finding<br />

opportunities. It didn’t<br />

matter to me where or<br />

how to get there I just<br />

went. One of the open<br />

mics that’ll stay with<br />

me, I saw on Twitter,<br />

an event happening in<br />

Hoxton, Off I went on<br />

my own, down in an old<br />

church basement, I see<br />

a congregation of elderly people, I ask this girl about<br />

the open mic, she said yeah that’s these guys. She<br />

asked them if I could perform. I went in, and it was the<br />

70th birthday, think his name’s Jack, he and his mates<br />

invited me to join in, I think it was a karaoke night for<br />

them…but one of Jack's friends began singing Frank<br />

Sinatra and he asked me to rap on the Sinatra track., it<br />

went down well with the guys., this made me realise I<br />

can make an impact on this demographic then there’s<br />

something here.<br />

How did you get on London Live?<br />

I wanted to get in touch with a PR company and<br />

they liked my single B.O.T.S... They had a contact at<br />

Sky who asked if they wanted me to do an interview<br />

about knife crime. London Live came from that and so<br />

did Rich Mix who made me an ambassador recently.<br />

Seeing myself on those shows made me realise this<br />

can be much more assessable.


East life<br />

Images courtesy of Lemzi<br />

It was only a five-minute interview, asking me about<br />

knife crime as it’s the concept of B.O.T.S. Why is it<br />

happening and what needs to be done, the two main<br />

questions asked. I believe it’s never just someone’s<br />

parents, it’s never just music or even the government,<br />

there is some sort of intersectionality causing people<br />

to go out and act this way. They say no sane person<br />

would do this, but people are born in different<br />

circumstances across London, many different worlds<br />

live in this City, it’s hard for anyone who’s not from a<br />

certain world or understands a certain world can form<br />

any insight. If you do the inverse and ask deprived<br />

people what you think of parliament or the rich, they<br />

generally have their own perspective formed from<br />

propaganda or stigma developed rather than their<br />

own experience. With me, I’ve seen private schools<br />

have friends who are wealthy in nice areas, I have<br />

other friends and family who are from simpler or<br />

alternative situations.<br />

Ok, Tonia Soulbird, tells us about her<br />

I was just on the phone to her, she’s just an authentic<br />

singer, she’s not 100% focused on music like me. She<br />

just likes singing when it comes around, she’ll do it.<br />

We released Ton and Lemz last year, many liked it and<br />

we’re thinking of revisiting and revamping it, along<br />

with a possible headline show or tour. Who knows!<br />

Who would you like to do music with in the future?<br />

Oh….I did a song with a guy who’s at the Coffee Music<br />

Project, Joel Bailey, the moment I heard him I just<br />

knew I could rap on his tune. Joel is a soul singer and<br />

together what we made sounds so smooth already.<br />

There are a few people I’ll work with on remixes from<br />

the album….I don’t think there is anyone else I want to<br />

work with….or is that a lie…It may be a lie.<br />

What about Shola Ama?<br />

Haha, we had a few conversations on social media, I<br />

don’t know how to do it properly online without any<br />

context. Face to face I’m good, I know how to talk<br />

that way, but I think I proper f**ked up. I asked if she<br />

wanted to check out some of my music and it went<br />

sort of dead. But hopefully, it’ll happen.<br />

Favourite thing about East London<br />

It’s home.<br />

FOLLOW<br />

@lemziartist<br />

lemziartist/<br />

hiddengemslive<br />

lemzi.com<br />

LISTEN<br />

open.spotify.com/artist/5TACkrIqhdLJmX1TcjpDKu<br />

soundcloud.com/lemziartist<br />

youtube.com/user/lemzitv<br />

LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 13


Paper ships<br />

Kaz reviews Hackney resident Michele Kirsch's new<br />

book, Clean; an insightful read about addiction, recovery<br />

and how she intertwined cleaning with getting clean.<br />

I came across Clean by way of a friend's<br />

recommendation, and once I got the book and<br />

started reading, I literally could. not. put. it. down.<br />

Finished it in one day, in fact.<br />

Clean is an incredibly honest<br />

account of what it's like to be an<br />

addict; the subtle - at first - slide<br />

into dependency, the endeavour to<br />

regain oneself, rebuild relationships,<br />

and somehow repair the damage<br />

inflicted along the way. In Michele's<br />

case, it began with prescription<br />

drugs; all the more insidious because,<br />

hey, they're legal and Doctors<br />

prescribe them, almost always with<br />

the well-meaning intention to fix an<br />

immediate problem.<br />

It's also timely; many struggle with<br />

addiction in one form or another<br />

these days and it's often the case<br />

that those close to them are at a loss to understand<br />

the darkness that envelops.<br />

The daughter of an American father and an English<br />

mother, Michele's story essentially begins in Queens,<br />

New York, where, when she was 6, her father<br />

tragically died in a train accident. The impact of that<br />

loss prompted a plethora of anxiety-related issues,<br />

as one can imagine, for which well-meaning doctors<br />

prescribed Valium and other drugs as a means of<br />

alleviating her grief and the anxiety and stress it<br />

ignited.<br />

The book chronicles her journey of addiction and<br />

recovery, her early life in Queens and eventually<br />

settling in Hackney. One of the things I really liked<br />

was Michele's unapologetic descriptions of the<br />

Hackney of 20 some years ago, because, let's face<br />

it, it was a very different place to what it is now. Her<br />

un-varnished observations of living on an estate in<br />

what was then known as Murder Mile will ring true<br />

for many long-term residents of the area.<br />

Throughout the book, she juxtaposes her slide into<br />

addiction with crisp, insightful and often humourous<br />

narratives of her job as a cleaner - the only job she<br />

14 LOVEEAST<br />

felt fit for at the time. Her sharp observations of<br />

others' lives via descriptions of their homes and<br />

their contents are often a reflection of her own<br />

experience of longing and loss.<br />

At one point, she decides to take a<br />

course in teacher training and her<br />

depiction of attempting to maintain<br />

some sort of 'normal' amidst the<br />

deception that goes hand in hand<br />

with addiction is telling:<br />

"In teacher training, I had to be<br />

this entirely other person. Entirely<br />

different from the person I was<br />

pretending to be in the first place."<br />

Additionally, her description of the<br />

stranglehold of anxiety is powerful:<br />

"Who would want to feel... nothing?<br />

People whose default state of<br />

being is a sort of stage fright of the<br />

soul... where every moment of their<br />

lives, apart from being unconscious, or nearly so,<br />

is terrifying. There is no such thing as comfortably<br />

numb in the world of neurotic."<br />

This book will ring true for anyone who has<br />

experienced, or who has been close to someone<br />

who has struggled with addiction. Vulnerable and<br />

written from the heart, it's well worth a read.<br />

Follow Michele:<br />

@mamaktrue<br />

@ michelekirsch_writer<br />

WHERE TO GET HELP<br />

Spitalfields Crypt Trust<br />

sct.org.uk/about/<br />

Action on Addiction<br />

actiononaddiction.org.uk/recovery-in-your-community<br />

FRANK<br />

talktofrank.com/get-help/find-support-near-you<br />

The NHS<br />

nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/drug-addiction-getting-help/


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LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 15


Culture<br />

The 2 nd Annual<br />

World Cinema<br />

Film Festival<br />

is back!<br />

Conceived and developed by Bluebird Pictures founder Joelle May-David,<br />

the festival will be held on the 22 nd and 23 rd of June at The Barking Broadway<br />

Theatre. Spread over two days, it will consist of several screenings of critically<br />

acclaimed short films from around the world, representing the diversity of<br />

Barking & Dagenham and East London generally.<br />

Highlights include guest speakers, including industry<br />

professionals and filmmakers, as well as an<br />

opportunity to feast on local cuisine from local<br />

businesses, many of which represent the diversity of<br />

the area.<br />

The event plans to have a summer festival<br />

atmosphere that will allow attendees to pick and<br />

choose which talks and screenings they will attend, while<br />

offering networking opportunities with other creatives. The festival culminates<br />

with an award ceremony.<br />

We're really excited about this event - it provides tremendous opportunities for<br />

creative East Londoners and it's great to see Barking & Dagenham becoming<br />

the film hub of the capital. Watch this space, and expect to see this film festival<br />

grow from strength to strength over the coming years.<br />

16 LOVEEAST


Culture<br />

SHORT FILM WINNERS PRIZES:<br />

• Final Draft 11<br />

• Free casting with Backstage for life<br />

Meetings with the following:<br />

• Jonathan Brackley, Writer and Producer (BAFTA<br />

winning channel 4 show HUMANS)<br />

• Suzanne Smith, Casting Director (Outlander, Boys<br />

Don't Cry, Deja Vu, Sex and the City)<br />

• Rebecca Johnson, Writer and Director (The Rook,<br />

Honeytrap, Supergirl and The Magicians)<br />

• Kat Buckle, Literary agent (Curtis Brown)<br />

• Fabian Wagner, Cinematographer (Game of Thrones,<br />

Justice League)<br />

SHORT DOCUMENTARY WINNERS' PRIZES:<br />

• Final Draft 11<br />

• Free casting with Backstage for life<br />

Meetings with the following:<br />

• Sophie Robinson, Emmy nominated filmmaker and<br />

producer (My Beautiful Brain 'Netflix', Mumford and<br />

Sons; We Wrote this Yesterday)<br />

• Goran Olsson, award winning documentary<br />

filmmaker (The Black Power Mixtape 1967 - 1975,<br />

Concerning Violence and Am I Black Enough For<br />

You?)<br />

• Deepa Keshvala, Cinematographer (music videos:<br />

Jorja Smith, Ray Blk, commercials: Burberry and<br />

Adidas)<br />

• Joelle Bertossa, Producer (I Am Not Your Negro, A<br />

Skin So Soft, Sam)<br />

• Tim Cragg, Cinematographer (Sundance winning<br />

film Three Identical Strangers)<br />

SHORT ANIMATION WINNERS' PRIZES:<br />

• Final Draft 11<br />

• Free casting with Backstage for life<br />

Meetings with the following:<br />

• Jellyfish Pictures (London based winners will receive<br />

a tour of the studio followed by a meeting with on of<br />

their animators. International winners will receive a<br />

Skype call and review of their work)<br />

• Suzi Loshin, Development and New Media Manager<br />

at Pixar (Incredibles 2, Cars 3, Finding Dory and<br />

Brave)<br />

• Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek, Writers (Disney's<br />

live action movie Mulan)<br />

• Art Director Ryan Jefferson Hays (Aquaman, Ghost<br />

in the Shell, Guardians of the Galaxy)<br />

GRAND JURY WINNER:<br />

Prizes TBC<br />

2019 MENTORS<br />

SHORT FILM<br />

Casting Director Suzanne Smith (Origin,<br />

Outlander, Deja Vu, Boys Don't Cry)<br />

Director Rebecca Johnson (Supergirl, The Rook,<br />

Honeytrap)<br />

Writer & Producer Jonathan Brackley (BAFTA<br />

winning Humans)<br />

Literary Agent Kat Buckle (Curtis Brown)<br />

Cinematographer Fabian Wanger (Game of<br />

Thrones, Justice League)<br />

SHORT DOCUMENTARY<br />

Filmmaker Sophie Robinson (EMMY nominated<br />

My Beautiful Broken Brain)<br />

Cinematographer Deepa Keshvala (Jorja Smith,<br />

Ray Blk, Burberry, Nike)<br />

Filmmaker Gordan Olsson (Black Power Tapes<br />

1967 - 1975, Fonko)<br />

Producer Joëlle Bertossa (I Am Not Your Negro, A<br />

Skin So Soft, Sam)<br />

Cinematographer Tim Cragg (Three Identical<br />

Strangers, One Strange Rock)<br />

SHORT ANIMATION<br />

Jellifish Pictures (Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star<br />

