Producers out east

Crate Brewery With the River Lea right on its doorstep, you can take a brewery tour to see how Crate makes its tropical pale ales, fruit session IPAs and rich stouts, before settling down for a pint and a tasty stone baked pizza – straight from its pizzeria.

Queens Yard

Hackney Wick

(Tel: (0044) 20 8533 3331 or visit cratebrewery.com)

East London Liquor Company East London’s first new whisky, vodka and gin distillery in over 100 years is based in a former glue factory (hence the upside down horse on bottles). It produces around 12,000 bottles a month. Visit for tastings, tours or a tipple and pizza.

Bow Wharf

221 Grove Road

(Tel: (0044) 20 3011 0980 or visit eastlondonliquorcompany.com)

Hill & Szrok Step into Hill & Szrok and you’re greeted with a huge table full of the most marbled, ruby red, plump in the right places, lean where should be, cuts and joints of meat. The butchers are on hand to dispense advice and all meat is carefully sourced. 60 Broadway Market

(Tel: (0044) 20 7254 8805 or visit hillandszrok.co.uk)

Meringue Girls Starting life in Broadway Market where they still have an ever popular stand, the Meringue Girls were such a hit with their multicoloured creations that they were soon snapped up on a book deal. They also run master classes from their bakery, which is otherwise only open for collections.

Broadway Market Mews

(Visit meringuegirls.co.uk)

Pavilion Bakery Another that started out as a market stall, albeit this one in Borough Market, Pavilion isn’t about breadth of offering but it does what it does exceptionally wall – coffee and sourdough. Also has a sister bakery around the corner in Columbia Road and a buzzy cafe in Victoria Park.

18 Broadway Market

(Tel: (0044) 20 7241 1241)

Secret Smokehouse As the name suggests, you can’t actually visit but some of London’s finest Michelin starred restaurants source their smoked fish from Max Bergius, a Scotsman, and his Secret Smokehouse beneath the arches of Hackney near

London Fields. Luckily, you can however, taste some of his award-winning products by ordering from the website.

Mentmore Terrace

(Visit secretsmokehouse.co.uk)