What’s New

Foxden Burgers

Foxden is a new British burger restaurant which opened at 24 Jerdan Place last month and is owned and run by Paul Foxon. Paul and his wife Claire have been Fulham residents for the last 10 years. We spoke to Claire to find out more about this new venture. “Paul has been in the hospitality industry for over ten years and worked in many high end places including The Ritz, Boisdale of Belgravia and The English Grill at Rubens at the Palace Hotel.  Paul has always been obsessed with promoting, supporting and showcasing the very best of British produce. Having been brought up in the midlands on a cattle farm, the idea of provenance, sustainability, high animal welfare and supporting British farmers was so important to him. After working for others and wanting to try and go it alone, we looked at various sites in South West London. When we found what is now Foxden, we couldn’t believe our luck, very close to our home as well as many of our London friends”

We love that the restaurant’s name is a play on Paul and Claire’s surname, Foxon, and that they wanted the space to be homely “like a Fox Den” they eventually chose the name Foxden as they “though it sounded very British but not too obvious”. We also love their strap line “British burgers no fuss” and having taken a good look at their menu that certainly sounds the case with their classic dry aged grass fed British Beef burgers but there’s also room to make more adventurous choices with for example their signature Foxden burger: slow braised pulled beef cheek, with truffle cheese sauce, rocket and caramelised onion jam. They also have a vegan black bean and mushroom option and a chicken burger with garlic and herb mayonnaise. They’ve just added a new special, a Venison Burger, red wine braised venison shoulder, served with roasted broccoli and Stilton sauce.

All sounds very mouth-watering - we’ll be heading over soon to check it out and wish Claire and Paul the very best with their new venture.

Becky Blooms

Fulham resident Rebecca Cutts has being selling fresh cut flowers and indoor/outdoor plants for 9 years on her North End Road stall. Many of you might already be familiar with Becky Blooms but did you know that this month the doors to her first shop will be opening? Becky and her partner Vlad have combined their passion for flowers and good coffee respectively and will be opening a coffee bar and a floral studio. Visitors will be able to see floral arrangements in progress whilst enjoying an artisan coffee and perhaps be tempted to enjoy a cake to go with?

The shop will be opening in a listed building on Jerdan Place mid-October. Becky told us “I started the business so I could combine work with raising a family. Floristry had already been a hobby, I’d also done some training at college and got some experience at a friends shop in Knightsbridge. I’m the fourth generation family member to have had a stall on the North End Road, my Great Grandfather and grandparents had a stall and my family have sold everything to Fulham locals, from fish to plants. We’ve dreamed of having a permanent base and can’t wait to welcome people to our new shop. We hope there will be a nice buzz with seating outside, a courtyard and we’re in the process of choosing the right coffee working with relatives of growers in Brazil who have their own family farm. We know that customers are making more conscious and ethical decisions with their choice of coffee so that is going to be very important in our decision making process”. We can’t wait for the doors to open so we check the shop and the coffee out.

Luxury home baking kits

If like us you’ve had your fill of banana bread, THE lockdown staple, and you don’t consider yourself a potential candidate for Bake Off how about switching your baking skills up a notch with the help of a luxury baking kit? BakesterBox was founded in July this year by Fulham resident Tamsin Robinson, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained pastry chef who, after almost a decade of creating delicious cakes and patisserie for private and corporate clients, wanted to share her skills and equip others with the tools and knowledge to create fabulous bakes too. Kits to mix things up include apple and olive oil loaf cake, lemon drizzle, blond chocolate, pistachio and cardamon cookies; sounds easy and the perfect solution for us average bakers. Place your order (free Fulham delivery), wait for the kit to arrive then head to the website for tutorials; if you need a bit of a visual step by step guide before you get the apron on and get creative. No fancy mixer required!

