Support the Hornbeam Bakers' Collective

Two of my current intrigues are colliding: local food and drink, arts and crafts.

The Hornbeam Bakers' Collective are moving a new bakery premises in the also new Blackhorse Workshop.

Their bread is delicious, I love sourdough and it's great to buy it freshly baked locally. Their very affordable sourdough baking course is clearly fantastically popular - running at least once a month. I aim to do it next year once my kitchen has been refurbished and I have a much better space for baking.

The Collective are also refurbishing... in the New Year they're moving into their new premises and they've launched a crowdfunding campaign. They're a self-funded organisation and the funds will particularly go towards a professional oven. They're already over two thirds of the way there - BUT! they can only access all these fantastic donations if they reach their goal of £3,000. You can donate money or skills, they're looking for all sorts of help (building skills, website development, marketing, fundraising and business skills).

One of the reasons that I'm interested is that they aim to open an in-house cafe. This will be a great addition to the Blackhorse area and hopefully help bring people into the new arts-and-craft workshop space. I'm excited about the ongoing arts development in e17 and I'm so pleased to see the Blackhorse area developing too.

Lot 107, E17 3LL

Lot 107 (found at 107 Wood Street, opposite the indoor market) is part of the newly-popular Wood Street cluster of cafes. Wood Street has a similar mix of eateries to the High Street but far less footfall. That obviously has pros and cons, and I hope these businesses continue to survive but retain some of their peace. I head to Wood Street when I want a walk, a little browsing in the shops and a peaceful coffee. I head to the High Street for people watching and have a coffee for a rest after battling down the market.

When I started the blog, I decided to visit places at least twice before writing about them. This rule has served 107’s coffee well, because unfortunately on my first visit it was a huge disappointment. I ordered a large soya latte, it was sweet, weak and lacked body. On my second visit, I was asked if I wanted a second shot. Of course – here was the problem! I’d assumed that large drink = two shots. A reminder to me, to check! And yes, the coffee is good, mellow and drinkable. 

Lot 107 stands out because of the quality of their food offering, especially their all day breakfast. Everything is fresh and well made. One of my favourite dishes in the world is Eggs Benedict. Whilst I do believe it’s boring to continually order the same thing, this dish makes me happy. I could easily show you a series of Eggs Benedict photos.

Eggs Benedict £4.95

The egg is always perfectly poached and I think they use a high proportion of lemon juice in the hollandaise sauce because it’s a strong flavour which quickly cuts through the richness. Friends have tried other dishes on the menu, and can attest that they are just as good!

The staff are friendly and the service is quick. They are clearly popular – on one visit at 4pm on a Saturday (an hour before closing) they were still busy. It’s full height shop window at the front means it’s light and airy even in the worst weather. They have plenty of tables so you shouldn’t have to wait for a seat. In summer their space doubles, as the garden gets full use with large picnic tables and small bistro tables. They also grow some veggies in the back, which presumably contribute to the menu in summer.

Open Monday to Friday, 7am-5pm and Saturday 9am-5pm, with free wifi. It’s disappointing they’re not open on a Sunday as Wood Street’s Sunday offering is growing and I think they’d turn a good trade. On Tuesday’s they have a coffee morning from 9 -11, half price cakes with any hot drink – I imagine it’s a popular slot! You can find the soup choice and other specials on their Twitter feed @LOT107.

Leek and potato soup

Popular with... older teenagers, families with little ones and shoppers from Wood St Market. 

Accessibility... There is a small step at the entrance that would be difficult for powered wheelchair users (more than just a bump), but probably fine for people using manual chairs. Tons of space inside to move around. Toilets are available, with baby changing facilities, accessed by going out the back door down the side of the garden. I'm afraid I forgot to check whether there was a step here, but I will on my next visit.

The Hornbeam Cafe, E17 9AH

Soya hot chocolate

I love the Hornbeam Cafe for being different. I have lived in Walthamstow for nearly five years but only set foot inside the Hornbeam (458 Hoe Street) six months ago. It was always slightly out of the way, but my partner knew I had a hit list of coffee shops and took me for a surprise lunch on my birthday. We were very late and there was no food left, but the lovely ladies in the kitchen said they’d cobble together a lunch and it was delicious – a bit of everything. Though the most evocative memory of that meal is the world’s best soya hot chocolate. I have yet to try Cafe Bonito’s hot choc but it has competition!

Since then, I’ve purposefully made time to go for a coffee or a meal. Even when it’s full of customers, it’s a respectfully quiet place with no blaring radio. Last weekend I sat and read a good 100 pages of my book (Room by Emma Donoghue) without being disturbed. It has 6-8 mixed sized tables and I love the window table with wicker chairs for watching the relatively busy street – it’s near the Hoe Street/Bakers Avenue junction.

