East Ham - with freelance writer, editor and work expert Ellen C Scott
1. Where do you rest your head?
In a house in the ‘up and coming’ area of East Ham in Newham, east London.
2. What’s something amazing about your area that only the locals know about?
The cheese toasties at Central Park Cafe are absolutely fantastic. They do lovely coffee and cake too, and (niche cafe preference coming up) I really appreciate the variety of chair types and little tables to claim as your own.
3. Where’s your favourite free place to visit in the city?
I don’t do it enough, but where I feel the most relaxed and joyful is sitting on some grass, among trees, by some kind of flowing water. There’s a beautiful Buddhist temple in Wimbledon with a stream and some woodland that I love to go to. Similarly, Kyoto Garden in Holland Park is wonderful. Unfortunately both of these places are quite a far cycle from my house. In their place, I go to a lot of cafes, which are obviously not free but for the cost of a chai latte I get to sit and watch the world go by, and for me it’s worth it. Another place I’ve been to three times and want to visit more: Walthamstow Wetlands! Lovely.
4. Where’s your favourite local spot in your area for a cheap bite to eat?
It’s not super cheap these days (what is?) but Mother Hubbards simply can’t be beaten. The portions are extremely generous so I could probably get one serving and split it between two for cost savings, but I am a greedy little piglet when it comes to batter and a chip butty so get a whole lot for just me every time.
5. What would your perfect no-spend London day entail?
Oh I love this question. Get up fairly early. Make myself a matcha latte at home and drink it while hanging out with our two cats, Babka and Panettone Soprano, and doing nothing else. No phone! No screens! Just a mindful matcha moment. Then I would cycle to a nice woodland-y area, find a place to settle, and sit and read the weekend newspaper supplements. I’d head to either the Barbican or BFI Southbank to set up at a table, get out my laptop, and write fiction. Or I’d just get to observe people and make notes of the strange conversations and quirks I hear and witness for future use in character creation. I would ideally spend the rest of the afternoon bouncing around between cafes and bookshops, even if I stick to browsing and just looking at the pastries to stick to the no-spend rules.
6. As a writer, where are your favourite cosy writing spots in London?
I wrote a significant portion of my non-fiction book, Working On Purpose, at WAVE in Hackney. Something about all that cream and rattan really worked for my brain. I’m currently going through a Google Maps list I’ve created of various cafes I want to visit so I can find my favourites. So far I’ve really loved Farha in Leyton and Nagare in Bankside. Non-cafe wise, I love working in BFI Southbank and the Barbican. I do find that often the cafes I love for reading are not the best for writing. If a space is too cosy I lose all motivation to do anything apart from curl up and read.
7. If you were going to splurge in London, what would it be on?
The short answer is food. If I were magically loaded I would probably go straight to Borough Market and go absolutely wild on oysters and fresh seafood, followed by getting doughnuts at Bread Ahead, a loaf of babka from Moishe’s Bagelry & Bakery, a load of fancy teas from the loose leaf tea place, pasta at Padella, and my favourite fruit which I hardly ever get to have because it’s tricky to find and always pricey, starfruit.
8. If you could live anywhere in London, where would it be?
Probably Hackney. BUT I have faith in East Ham! As I keep saying to everyone: it’s just going to get better and cooler. I’m very content in the house here. I just would quite like some more nice cafes to open up. I need more options!
9. What’s the latest hidden London gem you’ve discovered?
I don’t know how hidden it is now but Farha in Leyton! Genuinely some of the most delicious pastries and matcha I’ve ever had. And the staff there are so lovely. Wholeheartedly recommend.
10. If you were Mayor of London, what’s the first thing you’d change about the city?
Make all delivery cyclists go through proper training and if they commit a certain number of wrongs, they’re on a cycling ban for a few months. Every injury I’ve had cycling around London has been the result of a delivery cyclists being reckless. Is this where I finally voice my specific disdain for the cyclists of ‘Hungry Panda’? They are the most dangerous cyclists ever. This needs to be tackled! I’d say also some form of mandatory road safety lessons for Lime bikes. I haven’t crashed as a result of any (yet) but seeing them wobbling around fills me with such anxiety. Also, protect the pigeons. Also, more water refill points.
11. In three words, what makes someone a Londoner?
Nice to pigeons.
Ellen C Scott is a freelance writer, editor and work expert. Through her book and newsletter, Working On Purpose, she specialises in helping people work in a happier, healthier way. Alongside this, Ellen is working on fiction.
