Village Raw - ISSUE 5

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019
FREE
VILLAGE RAW
STORIES FROM CROUCH END, EAST FINCHLEY, HIGHGATE, MUSWELL HILL AND SURROUNDING AREAS
That Sunday, That Market: Portraits of Ally Pally and Stroud Green farmers’ markets / The Grass
Isn’t Always Greener: On food production / Women in Flux: Emma Franks on finding her voice through
art / Sustainable Local Living: Home improvements – good for the environment and your pocket

CONTENTS
EDITORIAL
04
06
10
12
14
16
18
20
THE RAW
The latest local happenings
and things to do
WOMEN IN FLUX
Emma Franks on finding her
voice through art
REWILDING IN THE CITY
Interview with OmVed Garden’s
director about food, creativity
and the environment
WONDRWOMN: THE GIRL
NEXT DOOR THAT RAPS
Mary Otumahana discusses her
music and social enterprise
The RecordShop
A SECOND CHANCE
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
A look at the newly restored Alexandra
Palace Theatre and East Court
ON TRACK
The foundations of Muswell
Hill’s The Lab
IN THE WORKS
Crouch End’s Hornsey Works -
a creative hub
OVERCOMING LONELINESS
Local support for those feeling
isolated
Putting this issue together has been anything but easy. As the last issue
straddled December and January – two of the most distracted months of the
year, it seems – the content for this issue has evolved and changed many times
over. By no grand design, we find ourselves faced with a magazine that shines
a light on our base nature as social animals and our need to make connections.
As Stroud Green’s Common Ground coffee shop invites you to down your tech
and chat, read or daydream on the weekends, we invite you to connect with the
places you collect the magazine from, as well as with its authors, illustrators,
photographers, subjects and advertisers – we’re all part of the same community
and working to make it a success.
In this issue, we’re delighted to take a sneak peek at the faces of the historically
incarcerated women Emma Franks has released through her art. Boogaloo
Radio’s Jack DB interviews Mary Otumahana - the girl next door that raps. This
issue’s photo spread has been blended with text, as writer Carla Parks and photographers
Federico Michettoni and Dorothy Barrick capture the community
essence of Ally Pally and Stroud Green farmers’ markets. Zoe Bee considers
possible solutions to loneliness; for the Village Green Phil Smith considers the
benefits of rewilding our streets; and sustainable practices – in both the food
we consume, and the homes we live in – are discussed by Chris King and Emma
Ross. We introduce two new columns on different aspects of parenting from
perinatal psychologist Emma Svanberg and author Huma Qureshi. We also welcome
the contributions of three partnerships with Ally Pally, OmVed, and Time
+ Space Co. – all of which ensure we continue to have great local spaces where
we can explore and be creative.
David and Luciane
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22
29
30
34
36
37
38
THAT SUNDAY, THAT MARKET
The people behind our farmers’
markets
RECIPE
Quinoa burgers with shiitake sauce
THE GRASS ISN’T
ALWAYS GREENER
Diet should be less about what we eat,
and more about how it is produced
SUSTAINABLE LOCAL LIVING
Living sustainably is good for the
environment and for your pocket
FAMILY - IT REALLY
DOES TAKE A VILLAGE
On building communities
to support parents
FAMILY - NOWHERE WE NEED TO BE
In consideration of slowing down
RECLAIMING THE WILD
A look at the Rewild My Street project
EDITORS
Luciane Pisani
David Reeve
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Luciane Pisani for Studio Moe
COPY EDITOR
Emily Spurling
CONTRIBUTORS
Lito Apostolakou, Dorothy Barrick, Zoe Bee, Dan
Bridge, Aimee Charalambous, Jack Donato-Brown,
Chris King, Kate Kuzminova, Anita Mangan, Federico
Michettoni, Katrina Mirpuri, Carla Parks, Huma
Qureshi, Anna Souter, Emma Ross, Phil Smith, Dr
Emma Svanberg, Miles Wllis, Lloyd Winters.
ADVERTISING
hello@villageraw.com
PRINTING
Printed in East Finchley by JG Bryson on chlorine
free paper produced by an EU Ecolabel certified
mill from FSC and PEFC regulated forests.
VIDEOS
David Reeve and Philip Taylor
Cover image by Dorothy Barrick.
Tweet us twitter.com/VillageRawMag
Like us facebook.com/villageraw
Follow us instagram.com/villageraw
Contact us hello@villageraw.com
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Village Raw February/March 2019
Designed and published by
Studio Moe Ltd.
© 2018 Studio Moe Ltd.
All rights reserved. Reproduction
of any contents of Village Raw
magazine without prior permission
of the publisher is strictly prohibited.
THANKS TO:
James Atkinson, Dan Austin and Emma Dagnes
(Ally Pally) / Laura Eccles / Emma Franks / Piers
Read and Andrew Major (The Time + Space Co.) /
Karen Pagarani and Thomas Broadhead (OmVed),
Mary Otumahana / Caroline Macaskill and Rebecca
London (The Lab) / Angela Walsh / Siân Moxon
/ Edmund May and the people of Stroud Green
and Ally Pally farmers’ markets/ Andy from Morley
Butchers / Gabriel and Francis from Miranda
Cafe / Cara Jenkinson and Mary Blake (Muswell Hill
Sustainability Group) / Stewart and Mary Mcilroy /
Lucy Craig and Gordon Best / Pamela Harling.
03

VILLAGE RAW
THE RAW
VILLAGE ALLSORTS: Things to look out for in the neighbourhood include a
community garden, a cafe bistro and art gallery. Words by Katrina Mirpuri.
LET THE
MUSIC PLAY
To liven up those cold,
damp winter nights,
how about learning
to play an instrument,
or stretching your vocal
cords? There are lots
of local options for
adults – including:
Fortismere Music Centre
The centre was founded in 2009 to provide
high-quality instrumental lessons
and ensembles to the local community.
It consists of a music school, community
choir and symphony orchestra. In 2019
it marks its 10-year anniversary with a
number of events, including the staging
of their first ever opera.
www.fortismeremusiccentre.co.uk
Les Aldrich Music
This music shop opened its doors in 1945
and is a great place to pick up a variety
of instruments. In recent years they’ve
built up a network of local music teachers
specialising in a variety of instruments,
fields and techniques.
www.lesaldrichmusic.co.uk/teachers
London Metropolitan Brass
Established in 2013, this is an amateur
brass band organisation which runs three
bands: the senior band (Muswell Hill); the
community band (Alexandra Palace); and
the beginners band (Stroud Green). They
also run an eight-week course for complete
beginners to brass.
www.londonmetropolitanbrass.com
North London Brass – Highgate
and Muswell Brass Band
Launched in January 2018, the brass
band are looking to build an enthusiastic
core of players spanning all ages, experience
and current abilities from Highgate,
Muswell Hill and surrounding areas. They
also welcome complete beginners interested
in playing.
www.northlondonbrass.co.uk/
muswell-hill-brass-band
The Hap’ning Place
Piano, guitar, flute, French horn, singing,
cello, violin and fiddle lessons are all covered
at this Crouch End venue. A range of
performances, special events (including
summer singing holidays) and masterclasses
are also arranged.
www.hapningplace.com
The North London
Ukulele Club
The aim is to engage ukulele lovers of all
ages to learn a number of songs on the
instrument and play together as a group.
Lessons are available on an individual or
small group basis.
www.northlondonukeleleclub.co.uk
FOR VOCAL PURISTS
The Big Choir
www.thebigchoir.org
Bowes Park Community Choir
www.bowesparkcommunitychoir.org
Crouch End Festival Chorus
www.cefc.org.uk
Highgate Choral Society
www.hcschoir.com
North London Chorus
northlondonchorus.org
Pop Choir – Muswell Hill
www.popchoir.com/find-a-popchoir/
muswell-hill
Songworks
www.songworkschoir.co.uk
The Mixed Up Chorus
www.togetherproductions.co.uk/projects-mixed-up-chorus.html
The Open Choir
www.meetup.com/The-Open-Choir
Tollington Gospel Choir
www.tollingtongospelchoir.co.uk
Grow Tottenham Mimi’s Cafe Bistro Avivson Gallery
While a touch out of the Village Raw area,
this is such a great and inspiring project it
has to get a mention. As its name suggests,
Grow Tottenham encourages locals to grow
produce and participate together in a community-led
project. Starting as a temporary
site, Grow Tottenham is now a council-approved
space which successfully runs a
community garden, arts venue, bar and
cafe. It’s open from Wednesday to Sunday
with events occurring in the day and night,
including gigs, gardening workshops, and
other volunteering opportunities.
Having started in Elephant and Castle,
Grow celebrates its fourth space in
Tottenham by staying busy with exciting
projects, such as their most recent development
of a geodesic dome greenhouse
in the garden. Inspired by the masses of
unused space in London, Grow gives locals
the chance to enjoy a shared space and
learn new skills. Grow also offers budding
gardeners the opportunity to grow crops
on their own personal micro allotment free
of charge, encouraging a more sustainable
way of living. The cafe and bar offers a new
menu every day alongside a selection of local
beers on tap.
www.growtottenham.org
Mimi’s is Muswell Hill’s newest independent
hangout, offering a family- (and dog-)
friendly space to eat, drink, socialise and
relax. Opening at 8am, during the day Mimi’s
fulfils the full duties of a high-functioning
cafe with an all-day breakfast,
fresh pastries, and lunch and a-la-carte
menus – all of which have plenty of options
for vegans, vegetarians and those
with other dietary requirements. Taking
pride in freshness and ethics, the cafe
serves fantastic fair trade drinks – including
their coffee, which is ethically sourced
by Equal Exchange, a company which distributes
organic produce made by women
in developing countries. Come evening
time, Mimi’s slowly transforms into a bistro
with its own dinner menu and great selection
of drinks, including cocktails, wine
and local beers.
If you’re looking to meet new people,
it could be one to watch as they are soon
to introduce a regular senior tea and board
games afternoon every Wednesday from
3pm to 5pm. Whether you’re looking for a
caffeine pick-me-up or an evening winddown,
Mimi’s has something for everyone
and is open until 10pm, seven days a week.
www.mimiscafebistro.co.uk
With over 50 years’ experience collecting
art and a history of hosting exhibitions
around the world, Janus Avivson has
opened his newest gallery, on Highgate
High Street, with his wife Katarzyna. Following
their most recently run galleries in
the art-centric north London hotspots of
Camden Lock and Islington, Avivson Gallery
sees the beauty of its surrounding
greenery mirrored in its impressive array
of eye-catching artwork – collected alongside
Janus’ numerous past endeavours
(including mining, factory assembly line
work, bus-driving, filmmaking, antiques
and book dealing, stunt performance and
publishing).
Avivson Gallery runs regular exhibitions
for the public to enjoy the finest
artwork, and it is open from Wednesday
to Saturday, and by appointment, for anyone
wishing to learn more about what
they have to offer. With galleries and
artwork temporarily popping up across
London, Avivson Gallery challenges the
fast pace of modern art by offering up a
permanent space. For more information
about Avivson Gallery and their art and
book collection, head to their website.
www.avivsongallery.com
04 05

