What’s on, new & happening in Fulham
March 2020
March
“March brings breezes loud and shrill, Stirs the dancing daffodil” - SARA Coleridge
St Patrick’s Day: Tuesday 17
Tommy Tucker have teamed up with Guinness and created a food and drink pairing event “Flavour by Fire”. On Saturday 14 March they will be cooking with Guinness over a charcoal fire and items on the sharing menu include Sticky Guinness BBQ ribs, Irish Mashed, Potato Croquettes & Guinness Cheddar Sauce, Low 'n' Slow 8hr Guinness Short Rib. Entrance is free but if you’d like to book at table (no deposit required) the cost is £25 per head; big groups are encouraged. On the night, in addition to Guinness, Tommy Tucker will be serving Hop House, Roe & Co and Baileys Cocktails and there will be live Irish music. https://www.thetommytucker.com/reservations info@thetommytucker.com
If you find yourself celebrating in Parsons Green on Tuesday 17 head to Aragon House and enter their free St Patrick’s Day raffle https://www.aragonhousesw6.com/coming_up/ Good luck!
Pedal Back Cycling Club: Saturday 7/21/28
Pedalback Cycling was created by two South London ladies whose mantra is “Bikes, Coffee, Lifestyle” and their shop “where you can get your bike fixed, serviced and chill with coffee, cake or craft beer” opened at 26 Lillie Road last year. They hold regular group rides (registered with British Cycling) for cyclists who want to try group rides “without judgement” or the worry about what kit they’re wearing, bike they’re riding and the speed of their pedal power. Pedal Back Cycling Club rides accommodate different levels from easy to advanced. This month cyclists can join them on rides to Boxhill (Saturday 7), Richmond (Saturday 21) and Windsor (Saturday 28). They also offer cycle to work schemes and what they describe as “honest advice for a relaxed and fun approach to cycling”. They’re looking for an experienced bike mechanic to join their team email pedalbackcycling@gmail.com https://www.pedalbackcycling.com/cycling
Mother’s Day: Sunday 22
Date for your diary - don’t forget it’s Mother’s Day on Sunday 22 March.
There are so many local Fulham business places that can help you treat Mum to make the day special. Why not book a table for Sunday lunch for a roast at one of our locals or opt for something more exotic and try Lebanese at Minski, or Thai from Thaiphoon.
Think about shopping local to support the small businesses in the area. We have so many wonderful florists in our urban village and plenty of independent shops where you can buy gifts to suit all budgets. From a facial at Mortar & Milk to lovely votive candles and vases at One World on the Green. Check out the range of items from fashion accessories to jewellery at The Showroom Presents, gorgeous coffee table books from Nomad. We have so many wonderful beauty salons in the area who can provide vouchers for manicures, blow drys etc
We are also fortunate to have some amazing florists in our neighbourhood. From Becky’s Blooms on North End Road to Ellas on the New King's Road. It doesn’t have to be expensive either - seasonal daffodils are everywhere at the moment. Whatever you do and however you spend it Happy Mother’s Day!
Spring Concert: Saturday 21
Fulham Camerata’s Spring 2020 concert directed by Harry Castle takes place on 21 March (7.30 - 9.30pm) at Holy Cross Church. They will perform Mealor’s Stabat Mater which (we’re not classical aficionados to be honest) but we’ve been told it is very moving, two works from Vaughan Williams, The 5 Mystical Songs, Serenade to Music and Stanford’s Evening Canticles in A.
Soloists include Georgie Entwhistle, a soprano who has recently graduated in music from King’s College London and Seb Johnson, bass, who also studies music at King’s College London and is aiming for a career in choral and composition. The string ensemble is made up of Royal College of Music and Durham University alumni and a harp which we’ve been told by the organisers will “add tremendous colour and emotion to the performance”.
More details: www.fulhamcamerata.com
Tickets: £15/£10 available on the door or from: https://buytickets.at/fulhamcamerata/339272/r/social200123
Fulham Pop Up: Thursday 26
The Fulham Residence Club have organised their first “Pop Up” event in collaboration with Nuffield Health Fulham. The event takes place on Thursday 26 March (6 - 9pm) and will showcase over thirty local businesses and brands whilst giving visitors the opportunity to look around the club and check out the facilities.
The event is free with delicious nibbles provided by our lovely friends at Locale Restaurant, bubbles from the team at Friarwood, ice cream will be available from Unico Gelato. hair and beard trims by A B Barbers and blow drys from Simonette at Blowout. You might recognise some of the names taking part and you can acquaint yourselves with ones that you’re not so familiar with; quite a few that we’ve talked about in previous issues of Urban Village LDN.
