Welcome to Wandsworth Yum

Delving into everything there is to know about the local food scene in the London Borough of Wandsworth

Wandsworth Yum

Published in

Wandsworth Yum

4 min readMar 15, 2018

Our foodie focus will cover several areas:

· Balham

· Battersea

· Clapham Junction

· Earlsfield

· Tooting

· Wandsworth

A bit about me

Despite living in Wandsworth today, I am not from these parts. And I have not always been into food.

As a small child growing up in Scotland, I was a fussy eater. My Mum tells me that I only ate sausages and ham sandwiches. I hope she gave me multivitamins. Thankfully my food repertoire grew when I went to school. If you didn’t eat your lunch, there was no pudding (disaster). But with offerings like ‘Bananas Wrapped in Bacon with a Cheese Sauce’ (truly), ‘Lamb Crumble’ (with a sweet topping) amongst many others, I fought through the pain barrier and started to eat most things and just got on with it.

Then off I went to university to study Fashion. I love to follow what’s on trend and so developed an interest in style, whether it be clothing or interior design. (We have just embarked on a full kitchen renovation, but that’s another blog post in itself.)

Back at university, I mostly ate to survive, saving all of my money for what most students need it for; drinking (and the odd kebab). There was some dining out, but let’s be honest, eating was cheating.

And then I moved to London to work in glossy magazines. To Clapham to be precise. And my true love of everything foodie was born. I became slightly food obsessed. I had a little more money to spend, quality time to share with friends and a huge selection of local eateries and drinkeries (is that a word?) to sample on my doorstep. Living in South West London means being unbelievably spoilt for choice. Lucky us.

Restaurant Scene Wall Art On Northcote Road, Clapham Junction, SW11

The Day Job

I knew food was always in my heart when I soon realised that the best part of my job was managing photo shoots. Not fashion or beauty, but food shoots. I would spend each shoot joined at the hip with the food stylist/ prop stylist/ photographer, just talking about food. What were their favourite recipes, where were the coolest new openings, how do you make that look so unbelievably delicious? And the catering, oh my word, the catering. Not forgetting the countless dishes to sample. It was my dream job.

Today

I am now married to MR YUM (who eats absolutely everything except lychees. This makes him a very good kitchen guinea-pig) and have two little YUMMIES ages 5 and 4. One is fussy, the other is not. Go figure.

Family Eating

My focus has moved entirely on my family unit now. Eating together as a foursome is really important to me. Sharing quality time at the table together, cooking with the kids, eating out, trying new things. It’s all about encouraging the kids to enjoy food and everything that it entails.

Date Nights

And with all the chaos that comes with having kids, MR YUM ensures we dedicate time every week to eat out together as a couple. Cocktails, street food, fancy dinners, we like to tick off all the boxes and let our hair down. We would both go slightly mad without it (sorry kids!).

Brickwood Cafe, Tooting Market, Tooting, SW17

And so Wandsworth Yum was born

Our Borough is buzzing. It is great to have such fantastic, successful businesses on my doorstop. Keeping things local and promoting local business is my focus. I know it, I love it. I want to share my insights with you. That’s why, over the coming months, I am promoting the Borough of Wandsworth and everything foodie that the area has to offer.

We have thriving indoor markets, award-winning restaurants, artisan food suppliers, local farmers markets, stylish boutique shopping. And an entire neighbourhood at Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms undergoing a huge redevelopment to boot.

Our Borough is one in the spotlight. I want to shout about it all.

View of Battersea Power Station from Circus West Village, Battersea, SW8

To Whet your Appetite

Here is a little taster for what you will find over the coming months:

· Where to eat out with the kids

· Date night eating and drinking

· Eating at home

· Where to buy local, tasty produce

· Style for your kitchen and where to buy it

· Up to date local Wandsworth news

Yummy Tarts at The Bread Stall, Northcote Road, SW11

Together as a community, we can explore the food scene together. So please join by sharing your insights with me on my mission to #eatlocal and #shoplocal. I would love to hear from you.

Rennies at the ready everyone. Bon Appetit.