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Forest Hill Food Fair
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busybee


Posts: 3
Joined: Jan 2011
Post: #1
22-04-2012 06:23 PM

Hi everyone
Well, we knew SE23ers loved cake, but we didn't know just how much!

The 1st FH Food Fair was so popular that we had completely sold out by lunchtime.

(We are very sorry, to anyone who came out later in the day. If the food fair happens again - and we hope it does - we will be there and will make sure we bring loads more!

If you went, and tried our cakes or bakes for the first time, we hope you liked them. Don't forget, we supply St.David's Coffee House, and the Teapot Deli so you can always get something there.

Or you can order direct, with FREE delivery to SE23 and surrounding postcodes (minimum orders apply). The Forest Hill Cake Co.

Best wishes
Nicky
The Forest Hill Cake Co

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P1971


Posts: 816
Joined: Feb 2009
Post: #2
22-04-2012 07:39 PM

Hi Nicky

My daughter came down to pick up some cheeses, veg and cakes for me this afternoon and yes you were sold out. Well done!
Hope you have a think about opening a shop in the area after a good response. Think it would do really well.

Pauline

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michael


Posts: 3,255
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #3
23-04-2012 08:36 AM

Many thanks to everybody who came along and supported this event.
It was lovely to see the station car park as a community space, with lots of people enjoying the vibe in the town centre.

With stalls selling out one after the other we demonstrated that there is real demand for this type of food market in Forest Hill town centre on a regular basis.

A few pictures from yesterday can be found at http://www.foresthillsociety.com/2012/04...ccess.html

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DerbyHillTop


Posts: 120
Joined: Aug 2008
Post: #4
23-04-2012 12:36 PM

We are very sorry that we missed it all. Unfortunately we are mad supporters of London Marathon, and spent the day on the course, and we got back just after 4pm, by which time it was all packed up. Sad

So we hope there will be more of these in future.

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Londondrz


Posts: 1,538
Joined: Apr 2006
Post: #5
23-04-2012 12:46 PM

I really enjoyed it and had a fantastic lunch with the produce we bought. Hopefully it will expand next year.

Well done to all those who organised it.

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Baytree


Posts: 17
Joined: Feb 2011
Post: #6
23-04-2012 12:49 PM

Unfortunately I was unable to make it, but surely we can have more than one food fair a year given the turn out?

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Novels


Posts: 83
Joined: Apr 2008
Post: #7
23-04-2012 12:56 PM

I know most local traders by name but I was absolutely delighted to come to the Fair and meet them in person.
I had a slice of cake which was absolutely gorgeous! I could taste the eggs, the fruit, the flour... don't get me started!

And a literally scrumptuous vegetarian pie from Hills and Parkes.
Plus bought veg, bread and other bits.

Oh and a very unusual scotch egg with sicilian flavour.


Thank you!
Smile

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Belle


Posts: 88
Joined: Dec 2009
Post: #8
23-04-2012 01:06 PM

Is this happening again? Somebody mentioned 'next year'. This seems like an awful long time to wait if it was such a success. Cannot it not happen every month? By the sounds of it, there is the demand and it would be a lovely FH event.

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SeanThomas


Posts: 45
Joined: Apr 2012
Post: #9
23-04-2012 01:54 PM

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who pulled off the fair too.

We had a great day wandering around the area with our neighbours. A
great deal of the stalls were pretty decimated even by 12 - well done
for shifting so much stuff! - so we popped into some of the local
shops instead after some of the London Gold Ale and Cider.

Had some great jerk pork in The Black Hummingbird Cafe (lovely owner
too, a really nice afternoon - though if it gets that busy regularly
think he'll need some extra staff), some nibbles in All in One /
Foresters and a few pints in and around the station, including the new
pub Sylvan Post which should be a great draw for the younger people
moving to the area then bagged some sweets too up at Sugar Mountain.
Canvas & Cream was so busy we decided to pop back another day.

