Today I took one of my friends to Selfridges in London to try out the Hemsley + Hemsley café that we have both wanted to visit for quite a while. I love their food philosophy, ‘Long Live Good Food’.
It was really evident in the cafe that not only do the sisters love sharing recipes, but love feeding people great food. All of the dishes on the menu can be found in one of their books with a few specials just for the customer, as well as tempting drinks and deserts. Each option is filled with goodness, free from gluten, grains, refined sugar and hydrogenated vegetable oils.
The café is open for customers to relax and enjoy their favourite Hemsley dishes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and any time in between. It took us a while to find the space which is situated in The Body Studio on floor 3.
What made me want to lunch in the H+H café is their thoughtfully sourced ingredients that are organic in nature. This includes supporting local producers who grow their produce free from pesticides, but don’t necessarily have an organic certification. They prefer local, preferably British grown and traditionally farmed food, including Organic and Biodynamic-certified produce, to ensure that all of their food is as free as possible from chemicals and GM ingredients. This sustainable and ethical mindset is one I love and admire.
We both found the eatery to be a comfortable, light and airy environment. The small, but cosy layout is cleverly designed to offer seating options for individuals, pairs and groups of up to 10 people via stools at the café bar and comfortable seats and tables. During our visit the staff were very happy, friendly and welcoming and one staff member in particular was absolutely fantastic at responding to our enquiries about some of the dishes.
After deliberating over the menu for quite some time, I eventually decided to select the feta and black bean wrap with mixed green salad. The wrap was a flaxseed flatbread made from just eggs, seeds and almond! It was filled with the bean, feat and sundried tomato ‘meatballs’, avocado and salsa. My friend chose the same main dish and chose an iced matcha latté as a drink.
The food was absolutely delicious, I couldn’t fault a thing. My ‘meatball’ wrap was a wholesome choice: soft, protein-packed, with an added kick from the homemade salsa served alongside. I loved the zesty salad that came with it too!
When I return to the café in the future, there were so many other food and drink options on the menu that sounded equally as delicious such as those below:
Drinks:
Matcha Latté: creamy with a hint of vanilla
Turmeric sunshine latté: lightly spiced with cinnamon and black pepper.
Kombucha: naturally fermented chilled green tea, lightly effervescent with sweet and sour flavour.
Medium core juice: green veg and herbs with a touch of sweetness; celery, cucumber, lemon, mint, green apple.
Food:
The primavera soup: watercress and baby spring vegetables with quinoa carrot toast and almond butter.
Quinoa roasted vegetables salad with basil pesto: carrots, red peppers and tomatoes, brazil nut pesto.
Chocolate and ginger tart: almond pastry filled with avocado chocolate and a caramelised ginger maple drizzle.
BB brownie protein balls: 3 chewy chocolate, date and black bean protein bites.
What I love the most about the Hemsley sisters is their home-cooking adoration with a passion for delicious, healthy food that makes you feel your very best. They always create nourishing, nutrient-dense recipes, with top quality ingredients to make dishes that are packed with flavour and goodness! Their motto is something I really agree with: ‘good food, good mood, good digestion, good health’. These are, in my opinion, inextricably linked; if you start with good food, the rest will fall into place.
They follow old kitchen wisdom and champion nutritious, traditional ingredients like bone broth and natural fats which modern society has forgotten. Provenance is key to their philosophy; they both value the importance of understanding what you’re eating and knowing where it comes from. What I also very much appreciate is their operation of a plastic-free kitchen with their entire takeaway packaging being fully recyclable.
I would highly recommend visiting the Hemsley and Hemsley café if you are in central London. There was such a buzz about the place as well as it being a little space of calm and delicious food. It has definitely become one of my favourite lunch places.
Rachel
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