Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
pleased to learn that I wasn't the only person to appreciate and seek out quiet loc-
ations in this busy city.
Starting to do research for three new
Quiet London
topics on Culture, Quiet
Corners and Food & Drink, I realised that discovering calm, peaceful places was
not just about avoiding city noise and anonymous crowds but also about finding
beautiful, serene locations that would make people feel happy. I only shot pho-
tographs in the daytime, but I wanted to come back after dark for the 'Midnight
Apothecary' in the pretty Brunel Museum garden, to drink blackberry martinis sur-
rounded by sunflowers, nasturtiums and lavender. I was delighted to have the op-
portunity to write about other quiet places in London, not only because there were
many restaurants and cafés that I couldn't include in the first book, but also be-
cause some new places opened, which suggests that the more crowded London
gets, the more people really appreciate peaceful places to eat and drink. Music-
free cafés that didn't exist a few years ago include the friendly Suzzle on Brick
Lane and the Dalston Curve Garden. This informal Hackney café was created on
the old Eastern Curve railway and is a great place to sit under a leafy bower drink-
ing homemade lemonade with a slice of orange-and-almond cake. Where else
in London can the tea maker pick lemon verbena leaves from the bushes near
your seat to make your herbal infusion? The Dalston Curve Garden, in particular,
demonstrates the precious enthusiasm and commitment of local people, who put
considerable effort into creating intimate green spaces in densely packed urban
areas.
Life in London is much more pleasurable than ten years ago, with street food
and small catering businesses producing delicious hot dishes and tasty cakes to
eat at home. Without any fuss or big announcements, London seems to be quietly
benefiting from the concept of Slow Cities, an idea that evolved from the Slow Food
movement. This Italian campaign seeks to improve the 'quality of fabric of life in . .
. local areas, as well as good food and wine . . . the cherishing of local traditions,
a belief in diversity as opposed to globalisation and sameness, resistance to the
frenetic pace of everyday life'. Although they state that towns or cities with more
than 50,000 residents can't ever be called a Slow City, it seems that small pock-
ets of London are turning into their ideal village-like communities, where food still
has a connection to the farmer and grower. Lamb's Conduit Street in Bloomsbury
is one such example - not only can you shop at the People's Supermarket, which
has an excellent traiteur at the rear, but also visit Caroline and Friends, a shop
selling clothes and jewellery from suppliers the owner knows personally and has
worked with for decades.
The number of farmers' markets has increased in the last few years, too, with
some stunningly beautiful new sites. Perched on top of a hill with dramatic views
