Getting local with your food is the ‘mot du jour’ lately, and with good reason too, since not only is it better for the environment, and has fewer carbon food miles, it also supports your local communities. What better way to do it than with your Wedge Card round all the local independents in London? So whip out your Wedge Card we’re going for a little tour round London town!
Starters - Our little tour begins in the heart of Wedge land; a fantastic cluster of shops located in and around our office and Waterloo Station. Get your meal off to a sumptuous start with salad from Casse-Croute on Lower Marsh; they offer wonderful combinations of beans, pasta, couscous, quiches, and many Middle Eastern inspired delights. And with your Wedge Card you get a free cookie with purchases over £5-bonus! Onto Greensmiths, a stone’s throw away on Lower Marsh, to top up those salads with a whole host of olives; they sell pots of black, purple, bright green and your standard ’olive’ green fare. And why not grate some candy beetroot for the perfect finish on your starting salad? These make a wonderful colourful addition to your salad, and are guaranteed to please. And if you’ve started your shopping a little late in the day why not stop by for a speedy snack which comes with a free tea or coffee when you spend £5 or more in the café after 3pm.
Mains- It’s now time to trek it across to the Nutritious Food Gallery in East London, Broadway Market. This shop does what it says on the tin, and is worth a visit just for the conversation with the owner. But yes, we know you’re here to stock up for your dinner…And fish is the dish of the day! You’ll get a fantastic 15% off fish when using your Wedge Card and you can then pick up your accompanying veg whilst here. Now that you have got the starters and mains sorted, it’s time to head down to Bedales in Market Street at Spitalfields Market for the perfect wine accompaniment. The expert noses of Bedales will help you choose the best to bring out the all the different nuances and flavours in your meal. And if you fancy stopping by for a little tipple yourself, late afternoon, Bedales offer half price on corkage after 3pm with your Wedge Card.
Cheese Platter- No meal is complete without the cheese course, and La Fromagerie fulfils all your Wedge needs: 10% off for your favourite wedge of cheese. Find them in Marylebone and Highbury.
Dessert- And all of you with sweet tooth out there, never fear, the gastronomic tour with Wedge is not complete without a visit to a cake shop! Head to The Spence in Stoke Newington Church Street, N1. There is a cake for all tastes: chocolate, heavenly cheesecake, frangipane fruit tarts, and gluten free polenta lemon cake among many.
Coffee- An after dinner espresso is perfectly finished with Rococo Chocolates, located in Avenue Mews, N1, King’s Road, SW3 and Marylebone High Street, W1U. A tantalising 10% off their tempting treats; may we suggest a bittersweet dark chocolate truffle to add that luxurious touch to the end of your meal?
Written by Nadia Bunce
Monday 22 February 2010
Thursday 4 February 2010
If only I had worked at an independent…
‘Hi, how are you?’
‘Ok thanks.’
Forced smile.
‘Do you have a loyalty card?’
‘No.’
‘That’ll be $9.50.’
Robotic exchange of money.
‘Thanks, have a good day.’ Another plastic smile.
Grunt.
This dry exchange was repeated at least three-hundred times every shift I worked in the express checkout at a massive chain supermarket in Australia.
There would often be a break in the monotony where I would serve one of my hungry colleagues buying a microwave meal for their lunch. This would follow with the predictable conversation of how busy it has been that day or bitching about a particularly rude customer. They would then trundle up to the tea room to heat and eat the soggy cardboard surprise and chat to colleagues about how busy it has been that day.
It amused me whenever the ‘big boss’ used to venture into the tea room from his big, dark office of demands and security cameras. Apparently he did this to show he was just ‘part of the team’ and to make him seem more approachable. It didn’t help when most of the team sat at the other end of the tea table. He tried to strike up conversation with how busy it had been that day and this generally got everybody talking.
One conversation that sticks in my mind is the merchandise placement strategy they were working on. The big boss had moved the entire milk fridge to the very back of the store, as well as all of the bakery items.