VILLAGE RAW
ART & CULTURE
WOMEN IN FLUX
Muswell Hill artist Emma Franks on finding her voice through art.
Words by Lito Apostolakou. Photos by Kate Kuzminova.
The women of Emma Franks materialise out of the subdued yet
luminous hues of her oil paintings. They emerge with their alabaster
faces, voluminous headgear and downcast eyes, lost in
thought. They are like apparitions of inner worlds that the spectator
has been privileged to glimpse briefly before they vanish
back into foggy depths. They are alone but self-contained; possessors
of a quiet power. Shaped by and submerged in colour,
they are on the verge of being transformed.
“It took me a long time to be able to own my feminism, to find
my voice,” Emma says. “Painting women is part of it.” Growing
up in a close-knit Jewish community in Southend, Essex, Emma
became aware very early on of the different treatment of girls
and boys and the sexism ingrained in her traditional upbringing.
She was an angry teenager, and the Oxfordshire boarding school
she was sent to did not tame her or put a dent in her unhappiness.
But her expulsion at the age of 16 was pivotal to her art
journey – she knew she “wanted to do art” and she shone, first
at Southend Technical College, and then at Brighton University.
“I had an understanding that making art made me feel better. It
was the only time I could relax.”
Emma describes herself as a very emotional painter. She is
interested in process rather than theory and finds the physical
act of painting incredibly meditative. She begins her paintings
spontaneously, slowly building up thin washes of oil paint, then
rubbing off and layering until the image emerges. “I feel very
powerful when I’m painting,” she says. “Painting takes me to this
whole different space. There’s something about getting lost in
the work.” Emma’s women bathe in colours which communicate
calmness and introspection. “For ages I wanted to find a language
for this feminism, but not in an overt way. I am not angry
with men, I am angry with the patriarchal society and the way
women are treated. I didn’t want to make angry paintings.” It is
no coincidence that Mark Rothko, who used colour to produce a
meditative response in the viewer, is one of her favourite artists
– “I feel at peace looking at his work”. How does she know that a
painting is finished? It’s when she feels “this utter calm coming
over me; like all the stars are aligned in the sky”.
When Emma was drawn to textiles her women became more
material and tactile; their gaze more intense and direct. Embracing
textile art, using thread and 3D collage elements, happened
at a time when she had been suffering from artist’s block. She
found the new process inspiring in its immediacy and so different
from her oil painting, where it could take weeks to complete
a single piece. Her women now emerged from her fingertips
with no paintbrush or paint intermediaries. The process brought
forward something playful from Emma’s childhood, when she
would spend hours dressing paper dolls, and also connected
her with her family’s history – her grandfather was a tailor.
06 07

VILLAGE RAW
ART & CULTURE
His scissors, which her mother presented to her, were still sharp
and in working order. Bringing together her love for decorative
painting and quirkiness, these tactile, embroidered women have
immediacy in their gaze and they are at the same time sensitive
and empowered. “I am aware they look still,” Emma says about
her female figures. “I want them to be more assertive. They have
a strong presence but they may seem a bit submissive.”
Interested in the social conditioning of women, Emma is now
approaching a difficult subject: the commitment of women to
asylums in the 19th century. Inspired by Maggie O’Farrell’s The
Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox and Elaine Showalter’s The Female
Malady, Emma explores women who did not conform to accepted
behaviour and were shut in mental institutions as a result.
She draws from the photographic portraits of female patients
of the Surrey County Asylum made by Dr Hugh Welch Diamond
between 1848 and 1858. Dr Diamond believed that the patients’
facial features reflected the disorders they were suffering from.
Emma casts a female gaze on these women who were subjected
to a male gaze and treated accordingly, and plans to create
10 portraits inspired by Dr Diamond’s photographs. She sees her
new work as “a comment on the patriarchy and on how women
have to conform and be a certain way.”
Emma sees the art world itself as a male-dominated space
with few opportunities for female artists – although this is certainly
changing. She shares the pressures of female artists who
juggle the demands of their creative practice and their strides towards
recognition and financial independence with the daily task
of raising a family. Although she is lucky to have a space where
she can create art, she finds the isolation hard. She always seeks
out people, artists’ groups and getting feedback on her creations.
She describes hearing the responses from people when they
connect with her work as one of the highs of being an artist. She
herself is a “huge fan of Louise Bourgeois, Nancy Spero, The Guerrilla
Girls, Tracey Emin, Judy Chicago and, of course, Frida Kahlo.”
For her new portraits – her “own feminist piece of work”
– Emma is looking for alternative spaces. Previously she has
shown her work in Affordable Art Fairs, The Stratford Gallery,
Selvedge, Arundel Contemporary and many local fairs including
Muswell Hill Creatives and East Finchley Open House. “My vision
is to have them not necessarily in a conventional gallery,” she
says. “I want them to be somewhere different. But mainly I want
to give these women, who have been stripped of their identity
and presented as observable specimens, the chance to be
seen. Not to be looked at as passive subjects, but to be seen as
empowered individuals.”•
You can find out more about Emma and her work at: www.emmafranks.co.uk
or on Instagram: @emmafranksart. For additional photos and a video check:
www.villageraw.com/emmafranks
08 09

