Hoxton takeaway "walks away" with best Indian award

A Hoxton restaurateur has called for Asian restaurant magazine, Spice Times, to create a nationwide competition after winning their London takeaway restaurant of the year award for the second consecutive year. More than 2,000 customers voted for the Pitfield Street Indian takeaway, Tiffin Express.

Owner Sahedur Rahman said: “I think we clearly walked away with it. We could easily compete on a national scale - I’m so confident I wrote to the Spice Times to ask for it.”

He added: “the award is good for the staff. You can see the increase in morale and they all enjoy working here.”

The family run business has seen a 15% increase in custom since their 2010 victory and Mr Rahman puts a large part of their success down to the open plan layout.

“Customers can see the kitchen, how clean it is and exactly what we are doing to their food. And of course the quality of our food matches our value.”

The restraunt’s speciality is the Beef Ka Baddashi, a beefsteak cooked in a strong blend of aromatic spices finished with “chef’s special touch”. It costs £8.95.

Ellie Slee described the restaurant as “BRILLIANT. You make Pitfield Street less of a pit.” Matt Irvine said: “You can smell this place from 100 yards in any direction. And the food tastes as good as it smells – excellent.”

Angela and the beanstalk

Hoxton ladies’ three bean plants grows into a community project.


“It will just cause a big mess…you will never be able to sustain it… it will attract foxes and rats…” These are just some of the complaints you are likely to hear if you start up your own community kitchen garden. 

But it only takes a bit of perseverance, optimism and rationality and your seeds could soon grow into your very own beanstalk.

“When I proposed the idea to the residents’ association one lady came to me and said she had 45 people who opposed the plans. But I visited them and it was clear they would object to the question “do you want mess and foxes in the neighbourhood”, anyone would. It only took a bit of explanation to bring them round,” explained Angela Large, the founder of Crondall Court estate community kitchen garden in Hoxton.

For Angela the initial scepticism was a minor challenge to overcome for the pleasure of growing and eating her own produce. “I come home from work, decide I want salad for dinner, pick it and serve it, all within an hour.”

“I grew enough salad over the summer to not have to buy any. I don’t know how much money I save but that’s not the point. When I pull a carrot out of the ground I’m dying to show someone what I’ve just grown.”

When Angela grew three bean plants in 2009 a seed had been planted. “I would quite like to do more of this,” she thought to herself. Despite initial scepticism from her neighbours, she secured a £1,000 grant from Capital Growth, Boris Johnson’s sustainable food initiative and, with help from councillors Carole Williams and Philip Glanville, pressed forward with the project.

There are now 13 beds in the allotment, each owned by around 20 local residents, couples or families who pay £2 a month for maintenance. The group host three social events per year and community spirit is thriving.

“At the beginning one lady threatened to set fire to anything we grew near her flat. Three months ago she knocked on my door and asked for some compost. I was so shocked I couldn’t bring myself to ask her for any money.”

“When I presented the idea to the residents’ meeting they told me I was wasting my time. They’ve seen middle class people like me move onto the estate, think they can solve all their problems and leave again.”

“Now residents are always peering in, complimenting us on our garden and chatting to us. There’s been a real softening in the community,” Angela said.

And now it is something for the community to take pride in. “All the previous opposition made us think it has to be lovely and appropriate.” The proof is in the eating.

Developers roar on with Lions Club proposals

Developers have vowed to press on with plans to revive Hoxton’s Lions Club after gathering a petition of 1,200 signatures supporting the development, despite concerns raised by the local residents on Monday.

The plans have attracted criticism from residents of Charles Square and Pitfield estates, who argue the developers are more concerned with the 22 new flats planned over six floors above the young persons’ club, rather than preserving the community club that has served the area for 80 years.

The Pitfield Street site requires £50,000 a year to run and, with local authorities reducing funding to just £15,000 this year, the dilapidated building is in desperate need of a significant cash injection.

Mike North of Crondall developers, the company hoping to take on the project, said he can understand the residents’ hesitation considering the history involved in the club, but insisted the majority of the community were behind the proposals.

He said: “Our research shows over 90 per cent of the community support the scheme, but residents’ concerns are valid and if there are misconceptions we have to work hard to change them.”

“We understand change can be scary; some of these residents probably went to the club as children. But this centre is in terminal decline. If the centre is to continue it has to make money. We want to make sure the legacy continues for another 80 years.”

Hoxton councillor Carole Williams said she sympathised with the residents’ concerns, but supported the plans. She said: “There has been a lot of development in Shoreditch recently and residents are anxious to make sure we get it right. The developers are doing a good job of listening to locals’ concerns to ensure the club is here for a lot longer.”

The planning process is in its fourth year, with builders unlikely to start work for at least another year.

Hoxton restaurant aims to make doggy bag diners’ new best friend

A Hoxton restaurant is taking part in a nationwide campaign to revive the unfashionable doggy bag. The Sustainable Restaurant Association’s (SRA) “Too Good To Waste” campaign aims to reduce the 600,000 tonnes of food thrown out by restaurants each year by 20%.

The Hoxton Apprentice is doing its’ part in the economic down turn by encouraging diners to take their leftovers home with them. The doggy bag targets the estimated six tonnes of food discarded by each restaurant every year from diners’ plates.

Doggy bags are commonplace in the United States but have failed to be a hit in the more reserved British society. “Our research shows one quarter of diners are too embarrassed to ask for a doggy bag, whilst a further 24% didn’t think restaurants were allowed to let the customers take their surplus food home,” said the SRA’s Tom Tarnner.

Hoxton Apprentice’s managing director, John Cruze said: “We are always looking for ways to reduce our food waste and carbon footprint. This is one conscious effort to do that.”

The Hoxton Apprentice can expect to save between £2,000-£4,000 a year and the chefs of the Hoxton Square restaurant, which offers unemployed people apprenticeships, certainly approve of the initiative. “They would rather see their food taken home than thrown out,” said Mr Cruze.