Shop
PISTACHIO AND PICKLE DAIRY
Camden Passage: an unsung hero of North London, home to a slew of independent shops, cafés and restaurants just begging for an afternoon of meandering. A vital stop on the strip is Pistachio and Pickle, where you’ll find British artisan cheese, crackers, chutneys and, yes, pickles – although we’re not sure whether you’ll actually get any pistachios here. During the week it’s a shop – or you can get a melty cheese-packed toastie – while at the weekends it’s the place to enjoy a cheeseboard and a glass of wine or five. Come with a mate, come with a date, or simply come on your own. If you’re after more of a coffee shop vibe, it has a sister cafe on Liverpool Road, serving Monmouth coffee, pastries, cakes and brunch.
PROVISIONS WINE & CHEESE
Holloway Road is an unsuspecting location for an under-the-radar clutch of cool restaurants and shops, and Provisions in the jewel in its crown. This independent wine shop and deli is ideal for both perusing and partaking – you can stop in to buy a bottle, or a hunk (or even a wheel) of cheese, and in the evening you can pitch up with a date or a mate. A central table makes the ideal gathering spot for an evening of sipping and snacking, whether you fancy wine, craft beer, cheese or charcuterie, most of which is sourced from small growers in lesser-known regions in France and Italy. And this is a place that seriously cares about what it serves; the owners frequently visit the growers and producers it works with, which is always good news in our books. And even better news, if you buy a bottle from the shelves to enjoy in-store, you can get it at a wholesale price with a small corkage fee.
A trip to a Neal’s Yard shop is heaven for fromage-ophiles – and yes, that is the technical term. Neal’s Yard is mainly all about British cheese, but you’ll find the odd French or Italian variety on offer, too. The company kicked things off in Covent Garden – in Neal’s Yard, natch – but went on to set up two more shops, one in Bermondsey and one in Borough Market, so all your cheese needs will be catered for. And it’s all about the experience: go in to buy one cheese but allow yourself time to linger as the cheesemongers – all dressed in wellies, white coats and hairnets – can talk you through your decision, cutting you little slivers to nibble as you go. That’s lunch sorted, then.
French food is practically synonymous with cheese (the smellier the better) and this clutch of three boujie cheese shops is a celebration of all things français. Yes, it all started with the cheese, but the sites are also deli and café all-rounders, selling all the classic charcuterie, gourmet tinned goods (hello Ortiz anchovies), wine and beautiful tableware your little heart could dream of. What’s more, each location – Highbury, Bloomsbury, Marylebone – runs tasting events and one-off dinners. The focus was originally French, but they all sell produce from British and further afield – the only thing you need to know is that if it’s sold at La Fromagerie, it’ll be absolutely delicious. And while you’re there it would be rude to visit without a little glass of French vin, non?
THE CHEESEBOARD
Down in the sophisticated surrounds of Greenwich (it’s a Royal Borough, dontcha know), an equally sophisticated cheesemonger has been purveying some of the finest fromages in town for more than 30 years. This is, obviously, a brilliant place to build your ideal cheeseboard, whether it’s for a special occasion or just your next afternoon snack. Hey, no judgement here. The shop sells cheese from all the usual suspects – Britain, France, Italy – and beyond, including Norway. Yes, you heard it here first: this is the place to get your gob around Norwegian brown cheese, or gjetost, without getting yourself all the way to Scandinavia. If you don’t know it, brown cheese is a sweeter, almost fudgey cheese made with caramelised way that gets thinly sliced or shaved onto toast. It’s an acquired taste, sure, but in our humble opinion it’s delicious.
CHEESES OF MUSWELL HILL
Cheeses by name, cheeses by nature: this is truly a place that does what it says on the tin. Everything – and we mean everything – is about the stinky stuff here. The shop may be small (and beautiful) but it sure packs a lot in, stocking more than 200 different kinds of fromage. You could make it your mission to try them all, or you could be guided by founder Morgan McGlynn, whose dairy knowledge knows almost no bounds. The shop is family run but she’s at the (cheese) wheel, hand picking every variety straight from the dairy. Elsewhere, the shop sells all the tools you could possibly need in your cheesy arsenal, from wine to crackers to condiments. They’ve also been making cheese wedding cakes for more than 10 years. Do you think you have to be getting married in order to buy one? Asking for a friend.