VILLAGE RAW
PARTNER CONTENT
REWILDING IN THE CITY
Highgate’s OmVed Gardens is a semi-urban space dedicated to food,
creativity and the environment. Anna Souter, co-curator of upcoming
exhibition Rewind/Rewild, talks to OmVed’s director Karen Pagarani.
Interview by Anna Souter.
Tucked away behind Highgate’s high street on the site of an old
garden centre, OmVed Gardens is a landscaped space and architect-restored
glasshouse that forms a hub for art, food and
ecology in north London.
In the first week of May, OmVed will host Rewind/Rewild, an
exhibition and forum collaboratively curated by local writer Anna
Souter and Glasgow-based artist Beatrice Searle. The exhibition
approaches the topic of rewilding – exploring the ecological implications
of allowing natural processes to resume, while also
considering the broader possibilities for rewilding human lives.
ANNA: So, where did the idea behind OmVed come from?
KAREN: Originally, we bought the land for something quite different
– we were going to build some houses – but after many
years of trying to get planning permission, we didn’t achieve it.
So, we asked ourselves what we wanted to do with the land –
and really, I just wanted to make a garden. It’s still growing: we
have a lot more space to move into. It will be landscaped, but
it won’t be like a park. I hope it will be more wild, and make the
most of its location.
ANNA: OmVed is in an extraordinary position – it’s hidden away
and surrounded by trees, but when you walk through the garden
you get glimpses of the London skyline. It’s intermeshed
with the urban environment, but it also has a secluded, almost
semi-rural feel. Why do you think the setting is so important?
KAREN: I’ve been wondering why we don’t seem to be as alarmed
as we should be that we’re entering what is being called an ‘extinction
era’. I think we’ve become so accustomed to living in
cities, and to our fast-paced lives, that we’ve lost touch with
the rhythms of the earth. We don’t even feel we belong to it any
more – we feel we’re above it and in control of it. I don’t think
10
people are going to stop living in cities, so pieces of land that
act as boundaries between urban and rural are going to be very
important – they will give city-dwellers an experience of nature.
It’s not going to be truly wild, or huge, but it’s important nonetheless,
and that’s what we can offer.
ANNA: That brings us nicely on to Rewind/Rewild – what was it
about the exhibition that caught your attention?
KAREN: It just struck me as being absolutely perfect – everything
emerging at OmVed fits with the approach behind the exhibition,
and the people coming together on the project seem very compatible.
Art offers a space for exploration in a way that our contemporary
pace of life generally doesn’t, and it can be incredibly
impactful. It opens a door, and it can be shared. I was excited by
the opportunity to share something.
ANNA: It’s been fantastic for us to collaborate with OmVed on this,
especially because we feel the collaborative process echoes the
workings of the ecosystem, which is the topic explored by the
exhibition. I also think this approach fits nicely with what you’ve
previously done with food as a point of cultural connection and
collaboration. I wanted to ask you a bit more about food – why is
it such a central part of OmVed’s vision?
KAREN: Food is what OmVed has been about from the very beginning.
We come from a background in the food industry, and
we’ve found that food can be a powerful catalyst for change,
because buying and consuming food is something we all do. I
think if you can change people’s eating habits, you can make a
huge change both to their lives and to the wider world.
Feeding people is one of the fundamental challenges of any
society. And there’s always a dynamic of exchange at play when
you feed someone, which is interesting to explore.
Top: Hannah Imlach, Hazel Anemometer,
tulipwood, brass and 3D printed
components, 2018. Bottom: Alannah
Eileen Cooper, The Stoat Wife. Heather
Woodbridge wearing found materials
and shorts by Ranura Edirisinghe.
ANNA: Yes, and that’s something that we want to echo in our
project. We want people to take something away from the exhibition,
but we also want them to bring their own thoughts and
interpretations.
KAREN: We hope to be welcoming and nurturing, and we want
people to bring their true selves to their interaction with the
space and with the art. It’s a come-as-you-are environment,
which I think is increasingly rare. I hope OmVed is a place where
people will feel safe and relaxed enough to be themselves.
ANNA: I wonder if when you’re able to be yourself to a greater
degree than usual, you’re also more likely to find points of connection
between yourself and the natural world?
KAREN: I think that’s right. People worry that they don’t connect
with their environment, but we have to be open to those connections,
and avoid judging ourselves and others. •
Rewind/Rewild is at OmVed Gardens from 1 to 7 May:
www.omvedgardens.com/events/rewind-rewild
11

VILLAGE SOUNDS
CREATIVITY
IS
POWER
WONDRWOMN:
THE GIRL NEXT DOOR
THAT RAPS
Much like her chosen namesake, Mary Otumahana – AKA WondRWomN – is a
unique, strong and intelligent woman. Not only a talented artist on
the rise, Mary is also the award-winning founder of The RecordShop,
a recording studio that runs free programmes for young people.
Words by Jack Donato-Brown. Photo by Dan Bridge.
Mary’s frustration with the lack of opportunities to record and
develop music led to the birth of The RecordShop in 2015. The
business grew from a mobile pop-up studio into a permanent
studio space at the Enterprise Centre on Tottenham High Road.
It provides brilliant opportunities for 16 to 25-year-olds, offering
workshops, free studio time and music development programmes.
“I would have never thought of starting my own business,
but because it was music, something that I love doing…
eventually, yeah, I became a business owner.”
References to comic book culture are not uncommon within
the hip-hop genre. However, there is a deeper resonance for
Mary, as Wonder Woman represents her struggles in the music
world: “Being one of the few female superheroes, she’s similar
to me being in a rap genre that’s male-dominated.” The emergence
of a new wave of female artists in UK hip-hop, like Little
Simz and Ms Banks, has shown a change that mirrors a shift in
societal concepts of equality and feminism. Mary recognises
that there’s been a development since she began performing.
“We’re looking for something new. Being different is definitely a
good thing right now; it’s seen as an asset. I think we are on the
right path. It’s people not having any preconceptions of what a
female artist should be and what she should talk about.”
Immersed in the genre from a young age, Mary started writing
at 13 years old “as a way of expressing myself, as I was quite
quiet and withdrawn”. She cites legendary MCs Eminem and
Tupac as her initial introductions to rap, and the influence of
their evocative content and technical lyricism is easy to hear in
her music. She is heavily shaped by the 90s golden era of hiphop.
Her latest project, The Girl Next Door That Raps, seamlessly
blends contemporary and nostalgic old-school sounds – including
the DJ Premier-esque vinyl scratches in the opening track,
WondRWomN What!.
Her process of creating a new song still draws on her expressive
and self-reflective introduction to writing as a teenager:
“Every time I make music, it’s like a research project on myself”.
Her perspective on society is also intelligent. In her song Money’s
Not Real, she contemplates our relationship to money and
the pressures that capitalism puts on us. It’s refreshing to hear
a young artist in hip-hop who doesn’t follow the materialistic
themes of the mainstream but instead brings up and questions
more meaningful and contemplative notions.
The three-track EP is a product of Mary’s experiences running
The RecordShop and meeting and collaborating with a wide
range of local artists and musicians. She is a gifted performer
who has overcome challenges and is eager to make more music.
After its relaunch on 12 January, 2019 is already showing great
promise for The RecordShop too. With more funding, Mary aims
to increase the network of over 500 young people registered
and to hold more events and weekly workshops – creating opportunities
for young people that she never had access to. •
You can view additional photographs and a video of Mary performing at:
www.villageraw.com/wondrwomn
If you are interested in any programmes or workshops and want to get in contact
with The RecordShop, you can visit their website at: www.therecshop.co.uk
12 13

