In this new column we’ll be exploring some great local businesses based away from the bustle of Streatham High rd. Melissa and Drogo Montagu of Lewin Rd. SW16 have each found individual niches in the food business. Choi Time Teas, Melissa’s baby, ethically sources teas directly from the growers in China, where her family still have contacts. The teas won 2020 Great Taste Awards and are beautifully packaged, available from Harrods to Wholefoods and can help with everything from weight loss to stress. While Melissa makes up her Dom Perignon of the tea world sachets and steep able flowers, Drogo’s website, www.finefoodspecialists.co.uk is a treasure trove if you love the more eclectic side of cooking and ingredient discovery. Purple potatoes anyone? Morels? White chicory or jelly nuts? This is a site worth browsing not only for interesting new discoveries but for incredible game, lamb, truffles, hampers and more. One for the foodies but as we all move to spending more on sustainable, carefully sourced foods it’s wonderful to have a resource like this. We spend less on food as a proportion of our earnings than any other country in Europe and perhaps the time has come for less meat, less bulk and more care.
Readers can get ten percent off their first order with the code STREATHAM22
Elizabeth Moore