RISE OF THE POSH GROCER

Why Londoners are shopping locally again

F OOD shopping can be a triumph of hope over experience. At the beginning of the week you decide to start afresh and become the sort of organised uber person who bulk-buys groceries online, saving money and time. But it’s rarely that simple. You can’t find what you want, or you order too much of it and are lumbered with a glut of sweet potato that makes you feel guilty when you drunkenly buy a burger at the pub i nst ead of going home to make a wholesome low-carb, frugal meal.

But there is another way. Grocery shops are increasingly resembling galleries, all gl e a mi n g surfaces, interesting tiled floors and shelves full of colourful packages that you want to learn more about. You nip in for a lastminute obscure ingredient and, before you know it, you’ve filled your basket with all sorts of extra provisions.

Sourced Market is perfect for this. It opened last month in Marylebone and is like being in a market but one that’s open at convenient times and expertly curated. Nearby is Deliciously Ella’s Mae Deli, a cafe where you can pick up granola and other food for well-stocked store cupboards.

These superstores are also opening in local neighbourhoods — top-quality butcher The Ginger Pig is opening its eighth branch in Wanstead this summer and Borough Kitchen’s new outpost will be in Chiswick, so people there will have easy access to the finest kitchen equipment.

Where’s your newest superstore? Hugo and Ben met working at Borough Wines and eventually decided to go it alone with this cheese and wine shop in Lower Holloway, up the road from coffee hotspot Vagabond. The area has lo n g be e n d o minate d by Turk i sh grocers but there’s room for everything — as proved by Le Péché Mignon, the nearby French deli/café that has a run on croissants, baguettes and posh ham every weekend.

Provi sions has a comprehensive selection of around 100 wines from France and Italy and craft beer picked with the aid of Clapton Craft. There’s food, too, including 75 cheeses from small farmers, some of which are made from raw milk, bread from Lonzo in London Fields and jam and chutney from London Borough of Jam and Newton & Pott.

Regular cheese and wine nights, where you can learn about what you drink in a relaxed setting.

Wine refills — a reusable bottle costs £6 top up. Provisions also does happy meals — a bottle of wine, cheese and bread starts at £10. Founder Michael Jones started out as a paper boy and moved on to work at Neal’s Yard for seven years. Now he’s opened his own traditional grocer’s shop filled with all the supplies you need, from fresh fruit and ve g to cheese, baked goods and local beer.

The shop is offering discounts on natural wine throughout April, as part of Real Wine month. Come for a red pepper and leave stocked up with pastries, Burning Desire hot sauce and London Honey Company handmade candles. Jones stocks New York cult product Kewpie Mayo, made by David

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Susannah Butter