VILLAGE RAW
PARTNER CONTENT
A SECOND CHANCE
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The newly restored Alexandra Palace Theatre and East Court open
their doors to the public with a groundbreaking new programme.
Words by Aimee Charalambous. Photo Lloyd Winters (top) and Miles Willis (bottom).
After decades of obscurity and neglect the Alexandra Palace
Theatre reopened its doors in December. For the first time in
over 80 years the theatre came alive, welcoming over 24,000
people attending one of 33 performances from Horrible Histories,
the BBC Concert Orchestra, Courtney Pine, Dylan Moran,
Gilbert & George, and more.
When it opened in 1875, Alexandra Palace Theatre was a
home of spectacle and marvel. A feat of Victorian engineering,
the impressive stage machinery was designed so that performers
could appear and disappear from the floor as well as fly into
the air, capturing the imagination of audiences young and old.
However, the theatre struggled to compete with the West End
and closed its doors, reinventing itself as a cinema, a chapel,
a hospital and, from the mid-1930s onwards, a BBC prop store.
Remarkably, much of the original theatre remained intact, including
the iconic floating ceiling, original floorboards and foyer.
All have been lovingly restored to their former glory as part of a
three-year, £27m restoration of the East Wing funded by Heritage
Lottery Fund, Haringey Council, charitable foundations and
donations from members of the public. The end result is a charming
mix of the original Victorian grandeur with added 21st century
technology, comfortable seating and a cosier feel – creating a
new flexible space for the community to cherish and enjoy, and
a complement to the beating heart of north London arts culture.
Channelling the original philosophy of a people’s palace and
capturing the importance of entertainment and leisure for the
wellbeing of the soul, the theatre will play host to an eclectic mix
of shows ranging from the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque
Soloists’ performance of Handel’s Semele to Ardal O’Hanlon and,
in March, an inventive new production of Richard III starring Tom
Mothersdale and co-produced by Alexandra Palace, Headlong
and Bristol Old Vic.
The theatre will also support the local community through
the Palace Uncovered programme, which offers secondary
schools in Haringey the opportunity to create bespoke performances
for the theatre inspired by the Palace’s archive.
December also saw the reopening of the grand East Court,
which will soon become home to Alexandra Palace’s Creative
Learning Programme and its new Sackler Creativity Pavilion. The
pavilion will provide year-round events and activities that engage
and inspire groups from the borough and across the city.
It will be a valuable resource for people of all backgrounds and
ages to develop their creative skills and showcase their work,
including a new schools programme, family days, adult learning
and projects to support the local health and wellbeing agenda.
Continuing a long legacy of innovation, the East Court also
offers a new way for the public to interact with the Palace. New
exhibits will bring the history of the Palace to life, giving visitors
the chance to step back in time and explore its original architecture
or delve deep into the complex maze of frames and lifts
that make up the theatre’s original stage machinery.
In addition, ongoing partnerships with the BBC and Google
Arts and Culture provide new ways for visitors to explore parts
of the East Wing still inaccessible to the public. This includes
the historic BBC studios, where decades of pioneering experimentation
led to the evolution of television as we know it today.
Television’s Hidden Home, an exploration of the Palace’s illustrious
broadcasting history, is available via the BBC Taster VR app.
“What’s very special about this place is the memories it
holds for people and the experiences it creates,” explains Emma
Dagnes, Deputy Chief Executive. “Using cutting-edge technology,
we can share our incredible history with the world, inviting new
generations to engage in the true ethos of a people’s palace.”
One of the most popular elements of the restored spaces
was the Donor Board in the East Court – a tribute to the many
organisations and people who have supported the renovations
so far. There is still time to add your name, as the Donor Board
will be updated later this year. All donations will go directly towards
the theatre and wider activity programme, run by Alexandra
Park & Palace Charitable Trust. More information can be
found at: theatre.alexandrapalace.com/support-us, including
your chance to name a seat. •
For more information on events check: theatre.alexandrapalace.com
14

VILLAGE HISTORY
1937
ON TRACK
When Alexandra Palace opened
in 1873 it was serviced by a
railway that stopped outside
the front entrance.
Words by David Reeve.
Photos courtesy of The Laboratory.
While the old station house remains (and is now used
as a community centre), the railway leading to Alexandra
Palace was decommissioned in the 1950s. In
the 1960s British Rail constructed a laboratory on
the site of the tracks, which was eventually put up
for sale in the 1990s. In the resulting battle against
real estate developers, John Lyras’ bid to build a
health spa was the only commercial venture – and,
in 1993, plans for The Laboratory Spa and Health Club
were set in motion.
As the site was designated as Open Metropolitan
Land, it wasn’t possible to extend the existing
building. Instead, permission was granted to excavate
and extend underground, where a 25m pool was
added. All in all it took 16 months to renovate, and the
design – intended to give the space a light and airy
feel – earned the project architect Tim Bushe a RIBA
award. The Laboratory opened December 1995 with
1,500 members. •
For further information on The Lab visit: muswellhill.labspa.co.uk
1991
2016
TAKE YOUR PLACE IN HISTORY
HORNSEY TOWN HALL, CROUCH END
A collection of 1,2 & 3 bed apartments, together with an
arts centre, a new hotel and an improved public square
set around this iconic Grade II* Listed building.
020 8341 4664
INFO@HORNSEY-TOWNHALL.CO.UK
WWW.HORNSEY-TOWNHALL.CO.UK
Hornsey Town Hall, The Broadway, Crouch End, London N8 9JJ
Computer-generated images (CGIs) are indicative only and should not be relied upon as depicting the final as built development or apartment.
16

VILLAGE RAW
PARTNER CONTENT
IN THE WORKS
Designed for creatives and like-minded people, Hornsey Works
is a flexible co-working space in the heart of Crouch End.
Words by Carla Parks. Photos by Dan Bridge.
For a building that started out life as offices for the local council,
Hornsey Town Hall has been through some amazing transformations
over the years. Shedding its utilitarian past, it moved into
the glamorous world of film and TV. The latest of its many starring
roles include a spy thriller starring Benedict Cumberbatch,
and fans of Killing Eve may have seen some of its corridors make
an appearance in the BBC drama. It’s also been a music venue,
hosting bands such as The Kinks and Dexys Midnight Runners.
More recently, it has drawn locals to countless festivals, food
markets, its Christmas market, art fairs and silent discos.
In yet another incarnation, it will fittingly become a hub for
creative professionals and entrepreneurs. As part of the £30m
redevelopment, the building will provide flexible workspaces for
those who are lucky enough to have jobs that don’t require a
daily commute and standing in the queue for the W7.
While still a work in progress, some of the ground floor of
the Grade II-listed building is already kitted out as an open-plan
office space called Hornsey Works. The facilities, managed by
The Time + Space Co., offer a mixture of flexible desk space for
as low as £125 per month (rising to £325 per desk for a private
suite), with a minimum commitment of just one month. It has
tables that have been made using reclaimed wood, the homey
addition of plants and a few graphic prints on the walls (sourced
locally from Crouch End’s Urban Flower Co. and gallery Jealous
North). Windows look out onto the courtyard, providing plenty
of natural light on bright days. Perks include free refreshments,
high-speed wifi, printing and scanning facilities and the use of
free event and meeting room spaces.
Piers Read, managing partner of The Time + Space Co., says
there is a “dearth of flexible workspace in north London”, and he
sees Hornsey Works as addressing a local need. According to the
Office for National Statistics, self-employed workers – approximately
4.8m people – now account for 14% of the labour force, and
they contributed to almost a third of total employment growth
between 2007 and 2016. It’s likely this trend will continue upwards
as more people join what has been called the gig economy.
Andrew Major, the head of community, hopes to attract creative
and digital businesses and a mix of freelancers, sole traders
and SMEs. “We want to make the workplace come alive with
like-minded people,” explains Andrew, who envisions people collaborating
with each other on projects as a result of working in
close proximity.
There are already a clutch of businesses using Hornsey Town
Hall as offices and occupancy has gone up since The Time +
Space Co. – a business specialising in urban regeneration projects
– took over managing the property in July.
As the main building undergoes extensive renovation,
there’s a possibility of some disruption to Hornsey Works – but
Piers says it will be kept to a minimum. “Our strategy is to keep
the front part of the building, including the new cafe, open for as
long as possible.” In time, the managing partner sees the physical
space and its benefits evolving as Hornsey Works gets busier.
There will be a dedicated app, for instance, that will be used
to drive participation and collaboration with members. They will
also be given access to hot desks in new clubs opening within
the The Time + Space Co. network, including one in Fitzrovia.
Piers points to the Custard Factory in Birmingham, one of
his company’s previous projects, as an example of what can be
achieved with old buildings. Formerly dilapidated Victorian factories,
it is now a cluster of creative businesses, tech companies,
independent retailers and event space. But while renovating
the building is of huge importance, Piers maintains that his
priority is the community. “Any project that we do, you’ve got
to invest in the community. It’s that human interaction – what
I call human capital – that is ultimately going to make or break
the scheme.”•
Opposite page: Hornsey Works and the team
behind the Time + Workspace project.
More information can be found at: www.hornseyworks.com
18 1
19