‘This is what people buy the most. Bread and milk. I want them to walk through the whole store through all the 2-4-1’s until they get to the staples at the back of the store. ‘
I thought about this obstacle course of temptation and it didn’t sit right with me.
I partook in this ritual during my first week to bond with my new ‘supermarket team’. Until one lunch time, a lady from the deli came into the tea room with a beautiful poppy-seed roll bursting with vibrant, fresh ingredients.
‘Where did you get that roll?’ I asked, salivating.
‘At the local sandwich shop, next to the newsagents up there. They’re the best!’
I ditched my heat-n-eat meal and marched straight to the sandwich shop. It was busy in there, but I was greeted with a real smile and the customers didn’t seem to be generally bothered. A bain Marie lay before me with hot pasta, couscous, vegetables and stir frys. Everything was in front of me, not hidden at the back of the shop between red special flags and offensive promotions.
I ordered some colourful vegetables and couscous and sat in their small café munching away, listening to the genuine conversation between the shop owner and Margaret about her sick Budgie Harry. I took my first deep breath of the day and my shoulders dropped. This is somewhere I’d like to work.
Why had I not walked those extra few steps and looked in my local independent shops? Did the huge chain monster blind me with its florescent lights and 2-for1 quick and easy meals? Working with the competitor has opened my eyes to quality food, and quality service and this is the only thing I can thank them for (apart from my pay check!).
Written by Lauren Ottaway
‘Ok thanks.’
Forced smile.
‘Do you have a loyalty card?’
‘No.’
‘That’ll be $9.50.’
Robotic exchange of money.
‘Thanks, have a good day.’ Another plastic smile.
Grunt.
This dry exchange was repeated at least three-hundred times every shift I worked in the express checkout at a massive chain supermarket in Australia.
There would often be a break in the monotony where I would serve one of my hungry colleagues buying a microwave meal for their lunch. This would follow with the predictable conversation of how busy it has been that day or bitching about a particularly rude customer. They would then trundle up to the tea room to heat and eat the soggy cardboard surprise and chat to colleagues about how busy it has been that day.
It amused me whenever the ‘big boss’ used to venture into the tea room from his big, dark office of demands and security cameras. Apparently he did this to show he was just ‘part of the team’ and to make him seem more approachable. It didn’t help when most of the team sat at the other end of the tea table. He tried to strike up conversation with how busy it had been that day and this generally got everybody talking.
One conversation that sticks in my mind is the merchandise placement strategy they were working on. The big boss had moved the entire milk fridge to the very back of the store, as well as all of the bakery items.
‘This is what people buy the most. Bread and milk. I want them to walk through the whole store through all the 2-4-1’s until they get to the staples at the back of the store. ‘
I thought about this obstacle course of temptation and it didn’t sit right with me.
I partook in this ritual during my first week to bond with my new ‘supermarket team’. Until one lunch time, a lady from the deli came into the tea room with a beautiful poppy-seed roll bursting with vibrant, fresh ingredients.
‘Where did you get that roll?’ I asked, salivating.
‘At the local sandwich shop, next to the newsagents up there. They’re the best!’
I ditched my heat-n-eat meal and marched straight to the sandwich shop. It was busy in there, but I was greeted with a real smile and the customers didn’t seem to be generally bothered. A bain Marie lay before me with hot pasta, couscous, vegetables and stir frys. Everything was in front of me, not hidden at the back of the shop between red special flags and offensive promotions.
I ordered some colourful vegetables and couscous and sat in their small café munching away, listening to the genuine conversation between the shop owner and Margaret about her sick Budgie Harry. I took my first deep breath of the day and my shoulders dropped. This is somewhere I’d like to work.
Why had I not walked those extra few steps and looked in my local independent shops? Did the huge chain monster blind me with its florescent lights and 2-for1 quick and easy meals? Working with the competitor has opened my eyes to quality food, and quality service and this is the only thing I can thank them for (apart from my pay check!).
Written by Lauren Ottaway
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