‘Food and Drink’… these words made our stomachs growl and our mouths water for sure! You can only imagine how excited Connor and I were to take part in this West London Food and Drink Tour.
Before the West London Food Tour:
Connor and I are massive food lovers, and at work we always get each other a pastry or candy. We constantly have something under the tooth, we cannot help ourselves– I mean what can I say, we love food! This October we had the chance to get to West London and hop on our first Food and Drink Tour, to discover foods from all around the world.
During the Food Tasting Experience:
When we arrived at the Ladbroke Grove Tube Station at 3pm, we were met by a friendly guide named Eddie who took us around on our tour.
Connor and I were the only 2 participants on this West London Food and Drink Tour, which meant we really got to know all about Eddie and the business he runs. He knows all about the area and the history behind the architecture of the buildings, along with the names of each street and the people populating the district.
As we headed towards “Liberté Chérie” for our first stop, Eddie took out his tablet to show us a clip of what the famous Portobello Road used to look like in the mid-18th century, to give us an insight of how the area got its name and how the Spanish speaking community arrived in the neighbourhood.
Eddie’s explanation was fascinating, but you will have to book your experience to hear the rest of the story because I don’t do spoilers.
Liberté Chérie
Inside the zero-waste grocery shop, Connor and I had the chance to try a piece of homemade vegan fudge for the very first time, which melted slowly in the mouth. It was delicious.
Next, we tried dates that had been imported from Palestine. Connor misheard the explanation given by the owner of the shop, and thought it was a fermented egg – I don’t know how he got to that, but he ate it all including the pip.
Whilst I have always been advised not to eat the pip, Connor didn’t mention any specific digestive issues after this, and he is still alive, so I assume it would be all right if you did too – even though you would not mishear the word “date” for “fermented egg”, right?
Venezuelan Market
After our eggs-plorer Connor realised he ate a date with the pip, it was time to shake off the panic of sudden death and try some arepas, which we had the opportunity to taste at this local Venezuelan market. I can still feel the taste of the smooth guacamole and the cheese together, it was an indescribable mix of flavours which were cooked in front of our eyes to absolute perfection.
Spanish Parma Ham
Whilst we were eating our scrumptious arepas, Eddie let us delve into Portobello Road. Connor and I discovered a huge international community, which we found charming as we could see and smell the specialties of many different cultures all in the same area. I would recommend buying your groceries in the area if you want a bit of piquancy in your meals.
As we got to the end of the market, we were surprised to find Eddie armed with tasty Spanish Parma ham and green olives. Whilst we were savouring these delicious goods, our knowledgeable guide explained that this Parma ham was unusual because the pigs were fed acorns instead of wheat. This gives a special taste to the meat, and I could tell the ham was thicker which was very pleasant.
The Distillery
We carried on our tour by taking a stroll to gin-lovers’ paradise The Distillery, which is most known, as you might guess from the name, for being a distillery for gin. Our drinks were served promptly and within seconds the glasses were all empty, leaving Connor and I slightly tipsy.
Although gin is not usually my go to as I find it too bitter, I pushed myself to try it again and this experience changed my whole perspective on it. I would recommend it to all of you who are not big fans of gin, because it was a very pleasant tasting. I suppose I had only ever had cheap gin – which is obviously just not for me!
Notting Hill Door
You will never believe what we saw whilst walking to our next stop. We saw the blue door from the film Notting Hill! As soon as our guide stopped in front of the door, I instantly knew it was THE door. Connor was confused as to why passers-by were taking pictures in front of a simple blue door, but as he had never watched the film he couldn't possibly guess the door’s significance!
Buns From Home
After our escapade into the world of film, we moved onto some sweet treats at the bakery. As soon as we arrived, the welcoming staff invited us to have a glimpse of the kitchen in order for us to see how the buns were made.
Full of buns of all sorts, from banana to pistachio to cinnamon, the shop stocked every imaginable flavour. We had the chance to see the buns in the making, in the oven and the garnish, it smelled unbelievably scrumptious.
Finally came the tasting. Connor and Eddie both had a banana bun, which looked very inviting. I had a cinnamon bun, but to be honest I had trouble deciding between the pistachio and the vanilla. Connor and I loved the buns; they were light and cooked to perfection.
Melt Chocolates
Moving away from Portobello Road, we headed to the classy area of West London for more dessert. On our way to taste some chocolates, we had the chance to pass by the toy shop from the famous film Paddington, where we took a few pictures and discussed the history behind the shop and the area.
Arriving inside Melt Chocolates for some delicious truffles, we couldn’t believe our eyes. Shining bright like diamonds, the chocolates were calling us for the tasting. Connor had a mango and passionfruit truffle, and I tried a Pistachio truffle. Both of us were astonished by the amount of flavours packed into such a small treat.
Ottolenghi
For our final stop, Eddie brought us to a very luxurious bakery, which had a huge variety of tarts and pastries. As our stomachs were full from the delicious treats we had throughout our tour, Eddie got us 2 tarts dressed with lemon and garnished with a blueberry for us to taste at home as a little souvenir from our day in West London.
Connor and I sadly started packing our bags, cameras and belongings to return home. Whilst I was asking the guide some further questions about the tour and the area, Connor accidently ran into a tree and hit his head. We all started laughing and asked Connor what happened. Deep down we all knew he had too much gin to drink. It was hilarious, but we knew it was time for us to go home and rest.
After the West London Food Tour:
Once we had concluded our busy tour full of flavours, Eddie kindly dropped us off at the tube station for us to return home. Connor and I were so pleased from the wonderful time we spent discovering international flavours, and the history behind every corner of West London. We had a great time!
Thanks for reading!
We would like to say a huge thank you to Eddie for such a fantastic West London Food and Drink Tour. We thought that the entire experience was very inviting, as we had the most spectacular time that opened our eyes to new foods!
Portobello Road is the place to go to for your food shop – and if you’re not sure where to start, take part in one of Eddie’s West London Food and Drink Tours for in-depth insight.