Brands taking part include DNA Juices, Just so Flowers, Sabani Linens and Bygram. Natalie Matilda, Founder of The Fulham Residence Club, told Urban Village LDN “I am so excited to bring 39 small brands under one roof which will make for a fabulous night. Please pop down, say hello, have a mingle, do a little bit of shopping or enjoy some nibbles and drinks along with some live entertainment; everyone is welcome”.
RSVP/register your interest at fulhamevents@gmail.com so they can get a handle on numbers for catering.
Urban Village LDN will be popping in - hope to see you there!
https://www.instagram.com/thefulhamresidenceclub/?hl=en
Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race: Sunday 29
The annual rowing race between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club takes place on Sunday 29 March. Both races, for those who don’t know, start from Putney Bridge and finish at Chiswick Bridge. The Women's Boat Race starts at 3.44pm and the Men's Boat Race starts at 4.44pm. There is always a great atmosphere down by the river and we’re tempted to book lunch at Sam’s Riverside and then head outside to watch the race.
Alternatively head down to Putney Bridge to check out the lunch options in Church Square and all that’s on offer at the Street Food & Music Festival by Putney Bridge. We’re looking forward to seeing our friends from Blue Performing Arts, who run creative camps (recently started in Fulham), perform on the live music stage.
At home matches
Tuesday 3: Chelsea vs Liverpool @19.45
Sunday 8: Chelsea vs Everton @14.00
Friday 13: Fulham vs Brentford @19.45
Saturday 21: Chelsea vs Man City @12.30
NB match times subject to change
Drink of Fulham
Drink of Fulham, formerly the oldest craft beer shop in London established by Fulham residents in 2010, has had a refreshing revamp and reopened mid- February under new ownership. Husband and wife team Callum and Zara Thomas, also Fulham residents, have kept the speciality craft beer side of the business but completely refurbished the space at 349 Fulham Palace Road which is now a “Craft Cafe” offering coffee, smoothies, wine and great lunch options as well as world beers and wine which can be enjoyed at the cafe or bought to take out and enjoy at home. They have locals covered throughout the day starting at 7am with organic press coffee and breakfast options from avocado on toast to take out or eat in chia seed/oat pots, fresh juices and pastries/croissants. Lunch time options include salads, sandwiches and smoothies all made with ingredients from organic, local suppliers including Little Sourdough Kitchen and teatime or after school/club snacks include muffins, cakes and bubble waffles; we love their range of herbal teas.
Callum and Zara met whilst managing bars in the City and are Wine and Spirit Education Trust literate (WSET) and as well as talking through the range of world beers and premium well priced wines that they offer they can help you source wine and beers and will soon offer home delivery. Although we’re not beer drinkers ourselves we’re loving the create your own mixed six pack to gift or take home and we hear that the Belching Beaver Peanut butter Milk Stout is already flying off the shelf. Drink of Fulham aims to not only stock brands you’re familiar with but also give small/new brands exposure. We’re looking forward to trying Agua de Madre a naturally sparkling low alcohol water kefir which hasn’t crossed our radar before. Fermented in London it’s made from tibicos mother culture discovered 2000 years ago in Mexico. Keep a look out for Drink of Fulham’s featured wine and beer of the month, we’re looking forward to the introduction of cocktails. In the meantime why not pop in to try something new or a favourite wine or beer accompanied by a sharing board choose from charcuterie, mezze or cheese. These will also be available for home delivery soon.
We braved Storm Dennis for the pre-launch and liked what we saw, fresh light and bright interiors using predominantly blue and white colours, a feature mural and wooden tables/shelves. We went back for lunch (not gifted) and enjoyed a delicious Mediterranean salad and a Broccoli and the Beast smoothie; got more than our five a day in. The salad was so fresh you could tell by the taste of all the ingredients which included tomatoes, cucumber and feta cheese. This truly is a family run business with Zara’s Father lending a much needed hand whilst Zara and Callum not only manage running a new business but also looking after their 3 month old son Theodore. Impressive stuff to be looking after a new born baby and a new business so do pop in, show your support and say hello. We guarantee you’ll receive a warm welcome. We’re looking forward to finding a sunny spot outside in warmer months whilst we sip and watch the Fulham world go by.
Opening hours: Mon - Weds (7am - 10 pm)/Thurs- Sat (7am- 11pm)/Sun (9am - 6pm)
Silver Swans
The Rose School of Ballet in Fulham offers Ballet, Tap and Street Dance classes for children age 2 1/2 plus and has recently extended their offer with the launch of their Silver Swans ballet class in February for adults aged 55+. Whether you are a complete beginner or have danced before the Rose School told us everyone is welcome. The class is running every Friday (term time) from 2-3pm at Nuffield Health, Fulham and is open to both members and non members of the gym and is £10 pay as you go.
