Daylesford: the model for local sourcing from own farm to table in London
ORGANIC BRUNCH FARM PRODUCE WILD SEAFOOD FORAGING
A string of farm shops with casual dining counters in Marylebone, Notting Hill, South Kensington and a tiny spot in Pimlico, Daylesford sources most of its ingredients from the organic British farm of its founder Carole Bamford.
The largest Notting Hill spot is the perfect for a family brunch meal on weekends. When I lived in London, I’d buy their cheese, wholegrain bread with their seasonal salads and warm meals. Today, as Daylesford’s presence in London grew, the cafes and farm shops do not just sell their own farm produce (their own bottled kombucha is not to my taste), but most of the cheese, meat, fruits, vegetables, plus the artisanal snacks were produced in the UK. A team of a French baker, award-winning cheese maker, and hard working farmers constantly consult everything with the in-house environmental scientist. The beef, lamb, chicken, grains for flour, cow’s milk, yogurts and much of the cheese comes from the farm. The seafood served at Daylesford is line-caught and wild, mushrooms foraged and the rest is selected from local, trustworthy purveyors of organic produce. Anything made from their cow’s milk is better than conventional, because their animals graze stress-free on the luscious farm grass in Cotswolds. Their dairy produce is excellent, but the granolas are just ok and some of the plates lack in creativity.
Some of their items to go are also available on Deliveroo app. Daylesford certainly delivers on sustainability in sourcing as locally as possible, organic farming, packaging some of the products in glass, and educating through the literature sold at the London shops and the farm. A spa, hotel and cooking school were set up on the farm in Cotswolds, so if you are lucky to find an availability try and see. Still, Daylesford can do more, such as totally replacing all packaging with bring your own container scheme and selling in bulk and/or offering glass bottle return rewards to their regular customers so their packaging can be reused.
MUST HAVE: Seasonality is taken seriously at Daylesford. Choose three or four seasonal salads for a bowl. For breakfast try the plain yoghurt, kefir, orchard fruits, honey.
208-212 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill London W11 2RH & other location across the capital.