Wars: Rouge One<br />

Head of Development at Pixar, Suzi Loshin<br />

(Incredibles 2, Finding Dory, Cars 3)<br />

Writers Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek<br />

(Disney's live action Mulan)<br />

Art Director Ryan Jefferson Hays (Aquaman,<br />

Guardians of the Galaxy)<br />

Established in 2017 Bluebird Pictures is an award winning<br />

production company based in East London. We also founded<br />

the first and only international film festival in Barking and<br />

Dagenham the World Cinema Film Festival in 2018<br />

TO FIND OUT MORE<br />

bluebirdpictures.org<br />

@BluebirdPicture<br />

@bluebirdpictures<br />

vimeo.com/user18985647<br />

info@bluebirdpictures.org<br />

LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 17


Community<br />

Gatehouse School celebrates East London's diversity<br />

18 LOVEEAST<br />

Most of us living in London count many nationalities amongst our<br />

family, friends and colleagues. The 2011 census showed that East<br />

London has one of the most diverse populations in the country,<br />

something we might not find surprising at all - but when do we<br />

actually sit back and appreciate this multi-cultural world we live in?<br />

Five years ago, parents at Gatehouse School in Tower Hamlets felt<br />

that more could be done to let their children experience the many<br />

nationalities represented at their school. This sentiment was shared<br />

by the school and International Day was born.<br />

“It started with a simple idea to invite parents to represent their<br />

country” says Erin Crowe-Cawley who coordinated the parent<br />

efforts for the past 3 years and whose enthusiasm is infectious.<br />

“Straight away, nearly 30 countries came forward with the number<br />

steadily rising each year. It has become a very colourful event and<br />

the school has introduced International Week to allow children to<br />

learn about different countries ahead of the actual International Day.”<br />

Even the school caterer is on board, serving international dishes<br />

throughout the week. “The spirit<br />

is amazing!” Mrs Crowe-Cawley says with a beaming smile. “Parents<br />

and teachers make such an effort and we have the school and the<br />

parent association working closely together. The children astonish us<br />

with their artwork, enthusiasm and costumes on the day.”<br />

The event fell on fertile ground as Gatehouse School, situated south<br />

of Victoria Park and close to the border between Tower Hamlets<br />

and Hackney, has always been brimming with diversity. The school<br />

has celebrated this throughout its 70 year old history, making<br />

inclusiveness its core ethos:<br />

“Children of any race, colour, creed, background and intellect shall<br />

be accepted as pupils and work side by side, without streaming<br />

or any kind of segregation, and with the aim that every child shall<br />

get to know and love God, and to develop their own uniqueness of<br />

personality, to enable them to appreciate the world and the world to<br />

appreciate them”.<br />

This year, International Day fell on Thursday, March 28 th - a rather<br />

poignant date given that our country was gearing up to leave the<br />

European Union the following day.<br />

So at a time when BREXIT is dominating the headlines it is wonderful<br />

to be reminded by the parents, teachers and children of Gatehouse<br />

School that it is a pleasure and a privilege to live in this very<br />

international world and that there is a lot we can learn from other<br />

cultures.<br />

Silke Stevens is a member of the Gatehouse Parent Association and is<br />

part of the International Day committee.<br />

Photos courtesy of Gatehouse School


Your Invite To<br />

S&S Skin Club Evening<br />

Thursday 13th June 2019, 6.30pm to 9pm<br />

170a Victoria Park Road, Hackney, London, E9 7HD<br />

Join the Skin & Sanctuary team as they discuss and reveal<br />

the latest innovations in the aesthetic industry.<br />

Tickets cost £25 each and permit two guests, with all<br />

proceeds donated to St Joseph’s Hospice.<br />

What’s more there’ll be nibbles, drinks and all attendees will<br />

leave with an exclusive S&S Skin Club event bag containing<br />

beautifully effective skin care goodies.<br />

To reserve please call 020 3905 5555 or<br />

email reception@skinandsanctuary.com<br />

Tickets are limited to spaces available and can also be<br />

purchased via Eventbrite.<br />

LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 19


Business<br />

Top agencies address the serious lack of diversity<br />

in London’s digital economy with Flipside<br />

This Place joins forces with a partnership of top digital<br />

agencies to collectively launch Flipside, a groundbreaking,<br />

industry-led talent training and development<br />

programme in digital product design for talented,<br />

unemployed or underemployed young people aged<br />

18-25 from Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney and<br />

Waltham Forest.<br />

The programme is a collaboration between A New<br />

Direction and the Skills Lab with funding and support<br />

from the London Legacy Development Corporation<br />

(LLDC). Learners will receive world-class insights and<br />

training delivered by four founding agencies (Beyond,<br />

Made by Many, Sennep, ustwo) and five new delivery<br />

agencies joining for this 2nd round (BIO Agency,<br />

Designit, Pixeled Eggs, Reading Room and This<br />

Place). Hobs 3D is a host partner. Now running in its<br />

second year, Flipside was a finalist in D&AD’s Impact<br />

Awards in 2018, with all twelve trainees entering fulltime<br />

employment by the end of the programme.<br />

Twelve talented young people from groups traditionally<br />

under-represented in the digital industry, begin<br />

a ground-breaking three-month training course<br />

designed to be experiential, practical, collaborative<br />

and broad, with the aim for them to become digital<br />

pioneers of the future, sending a signal to industry to<br />

urgently update its approach to diversity and inclusivity<br />

in the workforce.<br />

20 LOVEEAST<br />

By sharing what they learn with industry to HR<br />

practices in London’s digital industries, Flipside is<br />

changing mindsets and opening up more opportunities<br />

for talented and diverse young people to enter the<br />

industry.<br />

The programme aims to:<br />

• Train young East Londoners to become digital<br />

pioneers - setting them up for success in an<br />

ever-changing industry, equipping them with the<br />

mindsets, skills and behaviours that allow them to<br />

adapt and see opportunities where others might see<br />

barriers.<br />

• Address the serious lack of diversity in the sector -<br />

providing opportunities for talented young people<br />

from groups traditionally under-represented in the<br />

digital industry, including: non-graduates, women<br />

and non-binary people, people from Black, Asian<br />

and ethnic minority backgrounds, and deaf, disabled<br />

and neuro-diverse people.<br />

• Create the ripple that becomes the wave - through<br />

Flipside we want to have a wide and tangible impact<br />

in terms of diversifying the wider industry.<br />

Case study Jahkeeta<br />

With a background and education in Game Art,<br />

Jahkeeta was first introduced to Beyond through<br />

the Flipside course where she stood out with real<br />

dedication and bags of enthusiasm. During the Flipside<br />

programme, Jahkeeta worked on briefs that raised<br />

brand awareness for a start-up denim brand and<br />

created a beta app exposing young talent to potential<br />

career pathways in creative fields.<br />

Both proposals were presented to a large group of<br />

industry experts, winning lots of praise and were


Business<br />

Flipside, and have absorbed so much information and<br />

learning."<br />

considered to be a success all around.<br />

After the success of her proposals and her experience<br />

and interaction with the Beyond team across the<br />

course, Jahkeeta was offered a six-month contractor<br />

role. Through her first 3 months as a contractor she<br />

proved that she would be a great addition to the<br />

creative team - and was offered a permanent role as a<br />

Junior Designer.<br />

"My biggest achievement has been securing a<br />

permanent design position from my paid placement.<br />

I knew nothing about this industry when I started<br />

Case study Jahkeeta<br />

Michelle like Jahkeeta was part of the Flipside training<br />

programme. Following her experience on the course,<br />

Made by Many offered her a 3 month paid internship<br />

Michelle’s strength is mainly rooted in UX. As the sole<br />

designer in an autonomous team on the internship,<br />

she had to take on a lot more responsibilities - from<br />

research and strategic thinking to branding and visual<br />

design. Michelle is now employed at Pixeled Eggs as a<br />

Junior UX Designer.<br />

"My biggest achievement during my internship at Made<br />

by Many has been presenting to a live client. This is<br />

my first experience working on a real brief with a real<br />

client, and this internship has given me the real world<br />

experience of what being a designer part of a multidiscipline<br />

team is really like."<br />

TO FIND OUT MORE<br />

flipside.-london.com<br />

thisplace.com/<br />

anewdirection.org.uk<br />

createjobslondon.org<br />

Hackney<br />

personal<br />

trainer<br />

Friendly &<br />

experienced<br />

Free trial session<br />

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LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 21


Culture<br />

She may live in LA<br />

now but actor Marina<br />

Sirtis is definitely one<br />

of our own. As they<br />

say, "You can take<br />

the girl out of East<br />

London but..."<br />

Image courtesy of Trafalgar Studios<br />

Catapulted to fame as Counselor - and later, Commander Deanna Troi on the<br />

telly series Star Trek: The Next Generation and now debuting on the West End<br />