Jemima Rose told Urban Village LDN “our licence works in partnership with the Royal Academy of Dance with the aim to promote a healthy and active lifestyle for the older generation, as well as providing social interaction to help combat loneliness and depression”. For their full class timetable visit their website https://roseschoolofballet.weebly.com/
Say cheese
The London Swiss Fondue Society previously located in Chelsea has just moved to Fulham. You can find them at 69 New King’s Road where they will be hosting traditional but uniquely tailored Swiss cheese fondue dinner parties. Their first Fulham event took place at the end of February so we haven’t had a peak yet but we’ve read good reviews about the ones they held in Chelsea. Daniela who hosts the nights with her husband tells us that guests can expect a flamboyant setting, quirky interiors and unique entertainment. Think candelabras, a communal dining table, champagne on arrival, award winning wines and Swiss Gruyere, Appenzeller and Emmental or Vacherin fondue served with pickles and a double crust apple pie to round off the feast.
The next dinner parties in Fulham will take place on Friday and Saturday evenings from 7 - 28 March. They start at 7.30pm and tickets cost £60 pp click here for more information and to book http://bit.ly/2PSd5fN
Bespoke Floral Design
Cristina Snow is a Fulham resident who has just launched her bespoke floral design business. Christina offers flowers for tables and floral decorations for small private rooms, and events including wall decorations, garlands and vase/jam jar displays. Cristina told Urban Village LDN “the aim of the business is to provide a quick, affordable but beautiful solution to decorating a private room for a special event”. There are two options flowers can be either delivered in a box, a DIY kit, which can be self assembled at a venue or in your home. A table garland with flowers ranges from £30 upwards depending on the size required and the flowers used and is accompanied by a few vases of flowers for tables. The other option is for Christina to set up the flowers for you and then take them away after the event. Cristina continued to tell us “these decorations can be absolutely anything from an elaborate hanging table design to a few simple vases. Every event is bespoke and I can tailor it to exact colours, themes or favourite flower; if it’s available.”
The service sounds truly bespoke to us as Cristina told Urban Village LDN she likes to meet clients to get a good idea of what they have in mind and budget and will usually put a mood board together. The business was started in January after Cristina attended the career course at The London Flower School and she has recently being working on events with McQueens Flowers. This business is also very much a family affair with Christina’s mother often helping. She is a historical landscape designer and Cristina told us she also “has an outrageously good knowledge of flowers and plants”. Fred the Dog often accompanies Cristina to lend a paw. The service is tried to be made as sustainable as possible by using chicken wire and moss rather than oasis and vases are hired to reduce waste.
To find out more contact cristinasnow@gmail.com
Ray’s Playhouse needs your help
In September 2019, Ray’s Playhouse was threatened with closure due to lack of funds to replace and renew the core infrastructure of their building. Due to being a provision that hosts mainly under 5’s, including tiny babies, certain services had to stop running and the state of the building resulted in it becoming less appealing to vital weekend kids party rental market which meant income dwindled.
Clair Gordon told Urban Village LDN “We were at the point that, as a charity, we just couldn’t wash our face financially and were 3 months away from closing the building and making our lovely Early Years family redundant. We met with the staff in September and told them what they had been expecting to hear, the staff in turn spoke with the community who come to Ray’s and everyone decided they could not let Ray’s Playhouse close. They formed a group and from this they found a nice chap at St George and invited them to see what they could do to help as they are the largest employer in the Ward”.
St George were overwhelmed with the local support for Ray’s and how it helps the community so they contacted their suppliers and came up with a list of what they could help with. Unfortunately the survey that St George carried out free of charge showed that the electrics and plumbing were not great; the facility is now over 30 years old and used by many on a daily basis. This was something that could not be done for free, along with the hardware for the electrics and plumbing and the doors/windows. So faced with a bill of £25k but the possibility to have a brand new building worth well over £50k of work they decided to Crowdfund.
To kick off the fundraising Ray’s received a kind donation in 2019 of £5,000 from Barings Bank as a result of one of their employees, who lives locally, pitching to their Employees CSR scheme. A group of local Mum’s heard about the money needed and held a huge fundraiser kids Christmas party and raised £1,600 with another £1,000 matched funded by one of their employers which increased the total raised to £2,600.
At the time of going to press the crowdfunding campaign has incredibly raised over £38,000 and we hope that Ray’s Playhouse successfully raises the full amount of £55,432 by 26 May 2020 so they can access the Lord Mayors Community Fund and the LBHF CIL Fund to which they’ve applied but need backing from the local community.
