Saturday Shopping: Camberwell SE5

Camberwell is very close to my heart. I was born in the no longer existing St Giles Hospital and I was christened in St Giles Church; the same church in which my great, great, great, great grandfather- Jean Alphonsus Ferdinandus Roullier, the first Roullier to arrive in this country from France, married his Italian bride; Johanna Francisca Daspa. My parent’s first flat was on Camberwell Grove, which is where my first memories were formed. My mother reminds me of my rather bohemian beginnings; of me waving to Albert Finney as he took in his milk, resplendent in a silk kimono, and our eccentric upstairs neighbour, Irene, who blared out Edith Piaf records morning, noon and night. ‘Je regrette Irene’ my mum says when she wants a smile out of me. 

But we are shopping, not reminiscing, and there is much to do (and eat) as I discovered. 

Camberwell Church Street 

House, is a charming café and gallery, with garden, where you can enjoy a lovely lunch or an afternoon tea complete with locally made cakes. On the 29th June House is organising a clothes swap, take along your unwanted items and walk away with something more fitting. This enterprising enterprise will even cater your event or function, for what I consider a very reasonable rate. More details here. 

Maloko serves delicious buckwheat, gluten and wheat free, galettes; starting at £3. La Chvère Rouge (£4.50) tickled my taste buds; goat’s cheese, beetroot, sweet potato, baby spinach and quinoa. Find Maloko on Facebook. 

The well reviewed F M Mangal has an equally enticing menu and a terrace overlooking the busy and bustling street; the promise of bildircin (quail cooked on an ocakbasi open charcoal grill £9.50) and imam bayildi (aubergine stuffed with onions, tomatoes, peppers and dill (£11.95), means I shall be visiting one evening very soon. See the F M Mangal menu here. 

Opposite; Caravaggio, an authentic Italian trattoria, has an extensive menu of freshly cooked dishes, which are all available for take-out. I am looking at the menu as I type and thinking that our Friday night pizza evenings might get elevated very soon. 

Just off Camberwell Church Street, on Grove Lane, Johansson’s is a Swedish restaurant, wine bar and deli, with a daily changing menu that looks delightful. Visit the Johansson’s website here. 

Jen and Matt’s Crooked Well has was highly recommended to me & I must say it is enchanting; as is the menu. The Crocked Well is absolutely the sort of place you want to call a few friends and ask them to meet you there, quietly sipping on an Earl Grey Martini and bashfully basking in the glory of being so clever at finding such a wonderful place.

Cruson’s is an old fashioned greengrocer, but apart from the usual fruit and vegetables one would expect, I bagged baby carrots (red and yellow ones) and wild mushrooms. At Sophocles, the Greek bakery, I bought spinach and feta filled bouréki (£1.50 each) for lunch for us all in the shop and bolos de arroz (Portuguese rice flour cakes .90p) which are so pretty I went back later and bought more to make up a mini basket as a gift. Daktila (right) is my all-time favourite bread; baked as it is in scored sections, it is the perfect sharing, tearing bread, for dips, soups or a picnic. I was delighted to see wholemeal Daktila for just .90p each. 

Visitors to the area should check out and check into the Church Street Hotel, lovely quirkily, arty rooms with a Mexican vibe and a great restaurant. Click here to visit the Angels and Gypsies website.

Also The Church Street Hotel is seconds away from the pool at Camberwell Leisure Centre. I only live down the road, but I fancy a few nights there! Take a peek at the rooms here. 

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Camberwell Grove 

Greek friends of mine have been dining at Vineyard – or ‘the Greek’ as they call it – for decades. Restaurateurs from Paleochora even had it on their ‘must-do’ list. I would recommend a glass of Kratistos Nemea; and I dream about their stuffed vine leaves with a side order of tzatziki.

Camberwell New Road 

Rat Records is a rare treat. Flicking through their vinyl was like watching my life flash before my eyes. With many a ‘whoa, I forgot that’ moment. (remember Lone Justice’s Ways to be Wicked?) The shop buys and sells unwanted and rare records (and CDs) and has two decks with headphones where you can listen before you buy. Being on my third round of music collecting (vinyl in the attic, CDs given away, and now MP3s on my iphone – who would have thought?!), I relived the attraction of 12 inch records, when you could read the sleeve notes and appreciate the cover art. It occurred to me that something like Rat Record’s Beetle’s Hard Day’s Night (£10) would make a very reasonable piece of wall art, and before record collectors recoil in horror, if you were to frame it with the disk within, you would be decorating your walls and preserving something for future generations. Check out the Rat Records website here. 

Denmark Hill 

Pesh Flowers has been in business for over 50 years; so amazingly the artisanal feel of the store - that shop designers would spend a fortune recreating - is authentic and not contrived. I picked up an oregano plant (£3.95) and, when I went in to pay, I discovered the store was literally bursting with white bouquets. Spotting Hugo Boss’s card stapled to the corner of each one, and an intriguing parcel attached, I asked what was going on. Pesh Flowers had been commissioned to send bouquets out with Boss’s latest perfume release ’Jour’ to perfume buyers and editors. The people at Boss certainly have excellent taste in florists. Pesh Flowers also runs flower arranging classes, more details here. 

Cowling & Wilcox is the sort of shop I could move into. I love stationery, and although this store is primarily known as an art supplies store, it is so much more.

The front is full of activities and art and crafts for children; if you have kids do pop along, you will be impressed. Adults beware too, Cowling & Wilcox is an Aladdin’s cave of unexpected delights; Pantone mugs (£10) are sure to brighten any breakfast table and Mibo tea towels (£9.95), which can be cut up and sewn into soft toy squirrels, owls, lions and foxes, are genius. Talking of which, I picked up several artists’ wooden palettes (£6.50 each) which I ingeniously (if I do say so myself) thought I would use for cheese or passing around charcuterie. Leuthttrum 1917 pen loops (£2.50) are adhesive elastic loops that you attach to your Leuchtturn 1917 notebook (A5 £12.99) (thank you Captured On The Rye for the heads up) to retain your pen.

I have no idea what I am going to do with my D. Leonardt & Co art nouveau style nip tin (£1.30) but I had to have it. Take a look at the lovely Cowling & Wilcox website here.

I love my Fabriano 'Bouquet' notebook set so much I cannot begin to tell you.

Have a beer in The Joiners Arms and check out the amazing Victorian interior, oak bar and incredible tiled mural proclaiming; ‘join truth with trust.’ 

GX Gallery is a commercial gallery and picture framers. Check the GX Gallery website for details of current exhibitions. 

I was concerned to see, with all the reductions showing on all lines at Natural By Nature,, that things might not be going too well; but the cheerful owner reassured me by explaining that his pricing policy simply indicates the savings one in making on recommended retail prices. I immediately snapped up Faith in Nature soaps (RRP £1.85) for £1.55, Ideal Health tea bags (RRP £1.69) for £1.55, Yogi Tea lime mint tea (RRP £2.19) for £1.99 and Amphora Rose Geranium essential oil (RRP £5.99) for £5.20. 

The Sun of Camberwell on Coldharbour Lane has a laid back and relaxed vibe, the prefect Sunday venue, and the evening menu looks ravishing. Check out the Sun of Camberwell webite here. It is rare to see bavette cut steaks in the UK. This French butchers' cut is full of flavour and worth a trip to Camberwell on its own.

I walked home sipping my Union coffee from the absolutely beautiful Love Walk Café – their breakfasts looked the best I have seen, confirmed by the smiling faces enjoying them - room hire and catering too - feeling I had done very well in Camberwell.

Lawrence's monthly shopping page appears in the SE Magazines group of publications, click here to read online.