What’s New, On & Happening in Fulham

What’s New

Annab Lebanese Brasserie

We’ve been excitedly watching as the owners of Annab have been busy readying their new restaurant space at 803 Fulham Road. Of course we wanted to write something to spread the word to all you lovely locals but we also have a vested interest because Lebanese is top of our favourite food list! Annab is rather conveniently located next door to Tamini, the Lebanese Bakery which has proved incredibly popular since opening a few years ago. Of course we featured them at the time!

We caught up with Bachir Baaklini and his business partner Gjulnara Nasereldine to hear how things have been since they opened the doors to their Lebanese Brasserie last week and what Fulhamites can expect. Bachir told Urban Village LDN “this isn’t my first venture but it is very different, more of a fine dining experience but the menu is still traditional Lebanese, bringing the authentic flavours of Beirut to Fulham. We changed everything on site, the interiors feature lots of greenery, wood features, leather seating and green banquettes. We love the Fulham area and have got off to a great start, we were packed on our first weekend, it was so good to see a full house. We soft launched last week so we could take things slowly, make sure our kitchen was running smoothly and in a few weeks we’ll extend our offer to include delivery and catering”.

From what we can see and we’ll be going in to try for ourselves, the menu has a wide selection of traditional Lebanese dishes from classic favourites to modern interpretations and Annab caters to dietary preferences with plenty of vegan and gluten free options. We’ve got our eye on the classics Hoummos (course) Tabouleh, Fatthoush salad, grilled halloumi, chargrilled chicken with garlic sauce and the jumbo king prawns with Saffron rice sound amazing. Without a doubt we’ll be accessorising with some Lebanese olives & pickles!

Follow Annab on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/annabbrasserie.uk and to make a reservation call 020 3823 4424 - don’t forget to say Urban Village LDN sent you!

The Wellness WorkZone

We’ve always loved the gorgeous space that is Resilience Zone, located on the top floor of The Glasshouse on Lettice Street. The interiors are beautiful, with stunning windows, there’s a lovely flow, colourful art pieces on the walls and incredible light. We’ve enjoyed some of the wellness workshops they’ve created and hosted in this calming environment including breathwork and a sound bath or two! Now Resilience Zone have started offering the space as a shared workspace so if you’re hosting an event, workshop, in person education or training, or perhaps looking for a partner to help facilitate your corporate wellness day, definitely take a look and bear their space in mind.

We caught up with Resilience Zone owner Claire Finlay who told Urban Village LDN "think of Resilience Zone as a co-working wellness zone, a space that offers you the flexibility to grow your business, free from the usual formalities associated with landlords, business rates, utilities and more. Our aim is to create a wellness community of highly experienced practitioners, an environment where you will reap all the benefits of being part of a team (but with the freedom to run and grow your own business). No deposits, building maintenance and unexpected bills. Just time to focus on what you do best, managing your own business”.

If you’d like to collaborate with Resilience Zone or simply want to hear more, get in touch on email: hello@resilience-zone.com or call 020 7736 9616

Walk Well

You don’t need us to tell you that walking is a great form of exercise! Lose weight, boost your immune system, ease joint pain, there are so many benefits and it’s free so what’s not to like! South Fulham Primary Care Network got in touch to tell Urban Village LDN about a new walking group that has started in our area. Not only does it provide a chance to get active, at a pace that suits you, but it’s also a great opportunity to socialise, meet other local residents and grab a tea or coffee post walk.

South Fulham Primary Care Network (consisting of 7 local GP practices - Ashville Surgery, Cassidy Road Medical Centre, Fulham Cross, Fulham Medical Centre, Lilyville Surgery, Palace Surgery & Sands End Health Clinic) have teamed up with the Dementia Action Alliance to form this new walking group across Fulham and Parsons Green.  It is FREE and all are welcome. The walks will take place every Wednesday, all you’ve got to do is put on a comfortable pair of walking shoes and meet outside the Lilyville Surgery (SW6 4UL) at 11am.

For more information please email southfulham.pcn@nhs.net. 

Little London Concert Series

The Little London Music School are launching their all new Concert Series this month, especially for families with children under 8. We caught up with their founder and Fulham local Rachael de Mestre to find out more. “We run classes for little ones, children up to the age of 5, and we’ve held concerts in the past. This time our concerts will be an experience not just for children but for the whole family featuring beautiful classical music rather than play songs. These concerts will be educational and engaging, weaved into a story, giving children the opportunity to learn about a variety of instruments including the double bass, cello, flute and the sounds they make.”

The first concert in this new experience, designed to captivate the biggest and smallest members of the family, takes place on Weds 25 at 3.45pm at the Sands End Arts & Community Centre (SEACC) and there’s also a pianist and soprano involved taking you on a musical journey exploring the woods and animals within.