Please see the link below and make a pledge to help them achieve their goal and save this vital community asset. Ray’s Playhouse Limited is a registered charity in England and Wales 1142275 and aims to help give families with young children the start in life they deserve. They provide a much-needed and stimulating environment for local parents and carers to take their pre school children for daily Stay and Play/Parenting support and advice sessions each weekday morning. In the afternoon Rays provides targeted sessions for those families with extra needs or the more vulnerable families we support.
What’s New
Eat Beirut London
This Lebanese restaurant on the New King’s Road was about to open its doors when the pandemic thwarted those plans. They are now open for takeaway and delivery. You can find them on Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo. We haven’t tried their menu yet but they’ve got some great dishes including falafel, lamb kafta and our all time favourite fattoush salad. They’ve also got some lovely lunchtime specials (12 - 4.00 pm/weekdays only) from wrap meals (choose lamb or chicken with a side of houmous and salad) to lunch boxes (chicken or lamb skewers with pickles, pitta and houmous).
Welcome to Fulham Eat Beirut!
@eatbeirutlondon
Ella’s Place
This green, rustic oasis of a shop re-opened its doors at the end of May after some renovations and a reconfiguration of their existing set up pre-lockdown. Ella’s Place will continue serving coffee and selling fresh flowers, plants and fine wine but they will now also be offering cold press juices and smoothies. Ella’s also have a vegetarian salad bar and have added tables and chairs into the newly reclaimed and replanted rear garden.
On your next socially distanced stroll why not pop into 305 New King’s Road, SW6 4RF take a look and pick up a healthy juice. Decisions, decisions there are lots to choose from, we’re liking the sound of either a Turmeric Joy or Heartbeet Juice. Instagram https://bit.ly/2TQK3z6
Cocotte
This rotisserie has venues in Shoreditch and Notting Hill and the doors to their third outpost in Parsons Green (previously Boma) were due to open at the end of March. As yet no customers have enjoyed eating in but they are now open for take away - collection and delivery - at 271 New Kings Road, SW6 4RD. Order via the click and collect section on their web site (link below) or find them on Deliveroo.
We’re really looking forward to trying their rotisserie chicken which they marinate in herbs and spices for 24 hours and comes with a choice of sauces including truffle or garlic mayo and tarragon mustard.
Whenever we get to whatever the new normal is (no we don’t like that expression either but can’t think of a better alternative - working on it) we hope to sample their sharing cheese and charcuterie boards with a cocktail in hand.
Instagram https://bit.ly/3df1Wiy
South Park Honey
Who knew?! This was a joyful lockdown discovery. If like us you’d like to get your paws on some South Park Honey you can by joining the Friends of South Park (it’s free). Simply email fulham.southpark@gmail.com and someone will be in touch to let you know when the next batch is on sale; we’ve been told it’s usually late Autumn.
Something to look forward to - simple pleasures!
Instagram @friends_of_south_park
Virtual Stage and Screen lessons
We wrote about Take One Stage and Screen when Fulham residents Joe and Daisy launched their academy in Spring last year. They are now running virtual classes and to start with these will be “pay what you want”. Joe will be offering acting 1-1’s for all ages who want to pursue a career in television and film. Daisy is running the performing arts classes for children which can be sent to you pre recorded or will take place on Zoom. On Saturday 6 June at 9 am children can join her Frozen Dance and Drama class - places are being booked fast. If you’re interested find and message them on Facebook and Instagram (see link below).
Local resident and Mum of two Karen W said her girls “loved their first class and will now be taking twice weekly classes they loved it so much. Daisy and Joe are so lovely and make it very easy to enjoy the class. Highly recommended”.
Made in Fulham
It never fails to surprise us what a talented bunch you Fulham folks are. Each month Urban Village Ldn introduces you to THe Fulham face behind an idea, product or business and asks them what they love about being a local resident.
This month we talk to Amanda Thompson, co Founder of Bundle Baby London who run antenatal, postnatal, PAEDIATRIC first aid and next baby refresher courses in Fulham.
How long have you called Fulham home? I have lived in Fulham on and off for 30 years! Did I really say that? But it became proper home I guess once I had my children. So 21 years ago now….
Tell us a bit about yourself and your family. We did the usual three moves within Fulham as my family grew. I have two sets of twins and one boy in the middle – ranging from early 20’s to 15 year olds. 4 boys and 1 girl. I have a dog called Rudi – another cockerpoo to add to the community and a cat called Maggie May who actually is the real princess of the house! My husband works within the catering sector and I am an antenatal teacher, baby massage instructor, hypnobirthing instructor (still to practice!) and co-founder of Bundle London. I am very lucky, as my sister lives a couple of streets away with her family which means that we can touch base regularly and help each other as and when it’s needed.
