Village Raw - ISSUE 1

VILLAGE RAW
THE RAW
VILLAGE ALLSORTS: Things to look out for in the neighbourhood
FESTIVAL FOCUS: As festival season approaches, we highlight a handful
of our local favourites. Words by Charlotte Nash.
Crouch End Festival
Crouch End Festival is the UK’s biggest
community arts festival. It runs from 8-17
June, with events held in numerous venues
around the village. The schedule is
packed with all things cultural, historical,
musical, and retail, and there will be lots
of interactive events to get involved with.
www.crouchendfestival.org
Fair in the Square
Fair in the Square is a one day festival
that takes place in Highgate’s Pond
Square and South Grove on Saturday 16
June. Running from 12.30pm-5.30pm, the
event includes fairground rides, shows,
local food, musical entertainment, and
much more.
www.fairinthesquare.co.uk
StrEATlife Street Food
and Craft Beer Festival
StrEATlife runs over several summer weekends
at Alexandra Palace (23-24 June,
28-29 July, and 18 August), starting at
noon. Each date features a different musical
headliner, live street art, and of course,
plenty of food and drink stalls.
streatlife.alexandrapalace.com
MidSummer Muswell
MidSummer Muswell is back on Saturday
23 June, from 1pm-5pm in St James
Square and Church. You can enjoy live
music, sample local food, help create a
community mosaic, have your face painted
and much more besides.
www.muswellife.com/
midsummer-muswell-2018
East Finchley Festival
East Finchley Festival is a longstanding
community festival taking place on Sunday
24 June, 12pm-6pm, at Cherry Tree
Wood. It will feature live entertainment
on two stages, plus craft and food stalls
run by local businesses and schools.
www.eastfinchleyfestival.org
Avenue Mews Film Festival
An evening showcasing a selection of
short films made by local directors and
creatives on Wednesday 27 June, 7.30pm-
10.30pm, at Cha Cha Cha in Muswell Hill.
£5 entry. www.cha-cha-cha.co.uk
East Finchley Open
Artists’ Open House
EFO Artists’ Open House will see local
artists open their homes to the public on
31 June-1 July and 7-8 July. Visit to chat,
browse, or purchase some of their work.
Walking and driving trails will be provided
too. www.eastfinchleyopen.org.uk/
open-house.html
Highgate Festival
The newly revived Highgate Festival will
run from 5-10 July. With events taking
place at venues around the village, the
festival celebrates local art, architecture,
history, music, dance and literature.
www.highgatefestival.org
Polental
Muswell Hill duo Polental are taking their
show on the road in the next few months.
This summer, they are travelling to several
UK festivals to serve up their signature
baked eggs, veggie Italian ragu and
cheesy polenta balls. They’ll also be serving
Pasticciata, a vegetarian lasagne dish
with layers of cheesy polenta, marinara
sauce, and parmesan.
It all started in 2016 when Rach first
whipped up their trademark polenta dish
for a veggie, gluten-free friend. Everyone
loved it, and amidst lots of encouragement
and support, Rach set up her first
food stall at a festival that summer. Later,
she involved her partner Jaime and the
years since, he says, have been a delightful
“blur of food markets, festivals and
private catering events”. They’ve become
regulars at food markets in London, and
now they’ve bought a van and are gearing
up for the festival season.
Polental will be feeding festival goers
until the end of summer. Catch them
while you can at Festival No. 6, Wilderness
Festival, End of The Road, and Love Trails,
and also keep an eye out for additional
local appearances.
www.instagram.com/eatpolental
Muswell
Hillbilly
Brewers
Muswell Hillbilly Brewers have opened a
temporary, pop-up taproom in Avenue
Mews, Muswell Hill, where you can sample
the best of this North London microbrewery.
They specialise in producing beers
made from local hops and ingredients,
and even have a supply of hops that are
grown within N10. They’re hands on too,
and get involved in growing and picking
the ingredients they use all year round.
Pistol Pete, Mart Dude, and Bob are
the brains behind Muswell Hillbilly Brewers.
They first began as homebrewers,
and started Muswell Hillbilly Brewers in
Pete’s cabin in 2016. They moved to a bigger
brewery in Muswell Hill a year later.
The guys are hoping to make their public
space in Avenue Mews a permanent
fixture, but in the meantime, you can
sample their beers during a tour of their
Muswell Hill brewery, or by visiting their
bottle shop in Wood Green. They’ll also be
making appearances at Blue House Yard
Street Food and Beer Festivals throughout
the summer.
www.muswellhillbillybrewers.co.uk
Florians 2
The team behind the beloved and sorely
missed Florians are back after a 10-year
hiatus. This Crouch End institution was
famous for its steak sandwich, and once
played host to a number of celebrity regulars.
Located on Middle Lane, Florians
2 will bring “an authentic family feeling
restaurant” back to Crouch End, offering
a menu filled with honest, Italian food.
The owners have paid homage to their
original establishment by coming back
with many of the same team members,
a menu that features several old favourites
(including the famous, “original”
steak sandwich), and similar decor, much
to the delight of customers old and new.
The excitement is palpable among local
residents, with many posting enthusiastic
messages of congratulations on
the restaurant’s social media pages. It’s
clear the original Florians built a close
community during its time in Crouch End,
and the restaurant obviously holds a special
place in the hearts of its regulars. The
team are thrilled to be back, and Florians
2 is open now. Make sure to book as the
restaurant fills up quickly - especially on
weekends.
www.florians2.com
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