Tamsin told Urban Village LDN “I created BakesterBox with the aim of sharing my love of baking by providing an experience as well as a truly delicious treat. I had been a cake-maker for years, but decided to embark on formal French Patisserie training in 2019 at Le Cordon Bleu. I graduated in March this year, and planned to work in a pastry kitchen of a 5* hotel, but lockdown struck and just like that my plans were scuppered. As an outlet to share my passion from home, I began writing recipes for an online magazine and sharing more recipes on social media. I soon realised that although readers had the best intentions with baking, they either didn't have the right ingredients or equipment at home - nor the time/ability to go out and find them - and as a result their bakes were not turning out quite right. So, I decided to create BakesterBox to allow and encourage others to bake at home by taking the hassle and guess-work out of baking.”.

Tamsin has curated each BakesterBox to contain the finest pre-measured, quality ingredients, baking equipment and tools used by professional pastry kitchen “to provide a hassle-free home backing experience. I want to dispel the myth that some people 'can't bake'. Everyone can bake - they just need the correct ingredients, in the correct measurements! I curate each kit with professional-quality ingredients, such as high-fat butters and gourmet chocolates. You will really notice the difference in flavour! I hope those who use my kits find the baking experience remarkably easy, hassle-free and therapeutic”. There’s a letterbox subscription coming soon and we think that would make a great gift! Imagine a kit arriving through the letterbox on a Thursday or Friday just in time for some weekend baking.

READER OFFER: get 20% off your first order when you use code URBANBAKESTER

New Management for The Fulham House

Lockdown gave some Fulham businesses the opportunity to have a makeover so they could come back bigger and better. The Fulham House (762 Fulham Road) is one local eatery that has done just that following a rethink and a refresh. The new team told us “we’ve transformed the inside and out to reflect our change in management, staff and service offering”. The interior has a new timber feature wall that runs up the ceiling, hanging plants, wicker mirrors and leather bench seating. The new team at The Fulham House hope that “comfortable couches, new lighting and pedestrian-watching spots make it hard to leave – especially after a few drinks”. We think the exterior looks fantastic after a fresh coat of paint, the installation of new awnings, some bright eye catching planting thanks to Fulham’s Jazz Flowers by Dansk and a new seating area with overhead heating to see them into and through the autumn/winter months.

This European inspired all day dinning restaurant let us know that they are serving “Fulham’s Only Unlimited Bottomless Brunch”. They told Urban Village LDN “as the pandemic continues to cripple our hospitality industry, the team at The Fulham House wanted to help local businesses and customers enjoy themselves in a safe and low-cost way”. Their unlimited Bottomless Brunch runs from 12-5pm every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and their 2 for 1 cocktails are served all day every day. “We’ve chosen seven of our most delicious breakfast and brunch dishes to accompany unlimited cocktails such as Aperol Spritz, Mimosas, Bellini’s, Bloody Mary’s and Prosecco. This is a first for Fulham, as no other restaurant in the area has a similar offering. I’m really excited to be welcoming locals” said Leia, General Manager.

They have a brand new Autumn Cocktails list which we can’t wait to check out! “As the autumn nights are drawing in and we say a sad farewell to summer, it only seems right to release a brand-new autumn cocktail menu coupled with an inventive list of dessert cocktails. Our new female management duo, both Fulham residents, are cocktail mixologists and have introduced some deliciously boozy beverages such as Liquid Tiramisu, Mocha Martini and Chocolat a l’orange just to name a few. We’re also preparing a new European-inspired sharing menu with small plates and platters from the land, sea and garden,” said Leia, General Manager. “The new menu is inspired by our owner’s European roots, with a mix of Spanish, Mediterranean and Greek dishes”.

As well as trying out some of their cocktails we’ve got our eye on their Halloumi and Quinoa salad and the bottomless brunch is looking very tempting at £19.99 per person with choices including pancakes, eggs royale and smoked salmon with scrambled eggs and avo. The Fulham House caters for vegans, vegetarians and food allergies with additional measures to ensure the restaurant is COVID-safe. A new ventilation and extraction system has recently been installed, staff wear face coverings, tables are sanitised after each customer and they have hand sanitiser on arrival.

To book a table at The Fulham House call 020 7610 6935 or email myfulhamhouse@gmail.com