What's your favourite local haunt? Hmmm. I find that quite a challenging question actually as I wish that we had slightly cooler places to hang out! Having said that I do like the Glasshouse Cafe at the Palace Gardener for a girly quick bite; Aragon house for their Caesar salad and the Re-centre towards Hammersmith does the best scrambled eggs ever! Evening wise – this is where I struggle to be honest. I tend to get out of Fulham!
What's your slice of Fulham heaven and why? The Power Yoga studio on Lettice Street. Great calming space – lovely people. Great teachers – I have to mention Vicky Fox and Harriet in particular. I love them!
If you could do one thing to improve Fulham what would it be? Bars with Live Music; Funkier independent shops. Wish it was a little bit more hip!
Tell us about Bundle London and how it came to be. I have been an antenatal teacher for 14 years and worked for a private company that closed down 18 months ago now. During that time, I met Deborah who was head of logistics – she’s brilliant fun and we hit it off really quickly. We were very keen to continue to offer new parents to be, excellent antenatal courses with different practitioners coming in to run the different classes. So we work with a midwife, a breastfeeding specialist and a baby sleep expert too. We know how important it is for parents to receive up to date unbiased evidence based information so that they can make choices that are right for them. Equally as important or probably even more so is the fact that our course focuses heavily on life with your baby and what that is really like. We don’t want parents journey to end with us once they have had their baby, so we run lovely baby massage and baby yoga courses, weaning, meet ups and coffee mornings and a really good Paediatric First Aid course. We also have strong relationships with a team of experts so can sign post parents pretty much anywhere in terms of maternal/paternal/paediatric support. In addition, we have worked hard within our community and parents who attend our course will get access to brilliant deals/offers with Paola’s Baby Barre classes, with a fantastic hypnobirthing teacher, a bespoke maternity nurse/night nanny agency to name but a few.
What advice would you give to anyone starting their own restaurant business? Go for it! Give it the best go you possibly can. Try to work with someone else to bounce ideas off and to keep yourself motivated and at the end of the day, if it doesn’t work out, then at least you have learnt something along the way and hopefully had lots of fun. Word of mouth is your best friend and so is Google!
Sam’s Riverside
We stepped outside Fulham on a glorious blue skied January day and headed down the river to W6 where we finally got to take a look at Sam’s Riverside. Sam Harrison, (formerly of Sam’s Brasserie Chiswick & Harrison’s in Balham) opened the doors to his new restaurant in November 2019. Sam who lived in our urban village for most of his life until moving out just last year was kindly there to give us a tour. The brasserie style restaurant is situated next to Riverside Studios, which fully re-opens this month after a five year closure for re-development, in the most stunning riverfront location with spectacular views of Hammersmith Bridge.
Having just started serving breakfast they can now call themselves an all day restaurant with 70 covers in the main dining area and additional spaces in a walk in banquette area. Sam told us that “walk-in customers are always welcome” which makes this a handy and very glamorous pit stop for walking the two bridges; four legged friends most welcome up until 6 pm.
There is also a private dining area which seats 18 and is available not only for lunch/dinner parties but also corporate events. It’s a perfect space for wine tastings and board meetings with AV facilities available that can be nicely hidden away when not required. In Spring there will be an outdoor terrace with seats for up to 40 people and we can’t wait to see how the look and feel of this area turns out, if the gorgeous interiors of the restaurant are anything to go by we think it will be equally special. We won’t go into the interior design of the space because we think the photographs we took speak volumes but perhaps don’t capture the light that floods through the windows on a sunny day.
We are looking forward to heading back to sample breakfast. We have our eyes on the Daily Dose juices, the corn fritters stack with avocado, poached eggs chilli salsa, and the Heritage pork bacon slab, fried egg, toast and homemade brown sauce sounds mouth wateringly delicious. As ever we’re always tempted by a cocktail list and Sam’s Riverside bar is no exception. The bar is simply stunning with pink leather swivel chairs, a marble bar top and shelves stacked high with an eclectic mix of bottles making for an array of tempting choices with perhaps some small plates to go with.
As well as the main restaurant entrance on Crisp Road, a turning off the river path, there is another entrance from Riverside studios. Worth noting that there is an events space just by that entrance, Studio 4 we believe, which can be hired if you’re planning a larger party (up to 100 guests). You get the stunning view of Hammersmith Bridge and catering by Sam’s Riverside win win! (1 Crisp Walk, London W6 9DN Tel: 020 8237 1020)
