“Who’s going to buy Indian food from a corner shop?”
Counter Culture is our series highlighting the city’s small businesses and independents that are creating communities and bringing people together through their work, and it’s kicking off with a look inside one of Stoke Newington’s most beloved corner shops.
You don’t have to be in Stokey for long to find out about Londis N16. A Food-to-go Retailer of the Year award winner, the location for a Glass Animals DJ set, and regularly featured in the coolest publications, this is not your average Londis. As well as being stocked with groceries and household items, the Patel family sell homemade Gujarati food, made by Anju and her 85-year-old mother-in-law, every Monday and Thursday to be sold on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Anju has always had a passion for cooking, and her dream was to open a restaurant next door to the shop. The family encouraged her talents and they started selling her homemade green chutney in-store to see how it would go down with the customers. Low and behold, it was a fantastic success and the family have been selling food ever since, including doing catering orders for parties and events. The menu changes weekly, depending on what food they have as surplus in the shop, and you’ll find it on Instagram, along with some top-tier meme work.
Londis N16 is a real family affair: as well as Anju and her mother-in-law doing the food, sons Alpesh and Priyesh also work in the business, managing the stock and the social media respectively. Everyone takes turns on the shop floor, including dad Mayank and family friend Jay. Alpesh’s wife Neelam even does desserts, like mango lassi cheesecake and chai spiced blondies, for the shop too.
Stoke Newington is an area that’s undergone a lot of change but the family has managed to build a real sense of community around Londis N16 – long may it continue.
Counter Culture
Counter Culture is LOTI’s original documentary series focusing on the inspiring people behind London’s shops, kitchens and counter tops – and the human stories you don’t see from the street. From corner shops doubling as cultural hubs to refugee chefs rebuilding their lives through food, each episode explores how migration, identity, family and community shape and enrich the city.
Real people. Real places. Stories you won’t find anywhere else.
See more in our series here.
