Author: Paloma Lacy

Streatham dwellers were pleased to welcome neighbourhood restaurant SW16 Bar & Kitchen last autumn. Further lockdowns and on-going restrictions saw tough times, surviving on a takeaway collection service of fresh pasta, which thankfully proved popular.

News that an extended Streatham Food Festival is back for 2021 will no doubt be music to locals’ ears and a sign of life returning to normal. The 10-day event begins on July 1, giving everyone plenty of opportunity to get back out and support bars, cafes and restaurants.

Much-loved neighbourhood restaurant Peckham Cellars may have closed the restaurant element of its operation during lockdown but it kept people well watered with the contents of its wine cellar, offering same-day and next-day local delivery.

Father’s Day is on Sunday, June 20, and there are so many present ideas fit for the foodie dad. Here are some of our favourites.

Now that everyone is allowed out, al fresco entertainment is all the rage this summer. The good weather looks here to stay and you’re no one if you haven’t socialised on one of London’s many rooftop locations.

The diner’s dilemma – eating out when you’re trying to lose weight is one many people have faced.

Less than a week since restaurant in-dining reopened, the restaurant kits we ordered with great gusto over the past year seem to be but a distant memory.

Is it barbecue season yet? With the weather as changeable as ever, no one is quite sure so plan one, cook while holding an umbrella and if the rain really doesn’t hold off, then eat inside.

Restaurants have pulled out all the stops to offer us fine dining experiences from the comfort of our own homes and I for one am grateful.

Streatham has become something of a foodie hub in the past few years. It’s home to great bakers and other small independent producers.

It’s quite fitting that the at home food range from restaurant Limin’ Beach Club is called Saga Boy Foods, given that this is yet another chapter in owner Sham Mahabir’s ongoing saga.

The UK’s ultimate foodie festival is only a few months away and it’s swinging by Dulwich Park from June 25-27.

The closure of restaurants to in-dining customers for much of the past year has been hugely disappointing.

Easter is almost in sight and the re-instatement of the ‘Rule of Six’ from no more than two households for outdoors entertaining is nearly within our reach.

In a few weeks’ time the ‘rule of six’ will be back in place and entertaining in home gardens will once again be allowed. What could be better than catching up with family and friends, gin & tonic in hand? All that’s needed now is for the weather to get its act together – a little sunshine would be most welcome.

Restaurant openings take a long time to plan so I dare say that Heritage expected to be fully operational by the time it opened a few weeks ago. What has actually transpired is a collection and delivery service because we’re in lockdown once again, with no in-dining allowed until mid-May.

Don’t miss the opportunity to spoil your mother on Sunday, March 14. It’s a shame that Mother’s Day comes before outside dining is allowed once more, as of April 12. However, South London is awash with at-home options to give everyone a break from the kitchen.

Caribbean food is currently experiencing a renaissance. Given South London’s significant Caribbean community, the cuisine has long had a place in locals’ hearts but even here things are changing. To use modern parlance, we’re seeing a definite levelling up.

Worthy Farm – home of the iconic Glastonbury Festival and award-winning dairy farm – has launched its first reserve Cheddar cheese, exclusively in Co-op stores.