Array stocks a curated edit of clothing, homeware and bath products – carrying brands such as La Paz, Armor Lux, Wax + Wick Workshop, Heath London, Maison Bengal and Tom Lane – as well as hand-selected vintage objects and mid to late 20th-century British pottery.
Finlay & Co glasses are all handmade in the Italian Alps using Mazzucchelli acetate and Carl Zeiss lenses, and with spectacles starting at £100 (prescription lenses from £50) and sunnies starting at £120, you get a lot of craftsmanship for your money. They have a curated selection of frames from 14 independent brands, including Grey Ant, Cutler & Gross, Prism and Kaleos, as well as their own collection of specs and sunnies. And if you need help picking the perfect pair, the in-store specialists are a dab hand at helping you find the right ones for your face shape, and most styles are unisex so it’s even easier to choose. They also offer in-store eye tests using the latest equipment, which is absolutely amazing – compared to Boots, it’s like a stag do in Amsterdam.
Deli X is the place to stock up on all your wholefoods and sustainable goodies. There are lots of organic and artisanal groceries on offer, refill stations for cleaning products so you can cut down on your plastic use, and a cafe so you can take a break from your shopping with a coffee and some veggie grub.
Housed in the railway arches near the station, Deptford Market Yard brings together some of the best local start-ups and independents including Jerk Box (Caribbean street food), Little Nan’s (cocktails), The Box (hairdressers), Lomond Coffee, I You All (creative studio and shop) and Taproom SE8 (beers). It’s a real one-stop shop.
Finlay London is popping up in Mare Street Market with a whole range of glasses and sunnies in tow. All the frames are designed right here in London before being handmade in Italy. Swing by MSM, pick up a pair of shades and then put them to use straight away by sitting out on the terrace.
This floating bookshop on a 100-year-old Dutch barge actually used to make its way up and down the canal but now it’s moored by Granary Square (so at least you know where to find it). Go for the books – they have a range of second-hand tomes and new releases plus some quirky titles, as you’d expect from a bookshop on a boat – stay for the dog and one of the live music performances on the roof if you’re lucky.
Coal Drops Yard isn’t just about the bars and restaurants; the bulk of the units in the former Victorian coal store development are shops, including the likes of American Vintage, Cubitts, RAINS and Universal Works. Tom Dixon also calls the area home with a huge HQ functioning as a studio and a shop. Prepare to want everything.
L.F.Markey, known for its workwear-inspired womenswear, has its first perm shop in Dalston. The store looks the part with pastel powder coated industrial fittings, pink velvet curtains and mint tiles. As well as stocking the L.F. Markey collections, including those signature boiler suits, the shop also carries pieces from independent labels like YKRA from Hungary and Toasties from Paris.
After branching out from Richmond, the Petersham Nurseries team transformed a 16,000 sq ft Floral Court spot into a lifestyle destination that celebrates nature, seasonality and slow living just like the original. There’s a home and garden shop, deli, wine cellar and florist, as well as The Petersham, an à la carte restaurant and La Goccia, a more informal spot.
Kit & Ace is bringing you the comfort of your fave leggings and t-shirts without compromising your look. They’ve put their expert technical design into clothing that lasts all day, no matter what’s on the agenda. Lunch, lounge or lunge – all in the same outfit. But it isn’t all about the clothes, the showroom itself is worth a visit. Minimalistic and monochrome with accents of concrete and copper throughout the space, it is Shoreditch through and through, and there is even a large marble topped coffee bar within the space.
Hub is our go-to spot for new womenswear in Stoke Newington. They stock some of our favourite brands – including YMC, Wood Wood, Our Legacy, Ganni and Mads Nørgaard – so it’s hard not to splurge here, but we all deserve a treat every now and then, right?
Search & Rescue is one of our fave shops in Stokey to poke about. Whether you’re looking for presents or bits to fill your home, Search & Rescue has you covered – they literally do everything from ceramics to skincare.