The Hornbeam is a vegetarian, mostly organic, cafe which offers home-cooked hearty meals, making use of whatever seasonal food they can acquire. Though a mainstay on the menu is the vegan brunch (£5.80) which is an incredibly satisfying and spicy breakfast.

Brunch: vegan sausages, tofu scramble, beans, potato cake,
mushrooms, salad and toast (homemade bread).

They also have an extensive drinks menu (including alcoholic) and when you order they automatically ask ‘dairy or soya milk’ – brilliant! Their coffee has a rich flavour, not too strong or too bitter (a latte was £1.90). Their hot chocolate is deliciously creamy. Water is freely available, on a side table. It feels very homely.

Soya latte £1.90

As a Community Cafe and Environment Centre, they have all sorts of information about local projects and green schemes, so there is reading material available if you didn’t bring your own. They sell locally created wood crafts and have regular events such as open mic nights and supper club. Open 11am – 4pm Monday to Friday, 10.30am – 5pm Saturday. Sadly not open Sundays - I wish they would, but volunteers make the Hornbeam special, so it's probably difficult to open all weekend. 

I have yet to try any other cafes in this part of Walthamstow/Leyton, so if anyone has any suggestions, let me know in the comments below. 

Accessibility... Ramp at the door and good space once you’re inside. Accessible toilet. Two high chairs available for little ones. If you’re parking in the area, you can get a visitors parking voucher from the shop next door.

Popular with... vegetarians (quelle surprise) and eco-lifestyle-advocates, tends to attract a slightly older crowd rather than hipsters or parents.

Le Delice, E17 4QR

Le Delice (114 Hoe Street) manages to be all things to all people: a cafe, restaurant, coffee and cake shop. It has a generous and well executed menu and flexible space which caters for everyone. For me, it stands out as one of the few places in E17 with a large space to allow singles to dwell with a coffee whilst simultaneously serving breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

If you like people watching find a table by the window, which wraps around the corner of Hoe Street and Jewel Road. You have a choice of dining tables, sofas and low tables, and a back room that is used as a meeting space. Their Facebook page advertises a recent Mehndi evening and I know of two business networks and a church group that uses the back room. It’s a popular place! If you want to find out what’s going on elsewhere in the Stow, they have plenty of local activities and groups advertised on the noticeboard by the till.

It’s worth noting (now that winter is upon us) that they either have amazing central heating (and a huge bill) or a kick-ass kitchen pushing out the heat, because it’s always toasty warm.

However, back to my priority, the coffee . With such a large menu I wasn’t expecting perfection in all things, but their coffee is surprisingly good. I may have found a new favourite-within-walking-distance-of-home (because I can’t have one out-and-out favourite). I chose a large soya latte (£1.70 plus 20p for soya), which was strong but mellow and smooth. It had the strength of a cappuccino, so those who like milky coffee could probably have used a little more, but I was very happy. Their coffee menu features three different piccolo selections – so it strikes me that they expect coffee drinkers to pull up a chair and linger for awhile, keeping our caffeine high going.

And linger you can, because they’re open until midnight – a rarity in E17. When the ‘The Scene at Cleveland Place’ opens at the end of 2014, I hope we’ll get more evening openings.

So what else is on the menu? Well everything. Sandwiches, paninis, baguettes. There are lunch specials every day, which they post on Twitter and Facebook if you want to choose before you go. 

Breakfast tagine (£6.25),
really filling brunch with lots of flavour.

They have Movenpick ice cream by the door which is still popular even though winter has practically arrived. I was sheltering inside from a downpour and a family of 3 was getting double cones!

They also make cakes to order. I watched a young man perform the delicate balancing act of getting a 15” square decorated cake into a 14” box, I have no idea how the woman carried it home.

Chicken pesto baguette (£2.50),
deliciously creamy,
easy to taste the parmesan in the pesto.

My one minor gripe is that they could clean up the menus behind the counter, on the wall, they’re a bit scruffy and it affects customers’ perception of cleanliness – which isn’t a problem at all.

Ultimately peoples, you can’t argue with a huge coffee that costs less than £2. Every major chain will charge you more. And if the coffee doesn’t keep you, the friendly efficient staff and free wifi will.


Accessibility... Level access at the entrance and plenty of space inside to move around and they’ll happily shift tables to make a bit of space if needed. A very slight ramp to the male and female toilets at the back. The ladies is accessible with space for transferring (though the passageway looked a little tight to me) and a baby changing table. There are a few steps at the rear of the cafe, to go down to the seating area at the back.

Popular with... everybody.