Stage in the lead as Marianne in Dark Sublime Marina tells LoveEast about the<br />

play and how she forged a successful acting career against all the odds.<br />

The play is a story about an encounter between<br />

a fan and the Sci-Fi actor he hero-worships<br />

and explores a variety of relationships, from<br />

intergenerational friendship to hero worship and<br />

a lot in between. Written by Michael Dennis, Dark<br />

Sublime is "a love-letter to British sci-fi television –<br />

those that make it and those that adore it."<br />

So, how did this lovely East London lass end up on<br />

the silver screen - and now, the West End stage?<br />

Born in Hackney to Greek parents and raised in<br />

Harringay - which is in the borough of Haringey,<br />

let's be clear - it seems that Marina was destined<br />

to be an actor. She tells us that from the age of<br />

three she held court by standing on a bus seat and<br />

belting out Que Sera Sera, much to the passengers'<br />

delight and, possibly, her mother's chagrin. That<br />

innate confidence has stood her in good stead, as<br />

her impressive acting career attests.<br />

Marina says that television was a haven while<br />

growing up in what she says was "a not so happy<br />

home", and that from a young age she drempt of<br />

becoming an actor. A serendipitous conversation<br />

with her A Level History teacher changed<br />

everything; after commenting that she wanted to<br />

be an actor, the teacher asked, 'how are you going<br />

to do that?' To which Marina replied, "I don't know."<br />

A month later she was given a stack of prospectus'<br />

for all sorts of drama schools with the instruction,<br />

"apply to all of them!". Marina's parents were not at<br />

all keen on a career in Drama and, independently<br />

minded that she is, she applied without telling<br />

them and was accepted to the Guildhall School of<br />

Music and Drama.<br />

22 LOVEEAST


Culture<br />

While still attending the Guildhall she was cast as Ophelia in Hamlet<br />

at the Connaught Theatre in Worthing, and from there landed<br />

roles in a variety of films and television shows including Minder, The<br />

Return of Sherlock Holmes and Death Wish 3 as well as a role in<br />

The Kinks' Rock and Roll Cities video. Eventually she moved to Los<br />

Angeles where it all cracked open.<br />

"Gene Rodenberry had wanted me to audition because he had<br />

just seen Aliens and wanted a Latina looking character similar to<br />

Vasquez. Although I'm of Greek origin, I have a look that can fit into<br />

a variety of ethnicities. So I originally auditioned for the part of Lt.<br />

Macha Hernandez, the Security Chief, and Denise Crosby was to be<br />

Troi. Gene then turned it upside down and Denise became Lt Tasha<br />

Yar and I became Counsellor Troi."<br />

"I was literally packing my suitcase to come back to London as my<br />

visa was expiring, when I got the call offering me the role of Troi - it<br />

was absolutely insane; had it been a few hours later, I'd have been on<br />

a plane."<br />

Needless to say, her role in Star Trek: The Next Generation quickly<br />

shot Marina to fame. The series ran for seven years and, four feature<br />

films, based on the series, continued the legacy as well as giving her<br />

iron clad acting credentials.<br />

"I am the poster girl for what isn't supposed to happen." she says.<br />

"I landed my first job within five days of arriving in LA, which is<br />

unheard of, and then got taken on for a television series. That's just<br />

not supposed to happen." But it did.<br />

Now, looking forward to her West End debut, Marina reflects on<br />

some of the similarities between her character, Maryanne,<br />

and herself. Both are actors whose career was<br />

launched in the Sci-Fi genre, and both navigate<br />

the often tricky relationship between fan and star.<br />

Ophelia is even mentioned at some point in the<br />

play, which is ironic, considering she was Marina's<br />

first professional role.<br />

"I relate to this part in so many ways; the fan-star relationship can<br />

be tricky, although I'm pretty comfortable dealing with people. I've<br />

been a special guest at Comic Con several times and that's a great<br />

platform to engage with fans. It's a lot of fun. It's also nice to have<br />

women come up and tell me that my character Troi was inspirational<br />

to them. That role was back in the day when there weren't many<br />

strong, smart female characters. It was pretty forward-thinking at<br />

the time, so it feels good to know that a character on TV or in a film<br />

has had such a positive impact."<br />

Marina is looking forward to coming back home for a while; "I really<br />

do miss London and I'm excited about performing at Trafalgar<br />

Studios in a role that feels like it was made for me. And, being on the<br />

West End stage is pretty fantastic."<br />

WE ASKED, SHE ANSWERED:<br />

Do you prefer working in telly, film<br />

or theatre?<br />

I like it all but theatre is my first love.<br />

I was classically trained and theatre<br />

- that arc of doing things in the right<br />

order with a beginning, middle and<br />

end is a pleasure. With TV and film<br />

you can be doing the last scene first.<br />

Favourite place in East London?<br />

The Hackney Empire - It's iconic and<br />

gives amazing opportunities to local<br />

people, especially young people.<br />

Yorkshire or PG Tips?<br />

Tetley.<br />

Ever been to the Dr Who shop in<br />

Barking Road?<br />

Yes, I have, actually!<br />

What football club do you<br />

support?<br />

I'm a passionate Spurs fan. I got up at<br />

4:30am recently to watch them beat<br />

Huddersfield 4 - nil including a great<br />

Lucas Moura hat trick. I also have a<br />

Spurs tattoo on my left shoulder.<br />

If you could change one thing<br />

about our Capital city what would<br />

it be?<br />

SouthWest Trains - they are the<br />

worst! And lower the fares for public<br />

transport. Mayor Kahn are you<br />

listening?<br />

Any advice for up-and-coming<br />

actors?<br />

Don't be a child star. Seriously! Get<br />

to know yourself and do things you<br />

enjoy. Save acting for later and if you<br />

still have the passion, then don't let<br />

anyone tell you no.<br />

FOLLOW MARINA ON TWITTER:<br />

@Marina_Sirtis<br />

GO SEE DARK SUBLIME:<br />

The play is on from the 29 th of June<br />

through the 3 rd of August at Trafalgar<br />

Studios, 14 Whitehall, SW1A 2DY.<br />

INFO AND TICKETS:<br />

trafalgarentertainment.com/shows/<br />

dark-sublime/<br />

LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 23


Entertainment<br />

Immerse yourselves:<br />

The Murdér Express - Jewel of the Empire<br />

I was recently invited to the press night for the return<br />

of The Murdér Express - who am I to say no? It was a<br />

lot of fun and if you're looking for a unique immersive<br />

entertainment experience, this fits the bill nicely.<br />

Brought to you by the creative folks at Funicular<br />

Productions, a collective of talented, Award Winning<br />

Event, Brand Experience & Theatre professionals,<br />

it's good value, particularly if you're looking to do<br />

something different for a special night out.<br />

The scene is set as soon as you arrive at the cleverly<br />

designed 'train station', complete with a train carriage<br />

which you will soon board. The actors mingle with<br />

guests, setting the tone for the evening, and once<br />

on board, the mystery begins to reveal itself. A bit of<br />

wizardry plays with your senses to make you feel as<br />

though you are actually on a moving train, and as the<br />

night unfolds it's easy to take that leap of imagination<br />

and get lost in the experience.<br />

The evening lasts about two hours and includes an<br />

absolutely delicious dinner by Laurence Henry, winner<br />

of Masterchef: The Professionals 2018.<br />

If you're looking for an entertaining evening with<br />

excellent food and a lot of fun, this is it.<br />

LOCATION<br />

Pedley Street Station, Arch 63, Pedley Street, E1 5BW<br />

Off Peak - From £57pp - includes dinner; drinks separate<br />

Departs Tues, Weds, Thurs, Sun<br />

Peak - From £60pp - includes dinner; drinks separate<br />

Departs Fri, Sat<br />

INFO & BOOKING<br />

funicularproductions.com/jewel<br />

funicularproductions.com/jewel-tickets<br />

24 LOVEEAST


PROJECT GREEN THUMB<br />

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Creating and maintaining beautiful city gardens in<br />

East London including planting, pruning, turfing,<br />

fencing, decking, paving and more<br />

Check our website for a full list of services:<br />

www.projectgreenthumb.co.uk<br />

Call: 07453 421 377 to book a FREE estimate<br />

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We Engineer and Kiln Dry all Reclaimed<br />

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timber is De-Nailed, carefully selected & fully<br />

machined to W.L and Thickness.<br />

• Period Pine Floorboards<br />

• Wide Oak Planking<br />

• Parquet Woodblock<br />

• Hardwood Strip Flooring<br />

• Tables, Bookshelves, Worktops,<br />

Treads and Risers, Skirting boards<br />

ANTIQUE WOODEN FLOORS<br />

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LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 25