VILLAGE RAW
COMMUNITY
OVERCOMING
LONELINESS
Every day, people are becoming
more connected in the digital
world. However, that connection
is abstract and doesn’t
involve many of the senses.
There’s nothing that can beat
a personal interaction, but
sometimes it’s hard to take
those first steps – fortunately,
there are organisations across
north London which can help.
Words by Zoe Bee.
Illustration by David Reeve.
According to a survey carried out by McCarthy & Stone, one in
five people over 65 who are lonely say they feel invisible. Most
agreed that a small action by others – whether it’s from family,
friends, neighbours or those within the local community – would
make all the difference to how lonely they feel.
Age UK Barnet
Age UK staff and volunteers at the Ann Owen Centre in East
Finchley have worked hard to connect older people with the local
community. There is a well-thought-out programme of activities
and services for the over-55s, including cookery classes
for men, lunch clubs, musical appreciation groups and a scams
awareness scheme.
Jenny, who is the Later Life Planning Head at the centre,
says: “Easing isolation isn’t just about exercise classes, but we
offer those too. People join a choir or singing group because
that’s their interest. You see their faces and it’s lovely. We have
a handyperson service which is free for people in Barnet over 55.
Simple things which many people take for granted, like replacing
a bulb which has gone, can be quite isolating for elderly people.”
Many people don’t like to say that they’re lonely or that they
need companionship, and it’s hard for them to go to places like
the Ann Owen Centre. To help, Age UK Barnet has a team of volunteers
who visit people in their homes. They are matched up
with the client’s requests, such as ‘a similar interest in art’ or
‘someone who shares my mother tongue’.
The centre also offers IT classes and has built up relationships
with local schools. Encouraging young people to spend
time with older people helps to reduce anxieties about ageing,
and older people learn by meeting sixth-formers who help them
with their iPhones or tablets. They ask young people about what
they want to learn – for example: “I want to FaceTime my daughter
in Australia” or “I want to shop online,” Jenny says. “They
are not sat down and preached to - the first time I saw it I was
amazed. Younger people may have thought older people were
boring, but they love it!”
University of the Third Age
“When I retired, I wondered what to do with my life,” says Krishna
Dutta. She wanted to meet some interesting people with similar
interests, who liked going to the movies, art exhibitions and lectures.
“I read a lot of books, but I didn’t want to join a book group
because it wouldn’t be an extension of my interests.”
A friend suggested that Krishna come along to a University of
the Third Age (U3A) monthly meeting, and it was quite an experience.
“I went into the room and there was a sea of white hair, a
sea of white faces – mostly women. I felt like a fish out of water.”
Krishna was soon won over. “Everyone at U3A was so welcoming.
I was completely gobsmacked by their desire to include me.
Coming from India and not growing up with my generation here
in north London, it is very important to me to make friends here.”
In a recent study about loneliness, U3A members reported
major benefits to being part of the U3A learning model in terms
of confidence, combating loneliness, feeling supported in new
communities, learning new skills and, perhaps most important
of all, feeling valued and enjoying life.
There are several U3A groups in the area which offer a diverse
range of talks and activities to older people, including yoga, London
architectural visits, humanities, music and theatre. Members,
including Krishna, organise group activities and give lectures too.
For Krishna, the U3A “has filled a big need in my life”.
Support for mothers
According to research by the Co-op and British Red Cross, nearly
half of all mums are lonely often or always. Local support includes
Ruth Sabrosa’s Mindful Mothering group at the Hilltop
Studio in Muswell Hill, which aims to connect mums in the community.
Ruth says: “I wanted to create a supportive group for
mothers to come together and have a little bit of a discussion
and try to empower each other. Using my skills as a hypnotherapist
and mindfulness techniques, we then do a deep relaxation
so that after the session people will go away feeling better – like
they can cope with any situation.”
Most people who come to the sessions at the Hilltop Studio
aren’t originally from London and don’t have a support network
to fall back on. Connecting with like-minded mums reminds
them that they need to look after themselves too.
Akemi is Japanese with a German husband and found living
in London exciting. But when she had her son, things changed
and it was a struggle trying to combine Japanese, German and
British ways of parenting. It’s not that she didn’t enjoy motherhood,
but it was tough – especially at first, when she was feeling
physically exhausted.
“Ruth’s sessions made me realise that I need to put myself
in the centre,” says Akemi. “I’m always paying attention to my
son, my husband and other people. I forgot what I liked, what
I enjoy. In my case, motherhood came with an identity crisis.
Before I was a very independent professional and was used to
being given positive feedback. But even if you do your best at
being a mum, they never tell you if you’re doing a good job.”
“I realised that I’m not that special in a sense that I’m far
away from my family in Japan,” she added. “This is the same situation
for so many other mums who go to Ruth’s group. They
went through something similar to myself and also have different
challenges. No one can help you really – you have to help
yourself. Self-care was the key takeaway for me.” •
Age UK: www.ageuk.org.uk
University of the Third Age (U3A): www.u3a.org.uk
Mindful Mothering: www.ruthsabrosa.com/mindful-mothering
Zoe has compiled a list of local resources, including those for young people, which
you can check out on the Village Raw website: www.villageraw.com/loneliness
20 21

FOOD & DRINK
THAT SUNDAY, THAT MARKET
The farmers’ market in Stroud Green is new and finding its feet,
while the market at Alexandra Palace has long been established.
They feel distinctly different, but they both have passionate people
who care about the community in common.
Words by Carla Parks. Photos by Federico Michettoni (portraits) and Dorothy Barrick (stills).
23

VILLAGE RAW
It’s a quiet morning in early January at Stroud Green Primary
School, the site of the local farmers’ market. Edmund May, its
founder, is moving in a blur of purposeful activity. “I’m very busy
through sheer disorganisation,” laughs Edmund, who has the air
of a theatre director. Even though he’s incredibly tall, it’s hard to
keep track of him as he pivots from writing on boards, working at
a stall, talking to traders and doing another five things at once.
What Edmund might lack in organisation he makes up for
in passion. It was his idea to start a Sunday farmers’ market in
Stroud Green after he moved to the area and discovered there
wasn’t already something similar. Having already spent many
years working at other markets, Edmund wanted to start something
closer to home that would get him involved in the community.
That was about 15 months ago, and the journey since has
been a mixture of many highs and a few lows. One of the things
Edmund underestimated is just how much marketing and advertising
the market needs to get going. “It started with a bang
just because I gave away loads of leaflets and everyone loved
the idea of it. Then it went a bit downhill.” But the founder – who
runs the market alongside being a piano teacher – has seen an
upswing since September.
In a corner of the playground, Diego Padilla is offering to fix
bikes for those who need it, while artisan roasters Kaffee Cul-
Previous page: Catherine from
Bread by Bike. This page: Edmund,
founder of Stroud Green Market;
Diego and Vivienne from London
Bike Studio. Opposite page: John
from Perry Court Farm.
ture do a steady trade just a few steps away. Other stalls sell
Italian wine, cider and bakery goods, and Edmund has plans to
introduce traders selling fresh fish, smoked salmon, cakes and
fresh pasta. Sitting behind a pile of impressive-looking sourdough
bread and Scandi buns is Catherine Jeapes from Bread by
Bike. As the name suggests, everything gets delivered on two
wheels, part of their philosophy to be environmentally friendly.
She explains how she normally doesn’t sit down until 1pm and
believes sales have been good since she started in July. “The
last week before Christmas was just heaving,” she adds.
Marco Florio, who specialises in hand-picked cheese from
Italy and is one of Stroud Green market’s regulars, says he’s
seen a trend of people wanting to shop for high-quality produce
close to where they live: “It’s becoming more social, more
of a community.” Marco’s cheese comes from small producers
Opposite page:Stories from
Crouch End, East Finchley,
Highgate and Muswell Hill
This page:
Stories from Crouch End,
East Finchley, Highgate
and Muswell Hill
Stories from Crouch End,
East Finchley, Highgate
and Muswell Hill
20 24

