The Story of O-food

No, this post isn’t about some kind recipe book sequel to erotic novel The Story of O. It’s about a new sandwich shop in Shoreditch (try saying that three times quickly).

O-food is a pop-up sandwich bar on Rivington Street that originally popped up or ‘soft launched’ in August (that’s marketing newspeak for opened without a grand opening). It was the official launch last week and I went along to sample some sandwiches and find out what it’s all about.

O-food aims to bring sustainable, healthy and tasty fast food to London. How? First of all, they don’t use any meat, because it’s a highly energy intensive food to produce. Secondly, they don’t use any of the ‘big five’ fish, the most popular and over-fished varieties (haddock, prawns, tuna, cod and salmon), while the fish they do use is sourced from low impact fisheries in Kent. Thirdly, all the vegetables used are sourced from British farms, meaning they don’t have a gigantic carbon footprint from their jumbo jet flights into the UK from overseas.

Since fish and vegetables are generally lower in fat than meat, and since you won’t find these sandwiches slathered in butter and mayonnaise, that’s the healthy bit covered. As for deliciousness, having sampled several miniature versions of the O-food speciality sandwiches like the Hastings (a fish patty with romaine lettuce, tomato and gherkin) and the Portobello (mushroom, mature cheddar, tomato, red cabbage and pesto) I can vouch for the tasty factor. And they all come wrapped adorably in white paper packages tied up with string. You can also get salads, coffee and a few breakfast bits.

The shop was set up by Jens Hannibal, Daniel Flosser and Roel Philippart. The trio met while studying in London and discovered they wanted to combine their interests in sustainability and business.

‘We’re not people who think that meat-based fast food is inherently bad,’ Hannibal explains. ‘We just think that someone needs to take the lead to show people delicious, low impact, alternatives to meat and mainstream choices of fish.’

Hannibal and co have been so pleased by the response to O-food that they’ve decided to keep the shop popped up even longer so they can continue to spread the word. So you’ve got until 23^rd September to get down to the ’ditch and experience the future of fast food for yourself.

O-food, 54 Rivington Street, LondonEC2A 3QN, will be open daily from 8am to 4pm until 23^rd September 2012. Visit www.o-food.co.uk.

Book Porn | Selfridge’s Pop-Up Library

Last week saw what some silly statisticians term as ‘Blue Monday’ – the most depressing day of the year. Worked out using an equation (that can be found here) that factors in debt and the weather, the man-made event dominates endless headlines and becomes a convenient scapegoat for our post-Christmas lethargy

Thankfully, I was untouched by the hoo-ha and decided to take direct action to combat any potential blues, and ducked into Selfridges to have a casual browse. Down in the basement they have created yet another fantastic temporary installation – a pop-up library- that is as beautiful as it is informative.

A side note here: I have a bit of a thing for books – not just reading them, but adorning any wall, table or floor space with stacks of them. When I lived briefly in Paris, I was more preoccupied with packing three giant boxes of them and completely forgot to take any underwear or socks. Nice one. When I came across Decorating with Books by Marie Proeller Hueston and the Book Porn tumblr site, it was like the mother ship calling to me.

Anyway, the pop-up library was out of this world: covering a massive 3,500 square feet, covered wall-to-wall in some of the store’s most beautiful books-  predominantly fashion, photography, art and poetry – and curated by publishing houses Penguin, Taschen and Faber. Chatting to one of the sales assistants – a lovely man named Brian who also moonlighted as a radio producer – he explained the logic behind the book selected: “We’re happy to have these beautiful books displayed here, because even if they are expensive, people are much more likely to flick through a photography collection or a couple of poems than read an entire novel.”

I ask which ones have been the most popular and he directs me to two Taschen collections – A Chronicle of the Crusades: 1474 Manuscript and an Atlas of Human Anatomy & Surgery from the 19th Century. They are quite beautiful and provide brief respite before I’m slowly lured to the other parts of the installation. One wall has been dedicated to celebrity book recommendations, featuring the likes of Olivia Palermo, Sophie Dahl and Will Ferell (see pic). There are also some pretty interesting classes run by the Idler Academy, including calligraphy classes and an Introduction to Greek Philosophy.

There is a bigger story here though- as the library forms part of Selfridges ‘Words, Words, Words’ initiative, designed to draw attention to planned library closures throughout the UK and to celebrate the written word. If you have the time, check it out. It’s a sure fire way to beat off those (hypothetical) January blues.

What do you think about the phenomenon that is Blue Monday? Is it all just media hype? Tweet us @Style_ThenSome to let us know what you think!

Image credit: REX / DA

Pop-Up Design @ Le Garage

Roll up, roll up, get your trendy bums down to Le Garage for Pop-Up Design- A showcase of purchasable raw talent from some of London’s finest graduates.  Pick up original works across the disciplines of photography, textiles, jewellery, fashion, illustration and more at Le Garage until the 27th November. 

 

All details can be found on the poster above, and being open until 8:30 at night thurs-sat, it’s a perfect excuse for a bit of original late night shopping.  Showcasing hand printed scarves by the likes of recent Chelsea MA graduate Jessica Chan, it is your chance to snap up some original pieces before these talented artists hit the main arena!

Happy shopping!  Be sure to share with us what great pieces you pick up!