The Gentle Author<br />

The Gentle Author<br />

on the fate of the<br />

oldest tree in the<br />

East End<br />

26 LOVEEAST


The Gentle Author<br />

The Bethnal Green Mulberry stands in the grounds of the<br />

former London Chest Hospital next to Victoria Park. It is<br />

a gnarly old specimen which in local lore is understood<br />

to be more than four hundred years old and is believed<br />

to be the oldest tree in the East End.<br />

I find it a poignant spectacle to view this venerable Black<br />

Mulberry. Damaged by a bomb in the Second World War, it has<br />

charring still visible upon its trunk which has split to resemble<br />

a Barbara Hepworth sculpture. Yet, in spite of its scars and the<br />

props that are required to support its tottering structure, the<br />

elderly tree produces a luxuriant covering of green leaves each<br />

spring and bears a reliably generous crop of succulent fruit every<br />

summer.<br />

The Bethnal Green Mulberry finds itself today in the middle of<br />

the site for a new housing development. Four hundred years ago,<br />

these were the gardens of Bishop Bonner’s Palace and it is he<br />

who is credited with planting the Mulberry in the mid-sixteenth<br />

century. Even in the nineteenth century, the Mulberry was<br />

recognised as of great age and an inkwell at the London Hospital<br />

in Whitechapel made from a branch, dating from 1915, bears a<br />

plate suggesting that the Bishop sat in the tree's shade while<br />

deciding which heretics to execute.<br />

Consequently, the Bethnal Green Mulberry has a Tree Protection<br />

Order and is designated as a Veteran Tree which grants it special<br />

protection in planning law. Yet developers Crest Nicholson want<br />

to put a block of luxury flats on the site the Mulberry, when there<br />

is plenty of space within the grounds to move the building and<br />

leave the tree to flourish and bear fruit for future generations.<br />

They plan to dig up the venerable Mulberry and move it out of<br />

their way which according Julian Forbes-Laird, Expert Witness<br />

in Arborculture and editor of the British Standard in tree<br />

conservation, will almost certainly kill it.<br />

Last July, the government extended extra protection to Veteran<br />

Trees which can now only be sacrificed for ‘wholly exceptional<br />

reasons.’ Last September, when Tower Hamlets council<br />

Development Committee met to consider Crest Nicholson’s<br />

proposal, no-one could see how the developer’s block of luxury<br />

flats constituted ‘wholly exceptional reasons,’ until the Head of<br />

Planning explained helpfully that it did not apply – since the<br />

proposal was actually to ‘save’ the Bethnal Green Mulberry by<br />

digging it up and moving it.<br />

Subsequently, Tower Hamlets Council approved Crest Nicholson’s<br />

planning application for their development including digging<br />

up the Bethnal Green Mulberry. In spite of the history, in spite of<br />

the Tree Protection Order, in spite of the change in Planning Law<br />

designed to extend extra protection to Veteran Trees, in spite of<br />

LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 27


The Gentle Author<br />

28 LOVEEAST


The Gentle Author<br />

three hundred letters of objection by local people<br />

and over ten thousand signatures on a petition,<br />

the application was allowed. Rather than tell<br />

Crest Nicholson to move their proposed building,<br />

Tower Hamlets Development Committee granted<br />

permission for the development to go ahead and<br />

the Bethnal Green Mulberry to be dug up.<br />

Yet there is still hope. The East End Preservation<br />

Society has crowd-funded a legal challenge to<br />

overturn the council’s decision and force Crest<br />

Nicholson to go back to the drawing board and<br />

create a better development for Victoria Park<br />

which does not involve digging up the Mulberry,<br />

offers more social housing, does less damage to<br />

the listed London Chest Hospital building and<br />

preserves more of the mature trees growing in the<br />

grounds.<br />

If they dig it up and move it, will the Mulberry fall<br />

apart? Will it decay and die after moving? Will<br />

it flourish for centuries in its new position? Time<br />

alone will reveal the fate of the Bethnal Green<br />

Mulberry.<br />

You can contribute to the East End Preservation<br />

Society’s legal fund to Save the Bethnal Green<br />

Mulberry at www.crowdjustice.com/case/savebethnal-green-mulberry/<br />

1. Nurses examine the new growth on the Bethnal Green<br />

Mulberry in 1944 after the bomb of 1941 (Courtesy of the<br />

Royal London Hospital Archives)<br />

2. Symbol for the campaign to SAVE THE BETHNAL GREEN<br />

MULBERRY by Paul Bommer<br />

3. The Bethnal Green Mulberry, spring 2015 photograph by<br />

The Gentle Author<br />

4. Inkwell made from a branch of the Bethnal Green Mulberry<br />

in 1911 (Courtesy of the Royal London Hospital Archives)<br />

5. Nurses dance around the Bethnal Green Mulberry in<br />

celebration of its regeneration in 1944 (Courtesy of the<br />

Royal London Hospital Archives)<br />

6. The stump of the Bethnal Green Mulberry after the bomb<br />

dropped in 1941 (Courtesy of the Royal London Hospital<br />

Archives)<br />

7. Illustration of the London Chest Hospital showing the<br />

Bethnal Green Mulberry to the left of the building from the<br />

Illustrated London News, 1June 851<br />

3. The Bethnal Tree Mulberry photograph by Bob Philpotts<br />

9. Illustration from Foxe’s Book of Martyr’s showing Bishop<br />

Bonner scourging a heretic in his garden, 1563<br />

The Gentle Author writes daily about the culture of East<br />

London at spitalfieldslife.com.<br />

You can also follow @thegentleauthor on twitter.<br />

LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 29


Arts 'n Crafts<br />

Little Artists London offers an array of child-friendly<br />

workshops at CreatePlace, St Margarets House in<br />

Bethnal Green. littleartistslondon.com/workshops<br />

Kids' activities at The Yard - play, discover and make;<br />

Check the website for what's on over the summer:<br />

the-yard.co.uk<br />

Music & Dance<br />

Tots Gigs monthly morning series of acoustic gigs for<br />

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 />

Chisenhale Dance Space. Check website for times etc.:<br />

chisenhaledancespace.co.uk<br />

Kids' Yoga<br />

East of Eden in Walthamstow offers Parent & toddler<br />

yoga classes and Yoga for Kids aged 5 - 9 (term-time).<br />

Check website for days and times: edeneast.co.uk/<br />

what-we-do/yoga/kids/<br />

City Farms in East London<br />

Fun filled animal activities to keep the kids busy. Many have<br />

arts n' crafts activities and clubs as well.<br />

Hackney City Farm: hackneyyoungarts@gmail.com<br />

Mudchute City Farm: mudchute.org<br />

Newham City Farm: FB: @NewhamCityFarm<br />

Spitafields City Farm: spitalfieldscityfarm.org<br />

Stepney City Farm: stepneycityfarm.org<br />

Splish Splash<br />

Kids Summer Splash at Royal Victoria Dock daily from<br />

27 July - 30 August at Royal Victoria Dock, E16 1AH. All<br />

ages. Info: newham.gov.uk/Pages/ServiceChild/Royal-<br />

Victoria-Beach.aspx<br />

Find an indoor pool near you: swimming.org/<br />

poolfinder/ Just put in your post code and voilà.<br />

Horse Riding<br />

Lee Valley Riding Centre: leevalleypark.org.uk/go/<br />

horseriding/<br />

Aldersbrook Riding: aldersbrookriding.co.uk<br />

Docklands Equestrian Centre:<br />

docklandsequestriancentre.com<br />

Parks & Recreation<br />

Check out Living with Warmth, a children's what's on<br />

guide for Hackney & Islington with a playground and<br />

child-friendly 1 supervised: hackneyplay.org/homertongrove/<br />

Brampton Park in East Ham has a MUGA pitch,<br />

paddling pool and play area with a zip wire plus a<br />

MUGA pitch, table tennis, trim trail and wheelchair<br />

access, including some play equipment. Info & to book<br />

the MUGA: openplay.co.uk/view/1458/brampton-park<br />

Bow Creek Ecology Park in Docklands wildlife haven<br />

in the urban environment with a variety of wildlife from<br />

newts and water scorpions to flocks of wading birds:<br />

visitleevalley.org.uk/en/content/cms/nature/naturereserve/bow-creek/<br />

Clissold Park has a paddling pool, fountains, tennis<br />

court and skate-park plus an aviary and animal<br />

enclosures, multi-use games area and dog-free play<br />

area: hackney.gov.uk/clissold-park<br />

Homerton Grove Adventure Playground is a free, open<br />

access playground and youth service for children 6+ to<br />

run, jump, make noise & have fun. Once registered and<br />

settled, they can be left to play. Under 6's welcome if<br />

supervised: hackneyplay.org/homerton-grove/<br />

30 LOVEEAST


Shakespeare Walk Adventure Playground - free, open<br />

access playground offering a wide range of indoor and<br />

outdoor activities. Under 6's welcome if supervised:<br />

wapa.org.uk/about.html<br />

Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park runs a variety of clubs<br />

and events including Bow Beasties Wildlife Club and<br />

the Forest School. Info: fothcp.org/kids<br />

The Tumbling Bay Playground in the north of the<br />

Olympic Park has rock pools, tree houses, wobbly<br />

bridge etc.: queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/the-park/<br />

things-to-do<br />

Victoria Park is ready for Spring with all kinds of<br />

activities. Look for their PDF events guide for details,<br />

dates, times etc. on the Tower Hamlets website:<br />

towerhamlets.gov.uk<br />

Inclusive Adventure Playgrounds<br />

Designed for young people with disabilities/additional<br />

needs and supervised by trained, CRB checked staff,<br />

& offer a variety of activities for stimulating & inclusive<br />

play in a setting that supports the child's requirements<br />

and also gives support to their families.<br />

Hackney Adventure Playground, Clapton<br />

FB page: @KIDSAdventurePlayHackney<br />

Terence Brown Ark, Canning Town<br />

FB: @AmbitionAspireAchieve<br />

theaaazone.com/terence-brown-arc.<br />

Hello! We are Little Artists London.<br />

We plan and deliver fun and creative art<br />

parties too. Tell us a little bit about your<br />

event and request our party event package.<br />

t: 07882 396 557<br />

info@littleartistslondon.com<br />

@littleartistslondon<br />

www.littleartistslondon.com<br />

Summer schedules vary so be sure to check times and<br />

availability via the websites or contact details provided.<br />

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK<br />

FARADAY PREP SCHOOL<br />

WWW.FARADAYSCHOOL.CO.UK<br />

LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 31


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32 LOVEEAST


The wine guide<br />

What's the difference between corks and screw caps?<br />

In Vinarius we are often asked about the difference between corks and other wine bottle stoppers. Here are<br />

some guidelines to understand the technical, philosophical and marketing reasons behind the choice that<br />

producers make to seal their bottle of wine.<br />

Cork is a natural product made from bark stripped from a specific oak, Quercus Suber, that grows mainly<br />

in western Mediterranean countries. Its intrinsic characteristics has made it the ideal wine bottle closure for<br />

hundreds of years: it is light, flexible, inert and impermeable to liquid. Another of its attribute which still makes it<br />

indispensable today for Fine Wines and bottle ageing, is that cork is semi-impermeable to gas. This means that<br />

it just allows to the right amount of oxygen to enter inside the bottle that the wine requires for medium to long<br />

maturation.<br />

Corks also bring the idea of tradition with the pleasure, almost a ritual gesture, of opening the bottles with a<br />

corkscrew followed by the familiar popping sound. That’s why all the important European wine appellations only<br />

allow to bottle their wine with corks.<br />

Its worst enemy<br />

is a chemical<br />

compound<br />

called TCA that<br />

is sometime<br />

formed by<br />

some fungi<br />

inside the cork<br />

and that can<br />

be transferred<br />

to the final<br />

wine. Although<br />

harmless TCA<br />

can spoil the<br />

wine with an unpleasant, mouldy odour - just imagine the smell of a wet<br />

dog - that makes the wine undrinkable. Today less than 2% of the wine are,<br />

in some degree, affected by the “corked” taint.<br />

Cheap alternatives to natural corks are often used for inexpensive and<br />

young wines: corks agglomerate, plastic corks or - especially for organic<br />

wines - corks made from cane sugar fibres that are natural and fully<br />

recyclable and biodegradable.<br />

Technically speaking, Screwcaps are the best way to seal a bottle of wine;<br />

cheap, light, durable, easy to use (no corkscrews) and no risk of corked<br />

wine. It is ideal for white aromatic wines or young reds as the perfect<br />

barrier to the oxygen. The internal liner can also be changed to allow<br />

some degree of oxygen to enter the bottle although natural cork is still the<br />

preferred option for long term bottle maturation.<br />

Screwcaps have also been indirectly used as a marketing tool to identify a<br />

wine style evoking the idea of modernity and innovation, especially from<br />

“new world” wine producers. That’s why almost the totality of the New<br />

Zealand wines and the big majority of the Australian wines are screwcapsealed.<br />