FOOD & DRINK
he personally visits when he goes home to Piedmont and the
nearby Valle de Aosta. A former trader at Borough and Broadway
Markets, he’s been in the business for about 15 years and
thinks there is more competition than ever. “We need to make
people aware of all these markets and the opportunities to buy
this kind of produce.”
His thoughts are echoed by John Barnes from Perry Court
Farm, who stands before a vibrantly colourful display of fruit and
veg – all from Ashford in Kent. “There can be certain periods in
the year when people don’t go to markets as much and it can be
quiet and hard. It’s really dependent on customer choices and
trends,” he argues.
If going to markets is reliant on trends, Alexandra Palace
Farmers’ Market, also on Sundays, must have its finger on the
pulse of what people want. An altogether more polished and
established affair than Stroud Green, it’s operated by the family-run
City & Country Farmers’ Markets (CCFM) and is the largest
and most successful of their six markets. Roughly 40 traders
sell everything from coffee and wine through to ceramics, fresh
fish and smoked meat. There are also regular hot food stalls
selling the likes of jackfruit burritos and more traditional fare,
such as burgers.
Even on what must rate as one of the slowest days of the
year, there is still plenty of trade. One attendee going from stall
to stall is Dorothy Barrick, an American who moved into the area
This page: Wayne, from Marsh
Produce; and Paul, founder
of Pure Kombucha - both from
Alexandra Palace Farmers’ Market.
a few years ago and wanted to find a local market to do some of
her shopping. “I started coming here and it was nice because I
didn’t know anybody [in London], but also it didn’t matter because
you can come and chat to people. It felt familiar and a
homey thing to do.” She ended up working on her own stall for six
months and has moved into doing social media for CCFM. “I love
this market. I like to know where my food comes from and I also
feel that it’s important to support the locals.” She argues that
not everything need be expensive: “Sometimes you just need to
ask them what they have and what you can cook with it.”
Dorothy wanders over to where Paul Sherring is selling Kombucha
tea. She asks him what she can take for energy and he
reaches for a potent mixture made with bee pollen and ashwagandha.
Paul explains that the market has allowed him to share
his passion with others: “It really allows me to talk to people, to
27

VILLAGE RAW
FOOD & DRINK
QUINOA BURGERS WITH SHIITAKE SAUCE
This easy recipe is a perfect way to enjoy farm fresh vegetables. The key thing is get
a feel for how stiff the mixture needs to be to hold together before the burgers are pan fried.
Once this is understood you’ll be able to improvise without a recipe the next time –
switch up the spices/herbs/toppings and get creative.
Recipe and photo by Dorothy Barrick.
pass on the knowledge that I’ve learned and to help them.” He
says business has picked up in the last six months. He credits
the fermented tea for helping to heal an injury and staying
focused, but it is more commonly known to help restore gut
health. He recommends only drinking it twice a day if you’re
healthy, taking about 50 to 100ml each time.
Passion is the common thread linking all the traders, who believe
in the quality of their products. That’s no less true of Elena
Magdziak, who travels from Bermondsey to Ally Pally to sell
traditional slippers from the Tatra Mountains in Poland. “These
are made by my friends and family,” she explains, gesturing to a
beautifully handmade slipper lined with the off-cuts of sheep’s
wool. They can be worn year-round, as sheep’s wool adapts to
your temperature. Business is steady, she says, and the market
allows her to work flexibly around her young family. But it’s the
atmosphere and the community that draws her here: “It’s my
favourite market, actually. The people are lovely and my customers
are absolutely amazing.”
Back in Stroud Green, Edmund also credits his loyal customers
and traders for providing “vital” support as the market
finds its feet. “Hopefully they will see it repaid as the market
gets better and busier each month.” Sitting cross-legged on a
wooden platform, he talks about some of his ideas for drawing
in more customers, including getting better at social media. It’s
This page: Elena, from
Onlysheepskin; Jonathan from
Heritage Cheese - both at
Alexandra Palace Farmers’ Market.
clear he feels a sense of responsibility, having brought many of
the traders on board himself.
There’s undoubtedly a special atmosphere at Stroud Green
and, when it’s busier, it can feel a bit like a small festival. There’s
occasionally live music, while communal tables encourage people
to sit and casually chat to strangers. It may not have the sheer
number of stalls that Ally Pally has, but it feels warm and welcoming
on a winter’s day. It has been said of the high street many
times, but also applies to local markets: use them or lose them. •
You can find Stroud Green Farmers’ Market on the grounds of Stroud Green School
on the corner of Perth Road/Ennis Road from 10am to 2.30pm on Sundays. For more
details check: www.stroudgreenmarket.com
Alexandra Palace Farmers’ Market is held at Alexandra Palace Park or at Campsbourne
School from 10am to 3pm on Sundays. More details are available at: www.weareccfm.com
For more images visit: www.villageraw.com/farmersmarkets
INGREDIENTS (Serves 2)
For the burgers
30g uncooked quinoa
or 85g cooked quinoa
A handful of kale
3 tsp oil (I use light
olive oil or avocado oil)
1/2 leek, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 large broccoli floret
1 small sweet potato (or
regular potato), chopped
into thumb-sized pieces
1 egg
1 tbsp gram (chickpea) flour
A pinch of sea salt
2 tsp Dijon mustard
For the shiitake sauce
180g shiitake, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp nutritional yeast
(I like Marigold)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of sea salt
For the salad
40g spinach
1/2 an avocado, sliced
A pinch of sea salt
A pinch of paprika
METHOD
Chop the sweet potato (or regular potato)
into thumb-sized pieces. Rub with a little
olive oil and roast for 30 minutes with a
little garlic and sea salt to taste.
Rinse the quinoa well, then cook in
a rice cooker or simmer in 90ml water
for 15 to 20 minutes until the water has
been absorbed. Let it cool for 5 minutes. I
tend to cook a big batch of quinoa as it’s
so useful to have in the fridge and eat
throughout the week.
Finely chop the leek and garlic and
sauté for a few minutes in 1 tsp of coconut
oil.
When the quinoa and sweet potato
have cooled, add to a blender with the kale,
broccoli, egg, mustard, gram flour and a
pinch of sea salt, and blend until combined
but not too smooth. Press the mixture into
4 to 6 flat patties and set aside.
Finely chop the shiitake and garlic
for the sauce. Sauté for 4 minutes, then
add to a small blender with the water, oil
and nutritional yeast and blitz until combined.
Leave a little chunky or smooth as
you prefer.
Peel and slice the avocado.
Heat the oil (I use avocado or light olive
oil) in a frying pan until it’s hot but not
smoking, then add the patties and sauté
for a few minutes on each side until nicely
browned.
Serve the burgers on a bed of spinach
leaves and top with the shiitake sauce,
the sliced avocado, and a sprinkle of sea
salt and paprika. •
You can follow Dorothy on Instagram: @dotscookin
20 28 29

VILLAGE RAW
THE GRASS ISN’T ALWAYS
GREENER
How the impact of our diet is less about what we eat,
and more about how it was produced.
Words and photos by Chris King.
Walking into Morley Butchers in Crouch End, the smell immediately
transports me back to my childhood in Belfast – accompanying
my mother to the local butcher, parting the metal chain
curtain, and walking through the doorway into a domain of freshly
prepared meat. I would amuse myself with the sawdust on the
floor as my mother bought cheap cuts of mutton on the bone for
an Irish stew, or some kidneys and liver for a mixed grill.
Andy, who’s been running Morley for the past 10 years, greets
me. We start talking about the meat he has available, the vast
majority of which I’ve never experienced – in large part because
I’m a vegetarian, and have been for the past 20 years. On display
is gammon, produced on the premises using the best cuts
of free-range Blythburgh pork; Scottish beef steaks from freerange,
grass-fed cows; and a fantastic array of other produce.
So, what brings me into this exotic and foreign land?
Morley is considered one of the best butchers in London, and
has been named Slow Food London’s Best Butcher twice – an
award which recognises retailers that care about the quality and
provenance of their produce. With our high streets dominated by
supermarkets, purveyors of processed and industrially produced
food, shops like Andy’s offer a vital connection to an alternative
food system – one that aims to function in a sustainable way,
minimising impact and suffering while maximising quality.
A critical factor in obtaining the best quality meat – something
with the best flavours and greatest nutritional value
– is the way in which the animal is reared. Keeping all forms
of stress to a minimum is paramount. This means letting animals
live and eat according to their nature and treating them
as sentient beings, rather than as commodities to be caged,
transported live across continents in inhumane conditions, or
slaughtered in brutal ways – hallmarks of a poorly regulated industrial
food system.
With the rise of mega farms housing 20,000 pigs or one million
chickens under one roof, and the adoption of other US-style
approaches to meat production, things are not going to get better
– for the animals, the environment or our health.
30 31