Really made me appreciate how lucky we are to have people such as
yourselves in the local area and hope that this and the upcoming
swimming pool opening continue to get the town centre noticed.

Well done all.

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nevermodern


Posts: 653
Joined: Feb 2007
Post: #10
23-04-2012 02:10 PM

The Forest Hill Food Fair. First Sunday of every month? On our new 'village green' outside the pools, anyone?

:-)

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poolsneighbour


Posts: 162
Joined: Mar 2011
Post: #11
23-04-2012 03:41 PM

Hmmm..sadly, I dont think the 'green' part of the pools redevelopment is going to be big enough/suitable for a food market! its a slither of landscaped space along Dartmouth Rd..and a small pocket park up the side of the pools which I dont think they'd be too happy people setting up pitches on!

I still think the space outside the job-centre and/or Sylvan Post public space areas would be best for this kind of thing Thumbsup

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FHSoc


Posts: 134
Joined: Nov 2009
Post: #12
23-04-2012 03:57 PM

When we were planning the Food Fair, we thought that we might run it on a quarterly basis if it was a success.

Needless to say, we (and the stall holders) were very pleasantly surprised by the demand and will be meeting to decide how often we run it, or something similar.

Watch this space Smile

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nevermodern


Posts: 653
Joined: Feb 2007
Post: #13
23-04-2012 04:36 PM

The 'green area' looks quite large to me. Certainly bigger than than the bit outside Paddy Power.

http://www.sydenhamsociety.com/2010/11/f...look-like/

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Anotherjohn


Posts: 376
Joined: May 2005
Post: #14
23-04-2012 07:11 PM

Many thanks and congratulations to the Forest Hill Society and everyone who was involved in organising the event.

I have always felt that Forest Hill has a different 'feel' to it than most other towns in SE London and that special vibe was heightened on Sunday. Even though the main focus was on a relatively small area in the station car park the organisers pointed people towards Perry Vale, London Road and Dartmouth Road and the whole place was buzzing.

I agree that there's a strong enough demand to warrant making it a monthly thing - but where? The car parks at the station and Sainsbury's would be ideal from the point of view of convenience as well as the suggestion to use the approach to the pools but, unfortunately, there seem to be logistical reasons against all of them.

I've got a little curve-ball suggestion of my own. Clyde Terrace - between Dartmouth Place and Clyde Vale - where one side of the road could be used.
It's slightly off the beaten track but it's very accessible via the footpath along the railway, Clyde Vale opposite the pools and Dartmouth Place.
There are a couple of street benches where people can relax.
It would be visible to everyone on the trains passing by, hence, some of those people may decide to come and have a nose.
It could be the catalyst for someone to open the still-redundant restaurant in the Printworks development.
It could help the revitalisation of Dartmouth Road (even though I believe the pools opening will be a major benefit in that regard anyway).
Visitors could have a coffee on the pools terrace.

It was just a thought, but whatever happens it needs to be a monthly event!

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busybee


Posts: 3
Joined: Jan 2011
Post: #15
23-04-2012 07:13 PM

One of the great things about holding the Food Fair outside the station was the central location and the passing trade - and very visible from the South Circular as well as the station. Holding it up the road might not be so good for these reasons. It really felt the closest thing to a 'town square'. A lot of my customers remarked that they had stumbled across the fair by accident. This wouldn't have happened with a less central location. The FH Society did a fantastic job and I'm sure they are thinking about all the options.

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Anotherjohn


Posts: 376
Joined: May 2005
Post: #16
23-04-2012 09:41 PM

Did I not acknowledge the FH Society's fantastic work?

Anyway. Yes BusyBee, as someone with a very strong grass-roots connection with Forest Hill since 1971, of course it goes without saying that the station car park is THE best place for the event - especially when you're one of the lucky few who was part of it! And of course people will 'stumble across' a business that's parked out on such a prime spot during such a well-publicised one-off special event - but I understood from the FH Soc that it wasn't possible to use the station on a monthly basis.