One of the latest additions you can spot on our shelves are bottles closed<br />

with crown caps. Natural wine producers often use them for their wine,<br />

(sparkling in particular: Prosecco Col Fondo, Lambrusco Ancestrale etc.)<br />

which helps them to highlight their unique identity and quirkiness.<br />

VISIT US<br />

536 Roman Road, Bow E3 5ES<br />

OPENING HOURS<br />

Mon & Tues: 12 - 7pm<br />

Wed - Fri: 12 - 11pm<br />

Sat: 11am - 11pm<br />

Sun: 11am - 10pm<br />

Food is served Wednesday 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 />

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With FREE delivery to E3, E6,<br />

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LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 33<br />

Sponsored by Vinarius


Eating In<br />

Courgetti salad with organic salmon & avocado<br />

Photo courtesy of and © Diana Warrings<br />

Ingredients<br />

250g-375g of organic salmon fillets<br />

2-3 medium-sized organic<br />

courgettes ( one per person)<br />

2 spring onions100g-150g bag of<br />

fresh garden peas<br />

2 ripe avocados<br />

200g-300g of Rocket, watercress or<br />

green salad of your choice<br />

100g-150g of brown rice vermicelli<br />

noodles (50g per person)<br />

Optional: a small bunch of fresh<br />

coriander & 1 tbsp. black sesame<br />

seeds<br />

For the marinade<br />

20g of ginger- peeled and freshly<br />

grated<br />

1/2 tbsp. of brown rice miso paste<br />

3-4 tbsp. of tamari sauce<br />

Dressing<br />

1-2 tbsp. of tahini <br />

1-2 tbsp. of tamari sauce<br />

1 tbsp. of rice vinegar<br />

2-3 tbsp. of sesame oil<br />

1/2 tsp. of rice miso paste<br />

A small clove of garlic & small piece<br />

(10g) of ginger – peeled and grated<br />

or crushed with garlic-press<br />

This Asian style salad is the perfect summer lunch<br />

or dinner. Using courgettes instead of noodles adds<br />

lightness and complements the tamari and ginger<br />

marinated salmon rather well. The dark green skin of<br />

the courgettes is rich in antioxidants, vitamin C and<br />

carotenes, and with 95% water content they have a<br />

hydrating effect, especially important during the hot<br />

summer months or when doing exercise. This dish<br />

works with any fresh salad and additional vegetables<br />

of your choice, but I find watercress or rocket, spring<br />

onions, garden peas, avocado, and coriander go<br />

particularly well together. Brown rice vermicelli<br />

noodles are optional but represent a delicious<br />

carbohydrate addition to this green creation.<br />

Serves 2 - 3<br />

Method<br />

1. Start with marinating the salmon. For a more intense flavour this is best done<br />

a couple of hours before cooking. It still works making it straight away, so<br />

don’t worry if you don’t have hours for marinating. Simply mix the marinade<br />

ingredients in a small bowl. Place the salmon in a casserole dish and pour the<br />

marinade on top. Turn the salmon a few times, so it is well covered with the<br />

marinade. Cover the casserole dish with tin foil and keep in the fridge until you<br />

are ready to bake it in the oven. Make sure the foil does not touch the fish. For a<br />

more even marinade, turn the salmon in the marinade now and then.<br />

2. Take the casserole dish out of the fridge, turn the salmon once more and cover<br />

the dish with the foil again. Pre-heat the oven at 180C. Once preheated, place<br />

casserole dish with tin foil in the oven. Depending on size and thickness of the<br />

salmon, bake for 15-20minutes or as instructed on the packaging.<br />

3. Whilst the salmon is baking in the oven, prepare the rest of the ingredients.<br />

Finely slice the spring onions. De-pit the avocado, with a tablespoon, spoon out<br />

the flesh, thinly slice and sprinkle some lemon juice on the sliced avocado, so it<br />

doesn’t turn brown. You will need a spiralizer for the courgetti, but if you don’t<br />

have one, you can simply use a vegetable peeler. If you would like to eat the<br />

courgetti raw, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and the juice of half a lemon and<br />

mix well. Otherwise, steam together with the garden peas for 3-4 Minutes or<br />

warm up in a lightly oiled pan over medium heat just before serving.<br />

4. Next prepare the dressing, simply place all ingredients in a jam jar, close lid<br />

tightly and shake until everything is mixed well. If needed add a couple of<br />

tablespoons of If you are adding the vermicelli, prepare them just before serving,<br />

they don’t take long, just follow the instruction on the packaging, which can<br />

vary.<br />

5. Once the salmon is ready, start preparing the plates. First create a salad bed,<br />

then top with courgetti, vermicelli, spring onions, garden peas, avocado and<br />

coriander leaves. Finally, drizzle over the dressing and top with black sesame<br />

seeds - serve warm or cold.<br />

Enjoy!<br />

Diana Warrings is a Health & nutrition content producer, recipe developer & well-being cook.<br />

34 LOVEEAST<br />

irmagreen.com


Eating Out<br />

Mark Wincott on an East End institution: Pie & Mash<br />

"Eels are an aphrodisiac." These words stayed with me from the age of seven. I<br />