VILLAGE RAW
SUSTAINABLE VILLAGE
This page: Andy at Morley Butchers.
Previous page (left): Morley
Butchers in Crouch End.
Previous page (right): Pigs are
reared in high-welfare conditions
at Stepney City Farm, and the meat
is sold at their farm shop (right).
Animal welfare is not the only aspect of the system we
should be concerned about. The entire planet suffers as a consequence
of intensive animal agriculture.
Back in 2006, a report published by the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) revealed that meat and dairy production
generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all the world’s
transport combined. That was over 13 years ago, and meat and
dairy production has only been increasing to cater for rising demand
– between 2006 and 2014, it rose by around 20%.
While high-welfare butchers like Morley offer an alternative
to industrial meat production, the rising consciousness of our
impact on the world around us is generating an ever-increasing
call for people to reduce their meat consumption and embrace
a plant-based diet. But is veganism or vegetarianism really the
answer to Earth’s and humanity’s woes? Is a plant-based diet
more sustainable and less destructive to the environment?
Does a vegan diet cause less suffering or loss of life to animals?
Just a few doors down from Morley is Miranda Cafe, which
offers vegan and vegetarian food. Were it not for the menu, you
could easily assume it was like any other cafe. Gabriel and Francis,
the Venezuelan couple who run Miranda, tell me how often
people who have just walked in off the street can’t believe how
much they enjoyed a vegan lasagne, or a katsu curry made with
homemade seitan. They make a point of making the flavours
the focus of their food, and the food the focus of their customers’
experience. They source the best quality ingredients they
can, locally where possible. There is no attempt to push a vegan
or vegetarian agenda. They want people to be enticed to
explore more and more meat-free dishes through experiencing
great-tasting food at the cafe – not by getting evangelical, or by
challenging people’s belief systems. In their own way, they are
contributing to the normalisation of enjoying healthy, balanced
food free from meat.
As with animals, to get the best quality fruit, vegetables,
pulses, grains and nuts, stress must be kept to a minimum. For
plants, this means ensuring the best possible soils and growing
conditions – not something achievable through the creation of
monocultures, the annual ploughing of land, and the use of synthetic
fertilisers and pesticides. These are ubiquitous elements
of industrial farming, causing the degradation of the soils, biodiversity
loss, the polluting of the water systems, and much more.
Over the last 40 years around 33% of the world’s arable land
has been lost to erosion or pollution, and the UK is said to only
have around 100 harvests left. As for biodiversity, farmland birds
within the UK declined by 56% between 1970 and 2015, equating
to a loss of at least 44 million individuals.
We therefore don’t just need to address the rise of mega
farms, and the impact of factory farming – we also need to address
the destructive agricultural practices used within the industrial
system to grow the rest of our food.
Regardless of whether you’re a meat-eater or a vegan, if
you’re reliant on processed food and disregard its provenance
and means of production, you are having a significant detrimental
impact on the environment and animals.
Veganism practiced in this way therefore doesn’t represent
a viable means of reducing our impact and the suffering we
cause. However, the production of high-welfare meat, through
grazing and the fertilising of soil, can play a vital and significant
role in a regenerative form of agriculture that enriches soils and
increases biodiversity.
The debate about the impact and sustainability of what
we eat should not pit one group of people against another. We
need to reframe it – away from binary and emotive discussions
around meat-based versus plant-based diets – and make our
focus the agricultural practices being used to produce our food,
and how we can minimise their impact. What’s best for animals,
the soil and plants, is ultimately what’s best for us.
So while on the surface Morley and Miranda might seem like
they are at opposite ends of the spectrum, espousing different,
competing diets and philosophies, they in fact represent
two equally vital strands of the same thread. They represent an
alternative, more sustainable food system, and a means for all
of us, regardless of the diet we choose to follow, to minimise the
impact and suffering we cause through the food we buy and eat.
We should therefore show our support for them both, and for
independent businesses like them, in whatever ways we can. •
You can find out more about Morley Butchers at: www.morleybutchers.co.uk
and Miranda Cafe at: www.mirandacafe.co.uk - both are on Broadway Parade
in Crouch End. If you would like to know more about the Slow Food movement,
visit: www.slowfood.com. You can find out more about Chris’s work by visiting his
website: www.foodiswasted.com
Clockwise from top left: Making a cake
in the kitchen at Miranda Cafe; homemade
seitan at Miranda Cafe; a field
of cabbages rejected by a supermarket
for cosmetic reasons, being saved and
redistributed; Gabriel and Francis at
Miranda Cafe.
32 33

VILLAGE RAW
SUSTAINABLE VILLAGE
SUSTAINABLE
LOCAL LIVING
Three homes, 32 solar panels,
a whole lot of insulation, and
next to no electricity bills.
Read on to find out more about how
living sustainably is good for the
environment and for your pocket.
Words by Emma Ross. Photos by Dan Bridge.
It was when Stewart Mcilroy casually pointed to the internal
porch that he’d built himself to create an airlock that I knew
we were in the right place to learn about sustainable homes
in the area. On that chilly Friday morning, by arrangement
with the Muswell Hill Sustainability Group, we visited three
very different homes with owners who had gone to great
lengths to make them as energy efficient as possible while
also making some serious financial savings, and finding
enormous satisfaction, along the way.
Stewart and his wife Mary, who have an electricity bill
of net zero, and a gas bill of about £150 per annum, live in a
beautiful three-storey, end-of-terrace Edwardian house in
Muswell Hill. The solid-walled, 2,000-square-foot house still
retains all its original windows and floors, but has two types
of solar panels installed on the south and west sides of its
roof. With eight solar PV panels (2kW) for electricity and two
solar thermal panels for hot water, it’s the sun that powers
two-thirds of the electricity for Stewart and Mary’s home,
plus all their hot water from April to September.
Living roofs (which not only look attractive but also prevent
UV degradation), beehives, wooden rings gym equipment,
a pond, a living wall, and sprouting mushrooms can all
be found in their remarkable back garden. There are a number
of woodstores made up largely of wood chopped from their
own woodland in the Chilterns. I ask about a slightly abandoned
grey bin and Stewart replies: “Oh no, we don’t have a
grey bin. That’s for storing wood in.” All food waste is composted,
with any cooked food waste going into a Bokashi bin.
But solar panels and mushroom spores are really only half
the story. It’s what Stewart and other sustainable homeowners
are doing inside their homes that I found so fascinating.
Insulation is the name of the game: Stewart’s home has internal
solid wall insulation, underfloor sheep wool insulation and
secondary glazing on all 28 windows using Perspex magnetic
strips. Then there’s the seemingly smaller changes: from sealing
around skirting boards (use draft sealer or a caulking gun or,
simpler still, cardboard and a sawdust/glue mix) to full-length
interlined curtains (“As soon as it gets dark, we pull all the curtains
in all the rooms”) to double doors on storage cupboards.
It’s all about keeping the heat in. Another job Stewart did was
to move all the radiators from under the windows: “Radiators
on external walls are a waste of time”, he tells me.
It was while Lucy Craig and Gordon Best were extending
and refurbishing 2 Yewtree Close, a timber construction
built in 1984 with a flat roof and seven skylights, that they
decided to take steps to improve its energy efficiency. With
16 4kW solar panels; a closed, hot-water underfloor heating
system; and two air-source heat pumps – one internally to
provide hot water for the whole house, and one externally in
a highly insulated tank to feed a sealed underfloor heating
system – there is not a boiler or radiator in sight in this wonderfully
unique home. Indeed, their whole house is heated
by air. “Our fuel is not oil or gas, it’s air – and so far, the government
has not started charging us for that,” jokes Lucy.
The pumps are run on electricity, so while their electricity
bills are higher than most (around £100 monthly), they
pay next to nothing for gas – they have a gas hob for which
they pay approximately £4 a month. The electricity bills they
do generate are paid for by the Feed-In Tariff from the government
(just over £100 a month) that they receive for the
solar panels. In total, their net monthly outgoings on all utilities,
including wood for the stove, are around £25 to £30.
The SuperHomes network estimates that they have reduced
their carbon footprint by approximately 81%.
Like Stewart’s home, insulation is a big theme from taps
to floors. The couple reinsulated all external walls and floors
with Kingspan Thermawall, added secondary glazing to the
skylights, and put argon-filled double-glazed doors and windows
along the entire back of the property. They also commissioned
a thermographic survey to identify any sources
of cold air entering the house through unsealed gaps around
window frames, doors, floorboards, etc. Gordon tells me that
80-90% of what they found could be fixed with a caulking
gun in just a few hours. The cost of the survey was around
£400, but they’ve saved that money ten times over.
They removed all the original lighting and installed LED
lighting throughout the house - and have only had to change
one lightbulb in seven years. They’ve also installed a number
of energy-saving appliances, including a boiling water tap
and Miele energy-saving kitchen appliances.
Our final stop was a 1920s ex-London County Council
semi-detached house in N17. The house was in a huge state
when Pamela Harling moved in and the inside needed to be
ripped out – which was her moment to incorporate improvements
to reduce its carbon footprint.
Opposite page: The living wall and wood storage
of Stewart Mcilroy’s garden. Top right: A wood fibre
block. Bottom right: Solar panels on the roof of
2 Yewtree Close.
With triple-glazed windows and doors throughout, plus
wood fibre blocks insulating the whole outside of the house,
Pamela’s home is now totally transformed and has been
designated as carbon neutral, generating as much energy
as it uses. She also has eight solar panels and a wood burner
for central heating. With regards to controversy surrounding
wood burners and smoke pollution, Pamela, like Stewart,
is keen to point out that a wood burner can be incredibly
energy efficient, so long as it is used correctly, specifically
with regards to the air supply controls. “Wood burners are
designed for smokeless zones - the smoke is recycled, but
you must operate them correctly”, she points out. •
For additional photos, and tips on how to make your home more energy efficient,
visit: www.villageraw.com/sustainableliving. For more information about
the Muswell Hill Sustainability Group, visit: www.mhsgroup.org. You can follow
Emma on her social channels: @mamalinauk
34
35