I was merely exploring the bigger picture. These things often take a bit of lateral thinking for the longer term, which is why my suggestion might seem a bit off-the-wall. A town centre design study done some years ago identified a need to connect Dartmouth Road and Clyde Terrace, including the alley along the railway, via Clyde Vale, Dartmouth Place and other adjacent inter-connecting alleyways; and this is the reason for the retail units at the Printworks development and the widened pavement and public seating outside facing the railway.

My suggestion brought this into play and, as the station carpark option apparently isn't on, it is aimed at sustainability, which is not solely aimed at the stallholders but to the potential benefit Forest Hill's permanently-based trading community as well.

Taking a step back for a moment from the euphoria of everything that was good about Sunday's event we shoud not forget that many of the business proprietors in Dartmouth Road have hung-in there week-in-week-out paying rent, rates, lighting, heating, staff, etc, etc throughout a five year struggle in which they endured the closure of the swimming baths and the Post Office as well as an 18 month period when deep-excavation roadworks took out one side of the road, which meant one-way traffic and no parking.

That part of Forest Hill still looks a bit like Beirut but there are signs of a gradual revitalisation and the new pools will obviously make it a popular local destination and I'm sure new businesses will start to fill the gaps very rapidly. Once that has happened, I believe it would be feasible that the Printwoks shops and restaurant, being only a few short steps away, will become viable and that little area will also be recognised as part of the town centre. And, call me a fantasist, but a market down there could even spill-over into the little industrial estate.

Oh, and back to the subject of sustainability, the zillions of motorists passing through on the South Circular are no good to us due to parking constraints. So this has to be aimed primarily at serving the local population - or those who can get here using our fantastic links to public transport. From that point of view Dartmouth Place is also quite accessible for people around Dacres Road and the area to the west of the railway as they'd be able use the footbridge and walk down to it past the Albion Villas nature reserve.

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poolsneighbour


Posts: 162
Joined: Mar 2011
Post: #17
24-04-2012 04:23 AM

Nevermodern..that green strip of land is the 'amenity space' associated with Salcombe House (L&Q ownership) ... its not Council property..its private

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mgmonkey


Posts: 96
Joined: May 2009
Post: #18
24-04-2012 11:31 AM

How about pitching them along Havelock Walk? Too small? Never seems to be much traffic coming in and out?

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kelly


Posts: 20
Joined: Mar 2011
Post: #19
24-04-2012 02:35 PM

ANOTHERJOHN Thank you very much for your comments and real understanding re the difficulties we traders face in Dartmouth road or lower beirut as I am now going to call it.
We are the forgotten road and you are absolutely right in all your comments,my only difference with you is I would use the two spaces in front of the job centre and the bookies as long as permission can be granted.
There is a real urgency to start promoting Dartmouth rd and all it has to offer,then hopefully some of the empty shop units will become let and that along with the pools opening will give us a real chance
Finally I hope that some time soon we can see a upgrade of our road and by that I mean the basics that all other towns take for granted ie planters,hanging baskets,lights in trees, markets etc

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Anotherjohn


Posts: 376
Joined: May 2005
Post: #20
24-04-2012 03:40 PM

KELLY, I think that suggestion is really good. I must admit that I had misread PoolsNeighbour's post to the effect that I thought only one of those 2 sites was being proposed. I'm sure the Sylvan Post would welcome it and I can't see any reason why Heron House or Paddy Power would object.

Whilst we're on the subject of that particular part of the road, can anyone enlighten me on what's happening with the old Midland Bank building? I went in the propbaly about 15 years ago as the finishing touches were being put to what was supposed to've been some sort of an art gallery with an ancillary refreshments area. Looks like their idea was ahead of its time because Canvas & Cream have proved that NOW is the time. By the way, I would like to add my congratulations and praise to C&C for doing such a fantastic job and for giving Forest Hill an absolute gem.

Back to you Kelly, I hope you are now starting to feel the upturn that seems to be happening - even in Lower Beirut! Best wishes to you and your business.

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