never knew what aphrodisiac meant; it wasn’t a transformer - I checked.<br />

I did know that an eel was a slippery, slimy looking<br />

fish that old people eat without throwing up. As years<br />

went by I found out what aphrodisiac meant, and<br />

eels became top of my list. At 18 I tried this beneficial,<br />

unique, chewy fish which doesn’t taste like fish - or<br />

chicken. I tried to look comfortable eating it in front of<br />

my peers. I couldn’t tell them I’d never tried it before<br />

because eels in a pie and mash shop is an East End<br />

institution, like cockney rhyming slang, Ray Winstone<br />

and learning about the Blitz. I was under pressure.<br />

Since the 1800's, street Vendors have caught and<br />

prepared eels from the river Thames and prepared<br />

them for a warm, wholesome bit of scran, food for<br />

poorer classes of yesteryear. In 1850 Michele Manze<br />

and Fred Cooke opened shops respectively, selling pies<br />

filled with offal, served with mash and covered in liquor:<br />

boiled eel water and parsley sauce or “that green stuff”<br />

if you will. It’s not gravy - that’s a swear word - it’s<br />

liquor.<br />

There’s a protocol to eating this stuff. My uncle stopped<br />

speaking to his mate for an entire month as he asked<br />

for a knife to eat his pie. Remember - it’s a spoon and<br />

fork, it’s cockney etiquette. A silent rule, as with the<br />

gravy comment, although in saying that, a few old<br />

school shops have gravy for the more gentrified of you,<br />

and the eels are no longer from the Thames, they've all<br />

emigrated and are now brought over from Ireland.<br />

My local, the Eel and Pie House in Leytonstone, the<br />

noted has served families since the 1920s when<br />

their Dutch ancestors opened in Bow Road and later<br />

bringing this flavour here in 1977. The shops décor of<br />

white tiled walls, gilded floor, red painted hard wooden<br />

benches and heavy tables bolted to the ground are an<br />

essential touch of a sadly declining entity. Memories are<br />

built in these premises - I remember my uncle Albert<br />

powering through four pies, triple mash and a portion<br />

of eels - all before pub opening time. You ask anyone<br />

what their favourite pie and mash shop is, and you will<br />

find out where they are from.<br />

It’s a memory museum of family times the moment the<br />

spoon crunches the top of the pie, the meat oozes out<br />

and mixes well with the liquor. The food doesn’t last<br />

long, it’s served quick and hot and finished by the time<br />

the thinking begins to moan about something.<br />

I remember a controversy when mash no longer<br />

was spread on plates but scooped; oh, the torture of<br />

change. My mum remembers her local, Lediard’s Pie<br />

and Mash on West Ham Lane, which had sawdust<br />

sprinkled over the floor so the old boys could spit out<br />

eel bones. It's now a chicken takeaway.<br />

Every time you click your finger, a pie and mash shop<br />

closes, sad times.<br />

For a warm, home-cooked hot treat you cannot go<br />

wrong with Leytonstone’s Eel and Pie House, standing<br />

the test of time for mates who gather in their masses.<br />

A shop just yards away from where Alfred Hitchcock<br />

was born, Jonathon Ross lived over the road, David<br />

Beckham around the corner, Derek Jacobi and Fanny<br />

Craddock up the street, and all, including my pals,<br />

never realised eels are an aphrodisiac.<br />

Follow Mark:<br />

@Tattooed_Ginge<br />

@tattooed.ginge<br />

PIE & MASH IN EAST LONDON<br />

Eel and Pie House 481a High Rd Leytonstone, E11 4JU<br />

F Cooke 9 Broadway Market, E8 4PH and<br />

150 Hoxton St, N1 6SH<br />

Manze's 6 High St, Walthamstow, E17 7LD and<br />

4 Chapel Market, N1 9ER<br />

Maureen's Pie & Mash 6 Market Square, Poplar, E14 6AH<br />

G Kelly’s 526 Roman Rd, E3 5ES<br />

S & R Kelly & Sons 284 Bethnal Green Rd, E2 0AG<br />

Robin’s 14 High Street, Wanstead, E11 2AJ and<br />

50 Station Road, Chingford, E4 7BE<br />

BJ’s Pie & Mash 330 Barking Rd, E13 8HL<br />

EastEnders 171 E India Dock Rd, Poplar, E14 0EA<br />

Traditional East End Pie & Mash 538 Barking Rd, E13 8QE<br />

LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 35


Walk Hackney<br />

A Family behind a name – Joseph<br />

In neighbouring Brenthouse<br />

and Paragon Roads, a few<br />

minutes walk from Hackney<br />

Town Hall, stand two very<br />

different buildings. Distinct<br />

in height, style and purpose,<br />

one was built as a synagogue<br />

and the other as flats; both<br />

designed by cousins, Delissa<br />

Joseph and Ernest Joseph,<br />

respectively. Look for it as you<br />

walk around Hackney and<br />

you will find the name Joseph<br />

inscribed on foundation stones<br />

the length and breadth of the<br />

borough.<br />

The first of this architectural<br />

dynasty was Nathan Solomon<br />

Joseph, born in 1834. Well<br />

connected to the Anglo-Jewish<br />

establishment of the time,<br />

being the son- and brotherin-law<br />

of Chief Rabbis, he<br />

was architect to the United<br />

Synagogue, designing<br />

London’s Central Synagogue.<br />

34 years later he designed<br />

Navarino Mansions in Dalston<br />

Lane. To relieve overcrowding<br />

in homes in the East End, they<br />

were built in 1904 for the 4%<br />

Industrial Dwelling Society,<br />

now known as IDS, which<br />

still operates the flats. Messrs<br />

Joseph, the family firm, were<br />

the Metropolitan Borough<br />

of Hackney’s preferred<br />

architects for designing<br />

social housing from the<br />

1930s for the next 20 years.<br />

The estates they designed<br />

were built in Stamford Hill (Guinness Trust Estate),<br />

Upper Clapton (Wrens Park, Wigan and Mandela<br />

Houses), Springfield (Lea View), Hackney Downs (for<br />

Samuel Lewis Trust), Lower Clapton (Powell House<br />

- demolished), Shacklewell (Hindle and Shacklewell<br />

Houses), central Hackney (Trelawney Estate) and<br />

Homerton (Bannister and Nisbet Houses).<br />

36 LOVEEAST<br />

Photos courtesy of and © Sean Gubbins<br />

Nathan’s youngest son Ernest<br />

Martin Joseph was also an<br />

architect of synagogues,<br />

including The New Synagogue<br />

in Egerton Road, Stamford Hill.<br />

That was built in 1915 for the<br />

congregation which had moved<br />

from the City to north Hackney.<br />

In the 1950s Ernest Joseph, also<br />

the architect of Shell-Mex House<br />

on The Strand, designed the<br />

Trelawney Estate (pictured),<br />

on Paragon Road. Two streets<br />

south, in Brenthouse Road,<br />

still stands the synagogue<br />

(pictured) designed by his<br />

cousin, Delissa. It was built in<br />

1896 for the South Hackney<br />

Congregation, who moved out<br />

in 2010.<br />

The New Synagogue still<br />

serves a Jewish community<br />

in Stamford Hill. Most of the<br />

hundreds of flats designed by<br />

the Josephs survive, continuing<br />

to provide homes for thousands<br />

in Hackney. I have not come<br />

across evidence of members<br />

of the Joseph family living in<br />

Hackney; they seemed to have<br />

preferred living ‘up west’ in<br />

Ladbroke Grove or Kensington.<br />

Being the architects, though, of<br />

local synagogues and estates,<br />

which decisively altered the<br />

appearance of many parts of<br />

Hackney in the second quarter<br />

of the last century, the Josephs<br />

form another part of the<br />

borough’s Jewish heritage.<br />

Looking for something to do one weekend?<br />

Intrigued to find out more about Hackney?<br />

Look up walkhackney.co.uk and pick a walk<br />

that takes your fancy. The next six are in this<br />

edition's What's On section. I look forward to<br />

welcoming you on one of my walks.


Roger Love on Fitness<br />

Seven fitness books to inspire you this summer -<br />

Hackney-based personal trainer Roger Love looks<br />

at tomes that will get you exercising<br />

If last month's Hackney Half fired up your running<br />

dreams, get yourself a copy of Running with<br />

the Kenyans by Adharanand Finn. The English<br />

writer takes his young family off to live in Iten<br />

in western Kenya to discover why it turns our<br />

world class runner after world class runner. It is<br />

a sober explanation about how to run, as well as<br />

fascinating insight to the multi-layered Kenyan<br />

phenomenon, a charming travelogue, and an<br />

insight to one man’s personal running ambitions.<br />

Finn’s latest book, The Rise of the Ultra Runners,<br />

was released in May.<br />

If you prefer your writing more gonzo, then<br />

Christopher McDougall Born to Run - which<br />

started the barefoot running debate as he hunts<br />

down a lost tribe of super-runners - is the book for<br />

you. McDougall’s follow up, Natural Born Heroes,<br />

is equally roaming in its brief. It wraps the story<br />

of daring-do resistance to Nazi occupation of<br />

Crete up with an examination of the ancient arts<br />

of endurance, strength and nutrition. It brushes up<br />

your history as well as your fitness.<br />

101 Youth Fitness Drills, by John Shepherd and<br />

Mike Antoniades, is part of a series written for<br />

sports-specific training, including netball, football<br />

and hockey. The Youth Fitness version - there are<br />

age 7-11 and 12-16 editions - is full of activities for<br />

improving agility, jumping, throwing and running.<br />

It has a super introduction that explains the best<br />

ages for working on particular aspects of fitness,<br />

from the 'skill hungry' years to best time to work<br />

on strength.<br />

The best trainer you may have never heard of<br />

is Al Kavadlo, a New Yorker who via his blog,<br />

workshops, app and books has been spreading<br />

the gospel of bodyweight exercise to make you<br />

big and strong. Get Strong, written with his<br />

brother Danny, is a programme for beginners<br />

upwards, built around push-ups, pull-ups, squats<br />

and bridges. With clearly explained exercises and<br />

longer essays on food and squats, it’s ideal to get<br />

you started in the park this summer.<br />

High Intensity Interval Training for Women by<br />

Sean Bartram - another great down-to-earth<br />

American trainer - is a clearly-illustrated treasure<br />

trove of routines using HIIT, a great method<br />

improving cardio fitness and getting trim. There<br />

something to suit every skill level and is great<br />

for those who want something short, sharp and<br />

effective.<br />

Joe De Sena - the man who started The Spartan<br />

Race obstacle events - is inspirational against<br />

the odds. His personal development books start<br />

of with you thinking “This is too American!’ but<br />

his integrity and enthusiasm soon sucks you in<br />

despite your English reserve. His latest book -<br />

The Spartan Way - mixes inspirational address<br />

with practical exercise to change your mindset<br />

to get you off the couch or go further and faster<br />

than you expected. You will be a better person by<br />

the end of it.<br />

Roger Love Is a personal trainer based<br />

in Netil House E8.<br />

rogerlovept.com<br />

Photo courtesy of and © Roger Love<br />

LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 37


What's on<br />

The E17 Art Trail: Walthamstow's home grown creative<br />

phenomenon is back!<br />

The popular E17 Art Trail is back and runs for the first three weekends in June. This is a great<br />

opportunity to step into studios to meet local artists, attend talks, workshops and performances and<br />

perhaps buy an original artwork.<br />

The art trail is a collaboration between the residents of Walthamstow and the arts organisation<br />

Artillery, and has grown to include over 7,500 artists, residents and workplaces.<br />

Among those opening their studio doors are a group of artists including some from Art Group<br />

Wanstead who will exhibit painting, sculpture, photography and printmaking on Sundays in Anna<br />

Bisset's studio at 14 Chaucer Road, E17 4BE. Artists include Anna Bisset, Paul Tucker, Emma<br />

Davies, Richard Crooks and Chris Thomas.<br />

Pick up a comprehensive printed trail guide & map at various locations including the festival<br />

information hub at One Hoe Street, Walthamstow and Waltham Forest Libraries. Also available<br />

online: e17arttrail.co.uk<br />

Artillery is an arts development organisation based in Walthamstow that aims to create lasting,<br />

shared memories among the community through open invitations to create neighbourhood<br />