VILLAGE FAMILY
VILLAGE FAMILY
IT REALLY DOES
TAKE A VILLAGE
We often hear the phrase ‘it takes
a village to raise a child’, but
what does that mean in an urban
environment? Creating communities
of support can make parenting a less
lonely experience.
Words by Dr Emma Svanberg.
Illustration by Anita Mangan.
Oh no, not another column about parenting! At the moment,
it seems you can’t read much without coming
across an article or blog about what it means to be a
parent. In our age of information overload, it’s easy for
parents to feel overwhelmed by the amount of advice
out there. So much of it is laden with judgement, and
just when you feel like you’ve got the hang of it, some
new research comes out which tells you everything
you’ve been doing so far is wrong.
This column is not here to give you advice. Instead,
I’d love to share with you some of the ideas, theories and
themes that come up in my daily work as a perinatal psychologist.
If you have specific questions or issues you’d
like me to cover, I’m happy to do so in broad terms – but
you’re welcome to take this information and adapt it to
your own life and circumstances, or disregard it completely.
I know a bit about psychology, and you know a lot about
your new family. Hopefully this column will give you some
useful ideas to make family life just a little bit easier.
Because family life at the moment is pretty hard for
many people. We tend to parent in isolation these days,
especially in our little north London village. Many parents
live far from their own families, in communities
which adapt as jobs change and families grow. All in the
context of financially pressured and politically uncertain
times, which make family life that bit harder and more
unsettled.
Many parents, especially those who take on the role
of the primary caregiver, are shocked at just how lonely
parenting can be, particularly in those early days. Many
might go from having an active social and work life to
suddenly spending long periods of time sitting underneath
a snoozing baby. Getting out of the house becomes
an exercise in military planning, and even when
those babies become toddlers, outings can be fraught
when emotions are running high. Add to this the expectation
that parents ‘should’ be coping alone, and the
common myth that everyone else is managing fine, and
we get a lovely vicious cycle of parents feeling lonely
and isolated - but unable to reach out.
That’s why it becomes so important to build communities
around us – something Village Raw is doing so
beautifully. Once we find spaces where we can share
the realities of parenting – the joys as well as the tough
times – we start to turn that vicious cycle around. A
village may not stop your child from lying on the floor
in Marks & Spencer, but they will give you a smile and a
helping hand so you’re know you’re not on your own.
What would help you feel part of a parenting village?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
If you would like to come along to The Village meetup,
held once a month, please get in touch with me. If
you are struggling with your feelings at the moment, do
speak to your GP. •
Learn more about Emma and her work at: www.mumologist.com. Find her on
Instagram and Twitter as: @mumologist, or on Facebook as: themumologist
NOWHERE
WE NEED TO BE
Words by Huma Qureshi.
Illustration by Anita Mangan.
This time of year feels like an in-between, lost time to
me. It is neither here nor there. The fog of winter has
lifted, but the lightness of spring is yet to come. Though
the days are getting longer, there are some mornings,
still, when the air bites cold and the sky is leaden with
the threat of rain, that it’s a struggle to go outside. And
though sometimes I am loathe to leave the warmth of
my home, going outside every day is one of those things
having children makes you do. And I concede: I almost
always feel better for it.
My morning walks with my youngest have become
something of a ritual. Once my older children are dropped
off at school, our day begins again. Often I need not even
bother with a bag – keys in one pocket, phone in the other,
coats on and we’re out. He stands at the door, pawing
like a small cub. He is not quite 18 months old – small as a
picket fence shrub, yet steady on his feet.
I know better than to wrestle him into a buggy – he
has no patience for it. Instead, I scoop him up and then
down our front steps. He kicks his little legs, demanding
I set him free. Then off he goes with a high-pitched
shriek, leading the way – left, right, whichever takes his
fancy. He turns heads, my littlest one, for people are bemused
to see such a tiny creature on his feet, walking as
if he knows exactly where he’s going (although, actually,
I think he does).
Sometimes, we bump into neighbours and friends and
they stop, crouching down to tickle him under his chin,
and they ask us where we’re going. My answer is almost
always the same. “Nowhere,” I reply. “Just out for a walk.”
I suppose my answer is a little curious – living in
Crouch End, you might expect our weekly routine to be
jam-packed full of toddler groups and activities taking
place in any of our local coffee shops, bookshops, at the
library or in the park. It is not as if there is nothing to
do. Swimming lessons, messy play, music sessions, you
name it – our immediate and extended neighbourhood
has it all. And for that I am grateful.
But, truth be told, as a mother of three, I mostly prefer
time to ourselves now. We’re lucky to live in an area
where we may have the choice to do something, or nothing
at all. We’re lucky that even doing nothing may still
be as wild as roaming in ancient woods or as simple as
walking down the street.
I am not naturally a morning person, but these little
walks have grown on me and made those dark, early
starts more palatable. He storms ahead, stopping to
pick at moss peeping through bricks or to play with a leaf
or bark at a dog. He is abundantly happy simply being on
his own two feet.
And I like it too. I like the pace he forces me to go at.
A slower pace, where I don’t have to watch the clock. A
more grateful pace, punctuated by a small hand occasionally
reaching up for mine.
Sometimes, if he’s not too tired after all his exploring,
we stop in a cafe close by and I order a tea for me
and a croissant for him to pull apart. Days like these are
particularly unrushed and, in comparison to my older
children’s lives, marked by drop-offs and pick-ups, playdates
and after-school clubs, it is a blessing to spend
a while in the company of someone sweet, and to have
nowhere in particular we need to be.
It’s the perfect bittersweet reminder, if ever I needed
one, to remember not to rush – for this time, I know,
shan’t last forever.
•
Huma is an author and blogs at: www.ourstorytime.co.uk and
you can also follow her on social media: @ourstorytime
36
37

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RECLAIMING THE WILD
Words by Phil Smith.
Inspired by our collective environmental conscience,
and by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s vision
to increase London’s green spaces, Rewild
My Street provides guidance on methods to “integrate
wildlife features into a typical urban setting”.
The initiative encourages creative and often
stylish methods for transforming grey paved
gardens and metal balconies into green wildlife
havens, incorporating wild flower meadows, patio
ponds, and habitats for different species.
When I asked for help with my own balcony,
founder Siân Moxon advised adding “lots of planters,
hanging and window-mounted bird feeders,
bird baths and even nest boxes to attract birds, as
well as wall-mounted or freestanding bee blocks
and insect hotels”. As London is losing green space
at a rate of two and a half Hyde Parks per year, see
what you can do at: www.rewildmystreet.org
PROJECT VISION COLLAGE BY SIÂN & JON MOXON (TOP); STREET ELEVATION ILLUSTRATION BY SIÂN & JON MOXON / VIKTORIA FENYES (BOTTOM).
38

ILLUSTRATION BY RANDALL P. SMIRK @RANDALLPSMIRK