​The Little London Music School was founded in 2011, by Rachael de Mestre after she realised there was a gap in the market for a comprehensive music program for pre-schoolers. “The aim of our classes is to teach babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers how to understand music and therefore how to appreciate it.” Rachael is as passionate about performing, as she is about teaching.  She performed her first professional opera at eleven, toured the world with a musical at sixteen, studied classical and musical theatre to postgraduate level and has been in professional productions and concerts the world over.  Ticket prices from £11.67 - £22.15

What’s On

Pizza & Tiramisu class & dinner: Sunday 3 (4 - 6pm)

Bridge Baker have extended their events programme & first up this month is their Pizza & Tiramisu class but you better be quick as there are only a few tickets remaining. This event is taking place at their Fulham Road Branch and you'll learn how to hand-stretch and create your own pizzas topped with delicious San Marzano tomato sauce and lots of fresh toppings. You will also learn how to make the perfect tiramisu that you can take home to indulge in later. Rest assured there is more to enjoy at the event and after pizza, so you can end the evening on a sweet note. The class is suitable for all levels of experience and runs for 2 hrs. Tickets cost £60 pp book here https://bridgebaker.co.uk/events/

International Women’s Day Concert: Fri 8 (7.30pm)

Great opportunity to hear works by female composers such as Clara Schumann and Isidora Zebeljan at the Sands End Arts & Community Centre (SEACC). The musical journey will take you from East to West, from Liszt to Gershwin, and along the way you will hear familiar tunes and hidden gems of Serbian music. Featuring Ana Bursac on Piano and Emma Arizza on Violin. Tickets are £15 and are available from Eventbrite or on the door.

You’ll never Walk Alone: Fri 15 (7.15pm)

The Fulham Belles, billed as Fulham’s finest Mum’s choir, return for their first concert of the year. Tickets are FREE but any donations will be used to support the mission and ministry of All Saints Church. The concert will take place at the church. Doors and the bar open at 6.45pm.

Fulham Camerata Spring concert: Sun 17 (6.30pm)

The Fulham Camerata are in full preparation for their next concert and will be singing St John Passion in German, accompanied by a chamber orchestra. A setting of the Passion story as related in St John's Gospel and the organisers have told us that it promises to be an unmissable evening. Holy Cross Church, Ashington Road. Tickets £15 / £10 for students / under 16s FREE available on the door or book in advance here https://www.fulhamcamerata.com/

Introduction to French Bread with Chef Fotis: Mon 18 (6-9pm)

Think of all the Parisian baking smells and get transported to the boulangeries of France with this introduction to French breads at Bridge Baker’s Wandsworth Bridge Road branch. Along with the classic baguette, you’ll also be making rustic, French bread and fougasse or olive sticks. At the end of the class you will have enough knowledge to bake a variety of breads at home and impress your friends and family! This class is suitable for all levels of experience and runs for 2 hours, book your place here for £80 pp https://bridgebaker.co.uk/events/

Gardeners’ Question Time: Tues 19 (5-8pm)

The Fulham Horticultural Society are hosting this recording of not one but two episodes of this much loved Radio 4 panel show at the Sands End Arts & Community Centre. Pretty exciting that this national treasure of a show is taking place in our urban village! Get your gardening questions answered and heads up booking a ticket is vital as you will only be allowed in if you have a printed copy and your questions will need to be submitted on the back of your ticket. Will yours get chosen?

Tickets are essential and can be booked via Eventbrite.

Easter Edible Gifts Class with Chef Lucas: Mon 25 (5pm - 7.30pm)

Up your giving game this Easter and join Bridge Baker (Fulham Road Branch) for their Giant Chocolate egg workshop where they will demonstrate how they make chocolate eggs and you will make decadent chocolate truffles with different flavours to fill inside the eggs. You can gift wrap and personalise the eggs to make a wonderful Easter gift. You will also decorate Easter themed Gingerbread which can be beautifully wrapped to make a lovely present. A wonderful class that can also be enjoyed by both parents and children (8-16 years) too. This class is suitable for all levels of experience and runs for about 2.5 hours. £65 (1 person) / £110 (parent & child) book here https://bridgebaker.co.uk/events/

Little London’s Big Concert: Mon 25 (3.45 - 4.30pm)

Meet the BIGGEST and smallest members of the orchestra in a concert experience designed to captivate the biggest and smallest members of your family. Join Little London Music School for the launch of their 2024 concert series, especially for families with children 8 and under. Learn about a variety of instruments, engage in musical stories and explore a wide variety of chamber orchestral pieces. The concert series launches this month at the Sands End Arts & Community Centre (SEACC). Tickets from £11.67 - £22.15

https://www.thelittlelondonmusicschool.com/concerts

The Canterbury Tales: Tues 26 (7pm)

Half Cut Theatre are bringing this brand new adaptation “of some of the most romantic, ridiculous and raucous stories you’ve ever pretended to have read”. Seem to remember it was on some English Lit syllabus so we had no choice! Never content with the easy life, Half Cut take their loving but disarmingly sharp hatchet to one of the seminal works of English Literature: Geoffrey Chaucer’s six-hundred-year-old-snapshot-of mediaeval-society-in-all-its-filth-and-glory.