events and projects together. More info: artillery.org.uk<br />

PROJECT GREEN THUMB<br />

Local Gardening Services<br />

Creating and maintaining beautiful city gardens in<br />

East London including planting, pruning, turfing,<br />

fencing, decking, paving and more<br />

Check our website for a full list of services:<br />

www.projectgreenthumb.co.uk<br />

Call: 07453 421 377 to book a FREE estimate<br />

QUALITY<br />

RECLAIMED<br />

WOOD FLOORING<br />

We Engineer and Kiln Dry all Reclaimed<br />

Floors to go over Under Floor Heating. Written<br />

guarantees. Expert ID and matching service<br />

for Parquet and Pine Floorboards. All our<br />

timber is De-Nailed, carefully selected & fully<br />

machined to W.L and Thickness.<br />

• Period Pine Floorboards<br />

• Wide Oak Planking<br />

• Parquet Woodblock<br />

• Hardwood Strip Flooring<br />

• Tables, Bookshelves, Worktops,<br />

Treads and Risers, Skirting boards<br />

ANTIQUE WOODEN FLOORS<br />

07774 931 217<br />

antiquewoodenfloors.co.uk<br />

38 LOVEEAST


What's on<br />

June<br />

PRIDE MONTH<br />

SAT 1 JUNE<br />

Open studios, talks,<br />

workshops etc. on the E17<br />

Art Trail various locations and<br />

runs weekends thru the 16 th .<br />

INFO: see sidebar & website:<br />

e17arttrail.co.uk<br />

Catch the last two days of the<br />

All Points East Festival (if<br />

you can blag a ticket that is) in<br />

Victoria Park, runs thru Sunday.<br />

INFO: allpointseastfestival.com<br />

Rhodes Town Walk: How<br />

Fields Became Houses,<br />

11am-1.15pm, Meet: entrance<br />

to Dalston Junction Station,<br />

E8 3DL, £10/£8 conc. INFO:<br />

walkhackney.co.uk/rhodes-townwalk/<br />

MON 3 JUNE<br />

Some Voices 'choir without<br />

the boring bits' ,non-audition,<br />

all welcome; Shoreditch<br />

chapter: weekly on Mondays,<br />

7 - 9pm, St Matthew’s Church,<br />

5 St Matthew's Row, E2 6D.<br />

Whitechapel chapter: Weekly<br />

on Mondays, 7 - 9pm, Cardboard<br />

Citizens, 77A Greenfield Rd, E1<br />

1EJ. INFO: somevoices.co.uk<br />

TUES 4 JUNE<br />

Film Screening for Tactile<br />

Collective, international<br />

showcase of sign painters,<br />

188 Hackney Road, E2<br />

8JP. INFO: facebook.com/<br />

events/2268309933383415<br />

area, Station Road, Chingford.<br />

London. E4 7EN. INFO:<br />

chingfordvillagefestival.info<br />

Open Garden Squares<br />

Weekend various locations<br />

in Hackney & Tower Hamlets,<br />

Sunday also. INFO & maps:<br />

opensquares.org/2019/gardens/<br />

MON 10 JUNE<br />

The Carcass Cartel pop up<br />

evening of whole animal eating<br />

& live fire cooking at Hackney<br />

Church Brew Co, 7 Bohemia Pl,<br />

E8 1DU, 5 course £45/8 course<br />

£75, also on the 11 th . INFO:<br />

carcasscartel.com/pop-ups<br />

WED 12 JUNE<br />

Sunny Jar Eco Hub Fundraiser<br />

at Poplar Union, 2 Cotall St, E14<br />

6TL, talks, mending, clothes<br />

swapping etc, 6:30 - 9pm. INFO:<br />

poplarunion.com/event/sunny-jareco-hub-zero-waste-fundraiser/<br />

THURS 13 JUNE<br />

Ladies who Latte, free<br />

networking group 10:30am -<br />

12:30pmBumpkin, Westfield<br />

Stratford, E20 1EJ. INFO: rachel@<br />

rachelkmiller.com<br />

FRI 14 JUNE<br />

E15 Jazz Sessions: David<br />

Angol Quartet at Stratford<br />

Circus Arts Centre, Theatre<br />

Square, London E15 1BX, £10<br />

Adv/£12 door. INFO: stratfordcircus.com<br />

SAT 15 JUNE<br />

Beer Day Britian<br />

SUN 16 JUNE<br />

Father's Day<br />

Boxedin: Clash music &<br />

friendly rivalry as the teams go<br />

head to head, doors: 7:15pm at<br />

the Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Rd,<br />

NW1 8EH. INFO: roundhouse.<br />

org.uk<br />

SAT 22 JUNE<br />

World Cinema Film Festival<br />

at London East, the home of<br />

Dagenham Film Studios, runs<br />

thru Sunday. Tickets: eventbrite.<br />

co.uk/e/world-cinema-filmfestival-tickets-60873945610<br />

SUN 23 JUNE<br />

Art Car Boot Fair, 1 - 6pm,<br />

Cubitt Sq, N1C 4BT. INFO:<br />

artcarbootfair.com<br />

Hoxton New Town History<br />

Walk: West Hoxton’s<br />

Story.11am-2pm, Meet: Top of<br />

Exit 7 @ Old Street Station, EC1Y<br />

1BE, E8 3DL, £10/£8 conc. INFO:<br />

walkhackney.co.uk/hoxton-newtown-walk/<br />

WED 26 JUNE<br />

Fix Up, a play by Kwame Kwei-<br />

Armah at the Tower Theatre,<br />

16 Northwold Rd, N16 7HR,<br />

7.30pm runs thru 29 th with a<br />

3pm Matinée on the 29 th . INFO:<br />

towertheatre.org.uk<br />

DIY Natural Cleaning<br />

Workshops at the Create<br />

Place, 29 Old Ford Rd, E2 9PJ.<br />

6:30 - 8:30pm £15, all materials<br />

provided. INFO: facebook.com/<br />

pg/sunnyjarecohub/events/<br />

FRI 28 JUNE<br />

Queer Upbeat song & spoken<br />

word + exhibitionba t The Gate<br />

Library, Woodgrange Rd, Forest<br />

Gate, E7 0QH. INFO: Facebook<br />

@forestgatearts<br />

SAT 29 JUNE<br />

Forest Gayte Pride<br />

celebrations from 10am -<br />

check the website for all the<br />

happenings: forestgaytepride.<br />

com/schedule<br />

WED 5 JUNE<br />

World Gin Day Festival in<br />

Devonshire Square, Shoreditch<br />

and various bars & pop ups,<br />

runs thru Sat 8 th June. INFO:<br />

drinkup.london/events/24395/<br />

the-world-gin-day-festival-hub-atdevonshire-square/<br />

SAT 8 JUNE<br />

Chingford Village Festival<br />

celebrates its Silver Jubilee,<br />

The Green & surrounding<br />

THURS 20 JUNE<br />

Scottish Opera performs The<br />

Magic Flute at Hackney Empire,<br />

291 Mare St., E8 1EJ, also on<br />

the 22 nd . INFO: hackneyempire.<br />

co.uk<br />

FRI 21 JUNE<br />

Another England at Stratford<br />

Circus Arts Centre, Theatre Sq,<br />

E15 1BX, runs thru Sat 22 June,<br />

Ages 14+ £15 (£13 concs). INFO:<br />

stratford-circus.com<br />

LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 39


What's on<br />

July<br />

TUES 2 JULY<br />

Fix Up, a play by Kwame Kwei-<br />

Armah at the Tower Theatre,<br />

16 Northwold Rd, N16 7HR,<br />

7.30pm runs thru 6 th with a<br />

3pm Matinée on the 6 th . INFO:<br />

towertheatre.org.uk<br />

Merrily We Roll Along,<br />

Sondheim's musical presented<br />

by Guildhall School at Silk Street<br />

Theatre, Guildhall School of<br />

Music & Drama, Silk Street,<br />

EC27 8DX, runs thru 10 th<br />

July. INFO: barbican.org.uk/<br />

whats-on/2019/event/merrilywe-roll-along<br />

Drawing The Star, 7:30 –<br />

9pm, life drawing group, top<br />

floor at The Star by Hackney<br />

Downs, 35 Queensdown Rd,<br />

E5 8NN, run by artists for<br />

everyone, runs weekly. INFO:<br />

starbyhackneydowns.co.uk/<br />

whats-on/<br />

Pub Quiz, 7:30pm at The Star by<br />

Hackney Downs, 35 Queensdown<br />

Rd, E5 8NN, £2 entry PP, prizes,<br />

1 st : £50 Cash 2 nd : £25 Bar tab<br />

3 rd : £15 food voucher. INFO:<br />

starbyhackneydowns.co.uk/<br />

whats-on/<br />

THURS 4 JULY<br />

Some Voices a 'choir without<br />

the boring bits' a non-audition<br />

choir with several chapters, all<br />

welcome; Dalston chapter:<br />

Weekly on Thursdays 7 - 9pm,<br />

Pembury Community Centre, 1<br />

Atkins Square, Dalston Ln, E8<br />

1FA. INFO: somevoices.co.uk<br />

Ninth Street Women - Mary<br />

Gabriel celebrates Lee Krasner<br />

and her fellow Abstract<br />

Expressionist pioneers, 7.30pm<br />

at the Barbican, Silk Street,<br />

EC2Y 8DS. INFO: barbican.org.<br />

uk/whats-on/2019/event/ninthstreet-women<br />

SAT 6 JULY<br />

Race for Life 5K & 10K @11am<br />

from Victoria Park, 1 Grove Rd,<br />

London, E3 5AX, Adult/£14.99,<br />

Kids/£10.00 U6/Free. INFO:<br />

raceforlife.cancerresearchuk.org/<br />

find-an-event<br />

SUN 7 JULY<br />

Bowls Taster Day, 1 - 5pm<br />

at Victoria Park, 1 Grove Rd,<br />

London, E3 5AX, meet at The<br />

Bowl’s Green - Area D3, coaching<br />

sessions, music and bar available<br />

throughout the afternoon & no<br />

need to book. INFO: victoriapark@<br />

towerhamlets.gov.uk<br />

THURS 11 JULY<br />

Ladies who Latte, free<br />

networking group 10:30am -<br />

12:30pm, Bumpkin, Westfield<br />

Stratford, E20 1EJ. INFO: rachel@<br />

rachelkmiller.com<br />

FRI 12 JULY<br />

Her Ground: Women<br />

Photograph the Landscape<br />

at Flowers Gallery, 82 Kingsland<br />

Rd., runs thru 31 Aug. INFO:<br />

flowersgallery.com<br />

SAT 13 JULY<br />

HWFC Think Outside the<br />

Box Charity Match at London<br />

Marathon Community Track, QI<br />

Olympic Park. INFO: twitter @<br />

HackneyWickFC<br />

Stoke Newington History<br />

Walk: Radicals and Writers,<br />

11am-1.15pm, Meet: Finsbury<br />

Park Gates by Manor House<br />

Tube, N4 1BZ, £10/£8 conc.<br />

INFO: walkhackney.co.uk/stokenewington/<br />

The Newham Show - funfair,<br />

food, music, stalls etc. in Central<br />

Park, East Ham, E6, runs thru<br />

Sunday, FREE ENTRY INFO:<br />

