All Things Considered

Leila’s Shop & Deli
Posted by Simon Lewin

We finally made it to Leila's Café just by Arnold Circus, London E2 the other weekend. The only shame was we'd already eaten breakfast so couldn't sample the food properly (the fried eggs & ham looked fab).

And we were recently introduced to a new website, Spitalfields Life, a personal blog covering the history, culture, personalities and domestic life of the area. They like Leila's too...

"It is almost impossible for me to walk past Leila’s shop without succumbing to curiosity and stepping inside to see what is new. Regularly, I leave clutching a small brown paper bag with a dark moist slice of gingerbread inside to lift my spirits. This is something that can make my day. When they are in season, I have bought highly scented Narcissi from the Scilly Isles here and Bluebells from Cornwall too. Leila always tries to keep English flowers in stock, in fact whenever I ask where any of her stock comes from, whether a little bag of Lapsang Souchong or a large jar of Honey, there is always a story attached." More

Leila's Shop & Café is at 17 Calvert Avenue, London E2 7JP. Photo courtesy of Spitalfields Life.

Posted by Simon Lewin on October 9th, 2009