All good stories start down the pub, and this one is no different. A mismatched group of travellers ready themselves for a gruelling journey. Some have an axe to grind but all have a tale to tell. Can Harry, behind the bar at The Tabard Inn, keep control? What secrets is the Wife of Bath about to spill? Are we ready for Tim Pardoner’s latest get rich quick scheme? And will anybody actually make it to Canterbury? There’s only one way to find out…

Tickets are FREE and audiences are asked to pay what they can at the end of the show. To book tickets call 020 3196 9431 or drop into SEACC on Peterborough Road alternatively head to https://www.seacc.uk/events/canterbury-tales-hct/

What’s Happening

Plant for butterflies

Temperatures are still a bit all over the place and as we type this it’s a damp miserable day BUT there has been a hint of spring in the air, gorgeous blue skies and the official end of winter is fast approaching. With this in mind and as daffodils, crocuses and blossom start to appear, we thought back to when we were at The Friends of Bishops Park meeting in December and heard from Phoebe Shaw Stewart, Ecology Lead, in the Environment Department at Hammersmith & Fulham Council about what we can do to encourage and plant for butterflies. You don’t need a huge garden to do this and whatever patch, window box or planter you have you can help butterflies refuel after their winter hibernation.

Did you know that there are 59 species of butterflies in the UK and 23 of them can be found in Bishops Park, one of which has not been recorded since 2006. The most common species are the Red Admiral, Small Copper and Holly Blue and spotted in the park have been two species that are in decline in the UK. The Purple Hair Streak declining in the UK because of a loss of mature Oaks and for the Large Skipper 'tidying up' of grass verges are a large cause; the Caterpillar hibernates in tall grass over winter, so mowing all the grass during this time can destroy the population.

Phoebe told us that the State of the UK’s Butterflies 2022 report, released by wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation, has revealed the alarming news “that in the UK, long-term trends show that 80% of butterfly species have declined in abundance or distribution, or both since the 1970s”. In particular, species that are 'habitat specialists' are most at risk.

Little to none of the original habitats in Hammersmith & Fulham exist today, first converted to farmland and then to the urban environment it is now. Even the few rivers that used to run through Hammersmith & Fulham have been forced underground – such as Stanford Brook. There are other factors that play a part too obvious ones like climate change, invasive species, disease, pollution, but did you know that pet flea ‘spot-on’ treatments also have a detrimental effect contaminating water?

Butterfly Conservation and Hammersmith & Fulham is asking for everyone's help in creating more wild spaces where butterflies and moths can thrive. They told Urban Village LDN that you don't need a garden to make more room for nature. Whether you live in a flat with a balcony or a house with a patio, you can help make a difference. Big City Butterflies project is supporting council’s and community groups to improve habitats for butterflies in London’s greenspaces and set up new recording schemes.

There is a wealth of information on butterfly friendly practices from the Butterfly Conservation Trust including: tips on how to attract butterflies, the best plants for summer nectar and plant guides “for every sort of garden from big to small, from urban to wild.” Head to the the link below for information on gardening for butterflies. There are so many ideas on how you can help butterflies and moths thrive wherever you live in Fulham. Happy planting!

Enter The Fold

Enter the Fold, directed by Callum Lloyd James with the support of the Media Trust, gives a snapshot of the work that Fulham Good Neighbours does within the Fulham community and features FGN’s neighbours, volunteers and staff. The film captures an isolated Neighbour nervously visiting the community centre for the first time and his time with FGN thereafter enjoying craft and reading clubs, accessing their digital inclusion support, and attending FGN’s online exercise class, before volunteering on the Gardening and Good Neighbour Scheme projects.

Fulham Good Neighbours told us that “the film was inspired by our brilliant Neighbours Avril, Jean, and Tom who first attended Social Clubs, before leading FGN Social Clubs of their own as highly valued volunteers – Reading Club, Sunday Tea, and Craft Club, respectively. We are very proud that Neighbours who access our projects often go on to volunteer with us too; in turn, many of our volunteers access our projects. We hope that the film might inspire viewers to visit/call us, encourage friends or family to do so, or even volunteer themselves. Since 1966 we have envisioned and enabled a Fulham where Neighbours help Neighbours, and in 2024 this will continue with gusto; we welcome you to ‘Enter the Fold’.

Great news to hear that Enter The Fold has made it to the finals of the Smiley Charity Film Awards. You can cast your vote on the link below, we already have!