newham.gov.uk<br />

Walthamstow Garden Party<br />

a free festival weekend with<br />

music, theatre dance, circus etc<br />

in Lloyd Park, Forest Rd, E17<br />

4JF, runs thru Sunday. INFO:<br />

walthamstowgardenparty.com<br />

TUES 16 JULY<br />

See Oscar winning films on a<br />

pontoon at The Floating Film<br />

Festival, St Katharine Docks,<br />

Tower Bridge Approach, St<br />

Katharine's Way, E1W 1LA, runs<br />

thru 28th July. INFO: skdocks.<br />

co.uk/whats-on/floating-filmfestival<br />

An Evening Of Unnecessary<br />

Detail – Matt Parker’s<br />

“Humble Pi" 7:30pm at the<br />

Backyard Comedy Club, 231<br />

Cambridge Heath Rd, Bethnal<br />

Green, E2 0EL, £6.66. INFO:<br />

backyardcomedyclub.co.uk<br />

FRI 19 JULY<br />

BTL Jazz - E15 Jazz Sessions:<br />

Cameron Pierre at Stratford<br />

Circus Arts Centre, Theatre<br />

Square, London E15 1BX, £10<br />

adv/£12 door. INFO: stratfordcircus.com<br />

Shoot from the Hip: Absolute<br />

Carnage, improvised comedy,<br />

8pm at Theatre Royal Stratford<br />

East, Gerry Raffles Square,<br />

Stratford, E15 1BN, £10/12 on<br />

the day. INFO: stratfordeast.com<br />

SAT 20 JULY<br />

32 Borough Cup - football &<br />

networking hosted by Hackney<br />

Wick FC at Wanstead Flats, also<br />

Sun 21 st . INFO: twitter @32_<br />

Boroughcup & @HackneyWickFC<br />

Lower Clapton History Walk:<br />

Literati and Revolutionaries,<br />

11am-1.30pm, Meet: Round<br />

Chapel, 1d Glenarm Road,<br />

London, E5 0LY, £10/£8 conc.<br />

INFO: walkhackney.co.uk/lowerclapton/<br />

Müller Anniversary Games<br />

at London Stadium, Queen<br />

Elizabeth Olympic Park Stratford<br />

E20 2ST, tkts from £25. Also on<br />

Sunday. INFO: britishathletics.<br />

org.uk/events-and-tickets/mulleranniversary-games-2018/<br />

WED 24 JULY<br />

Make your own plastic free<br />

lunch kit at the Create Place,<br />

29 Old Ford Rd, E2 9PJ, 6:30 -9<br />

pm, £15, all materials provided.<br />

INFO: facebook.com/pg/<br />

sunnyjarecohub/events/<br />

SUN 27 JULY<br />

Hackney Brewery Summer<br />

Session celebrating the<br />

brewery's 8 th birthday with<br />

food, workshops, beer etc at<br />

the Geffrye, 136 Kingsland Rd,<br />

E2 8EA, 2 sessions: 12 - 4pm &<br />

5 - 9pm. INFO: geffrye-museum.<br />

org.uk<br />

MON 29 JULY<br />

Grand Union Orchestra's<br />

Residential Summer School,<br />

Chelmsford Writtle University<br />

College, runs thru Thurs 1 st<br />

Aug. INFO: grandunion.org.uk<br />

40 LOVEEAST


What's on<br />

August<br />

THURS 1 AUG<br />

Vinyasa Yoga, 7 – 8am and<br />

Pilates, 12:30 - 1:30pm plus<br />

many more wellbeing classes<br />

daily at St Margaret's House,<br />

21 Old Ford Rd, Bethnal Green,<br />

E2 9PL. INFO: stmargaretshouse.<br />

org.uk<br />

Jewellery making weekly<br />

at St Margaret's House, t St<br />

Margaret's House, 21 Old Ford<br />

Rd, Bethnal Green, E2 9PL, FREE<br />

but donations appreciated. INFO:<br />

stmargaretshouse.org.uk<br />

FRI 2 AUG<br />

The Dub Station: The Orb's<br />

30th Anniversary End of Tour<br />

Party at Mirth, Marvel and Maud,<br />

186 Hoe St, Walthamstow, E17<br />

4QH, £11, doors at 20:00. INFO:<br />

mirthmarvelandmaud.com<br />

Pie & Mash London:<br />

[permanent] Photography<br />

Exhibition at Noted Eel &<br />

Pie House, 481a High Rd<br />

Leytonstone, E11 4JU, from<br />

11am daily, FREE. INFO: 020<br />

8539 2499<br />

SAT 3 AUG<br />

Interativos - collaborate,<br />

exchange skills & create,<br />

11am - 2pm every 1 st Saturday<br />

at St Margaret's House, at St<br />

Margaret's House, 21 Old Ford<br />

Rd, Bethnal Green, E2 9PL, FREE.<br />

INFO: stmargaretshouse.org.uk<br />

SUN 4 AUG<br />

Prudential Ride London sets<br />

off at 6am from Olympic Park, E20<br />

2ST, £25 reg fee plus participants<br />

must raise £350. INFO:<br />

prudentialridelondon.co.uk<br />

Summer Rooftop Party<br />

w/ Chase the Compass at<br />

Dalston Roof Park, The Print<br />

House, 18-22 Ashwin St,<br />

Dalston, E8 3DL, INFO: FB @<br />

dalstonroofparklondon<br />

MON 5 AUG<br />

Crafting is Connecting open<br />

textiles class, 10am - 1pm<br />

weekly at St Margaret's House,<br />

at St Margaret's House, 21 Old<br />

Ford Rd, Bethnal Green, E2 9PL,<br />

FREE but donations appreciated.<br />

INFO: stmargaretshouse.org.uk<br />

TUES 6 AUG<br />

Talk: The Mystery of Brain,<br />

7pm at New Acropolis UK,<br />

Compton Terrace, Islington N1<br />

2UN. INFO: newacropolisuk.org<br />

SAT 10 AUG<br />

Hoxton History Walk: Mad<br />

Houses and Music Halls,<br />

11am-1.15pm, Meet: Entrance<br />

to Hoxton Station, £10/£8 conc.<br />

INFO: walkhackney.co.uk/hoxtonwalk-2/<br />

Under the Stars, FREE outdoor<br />

live music spectacular in Central<br />

Park, East Ham, E6, from 6:30<br />

- 10:30pm, also on Sunday.<br />

INFO: newham.gov.uk<br />

Bare Fashion – the UK’s only<br />

100% vegan Catwalk & Fashion<br />

show, 11am - 6pm, at the Old<br />

Truman Brewery, 85 Brick Lane,<br />

E1 6QR, £20 or £15/adv. INFO:<br />

barefashion.co.uk<br />

Art’s House: A Lovely London<br />

Festival With Dj Harvey at<br />

Three Mills, Three Mill Lane,<br />

London, E3 3DU from 12pm, £30.<br />

INFO: info@3mills.com<br />

UK Garage All Day Roof Party<br />

(Team UKG) at Dalston Roof Park,<br />

The Print House, 18-22 Ashwin<br />

St, Dalston, E8 3DL. INFO: FB @<br />

dalstonroofparklondon<br />

TUE 13 AUG<br />

Woodburner presents a<br />

festival of music at Dalston<br />

Eastern Curve, Dalston Lane,<br />

E8 3DF, 7 - 11pm. £7/Adv, £10/<br />

Insta/FB signup, £13/Door. INFO:<br />

woodburner.tv<br />

WED 14 AUG<br />

Queensrÿche live at Islington<br />

Assembly Hall, Upper St,<br />

Islington N1 2UD, £23.75. INFO:<br />

islingtonassemblyhall.co.uk<br />

SAT 17 AUG<br />

Shoreditch History Walk:<br />

From Rubbish Comes Power,<br />

11am-1.15pm, Meet: steps of St<br />

Leonard Church, Shoreditch High<br />

Street, London, E1 6JN, £10/£8<br />

conc. INFO: walkhackney.co.uk/<br />

shoreditch-walk/<br />

Forage & Feast - learn the<br />

basics of foraging and explore<br />

the grounds of Hackney<br />

Marshes, Homerton Road, E9<br />

5PF. £50. INFO: totallywilduk.<br />

co.uk/foraging-courses<br />

Hip Hop Soulx19 at the<br />

Junction House, 378 Kingsland<br />

Road, E8 4AH, 10pm - 3am,<br />

£9:05. INFO: vibeldn.com<br />

SUN 18 AUG<br />

Queer as Jokes LGBTQ+ / Kink<br />

themed comedy night at The Bill<br />

Murray, 39 The Queens Head<br />

St N1 8NQ, £5/£4 adv. INFO:<br />

angelcomedy.co.uk/whats-on/<br />

WED 21 AUG<br />

Tim Presley's White Fence at<br />

OSLO, 1a Amhurst Road, Hackney,<br />

E8 1LL, 7:30pm, £12.50. INFO:<br />

link.dice.fm/sGQ8FSbgQU<br />

FRI 23 AUG<br />

Batuke! Afro Luso Festiva -<br />

10 th Anniversary at Rich Mix, 35<br />

- 47 Bethnal Green Rd, Shoreditch<br />

E1 6LA, runs Fri, Sat, Sun &<br />

Mon. INFO: batukefestival.com<br />

SAT 24 AUG<br />

Family Summer Fair &<br />

Craft Fair, 12 - 4pm at Stoke<br />

Newington Methodist Church,<br />

106A Stoke Newington<br />

High St N16 7NY. INFO:<br />

designsbysuzanne01@hotmail.<br />

com<br />

SUN 25 AUG<br />

Lee Hurst - One Man Show at<br />

the Backyard Comedy Club, 231<br />

Cambridge Heath Road, E2 0EL,<br />

£10/adv, £14/door, 7:30 - 9:30pm.<br />

INFO: backyardbar.co.uk<br />

Solo guitarist William Tyler at<br />

Cafe Oto, 18–22 Ashwin Street,<br />

E8 3DL, 7:30pm, £14. INFO:<br />

cafeoto.co.uk<br />

WED 28 AUG<br />

Live acoustic music, 7:30pm<br />

every last Wednesday upstairs<br />

at The Star by Hackney Downs, 35<br />

Queensdown Rd, E5 8NN. INFO:<br />

starbyhackneydowns.co.uk<br />

THURS 29 AUG<br />

Guns N' Roses bassist Duff<br />

McKagan & his band Shooter<br />

Jennings, 7pm at Islington<br />

Assembly Hall, Upper Street,<br />

Islington N1 2UD, £46.75. INFO:<br />

islingtonassemblyhall.co.uk<br />

LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 41


Lizzie Thorne Flowers<br />

East London Florist<br />

Beautiful and Bespoke<br />

flowers for your Wedding,<br />

Event or just a special<br />

occasion.<br />

lizziethorne.com | info@lizziethorne.com<br />

Your safety is<br />

our concern<br />

Specialising in alarms, CCTV, concertina grilles<br />

and safes, we are the most comprehensive<br />

lock-based service available<br />

42 LOVEEAST<br />

Empire Security, 8-20 Well Street, E9 7PX<br />

020 8986 7921


London's home for Kundalini Yoga<br />

.<br />

Kundalini Yoga Meditation Pregnancy Yoga<br />

.<br />

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INTRO OFFER £40 for 40 days<br />

27D Dalston Lane E8 3DF<br />

info@joy.yoga . 020 7812 9836<br />

www.joy.yoga<br />

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LOVEEAST SUMMER 2019 43


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