Happy Kitchen: Hackney foodie heaven

Happy Kitchen founders Lisa Stockton and Ellie Pennington

A regal dollop of stewed organic rhubarb and palette-refreshing yoghurt oozes over a fan of spongy pancakes with homemade granola tumbling down its sides.

Hard as it may be to believe, this plate of deliciousness is entirely plant based, wheat-gluten-and-sugar free – as are all dishes at new London Fields eatery the Happy Kitchen Canteen.

In many respects Happy Kitchen is a foodie first not just for the borough but the entire capital. Opened on Sunday 17 July by childhood friends Lisa Stockton and Ellie Pennington, the duo’s robust nutritional and ecological ethics are entrenched in every aspect of the venture.

“I believe we’re a first for the UK,” says Stockton. “I haven’t found anyone else offering food this nutritionally pure and with this level of attention paid to being low impact and sustainable.”

It’s the entire Happy Kitchen package that makes it a unique proposition. The ingredients of their soups, salads, stews, hot pots and cakes are organic and, when possible, sourced locally from farms the duo have personally visited. Baked goods are sweetened with fruit syrups – never sugar – and they only use omega-rich oils such as hemp, flax, olive and coconut. All the water on the premises – even for washing the vegetables – goes through a reverse osmosis machine and is then re-mineralised before landing in the water jugs on the communal tables.

“By living a certain way we’ve experienced an abundance of health and well-being,” explains Stockton. “There’s no way we’d offer anything different to our customers from what we’d want to eat ourselves. It just wouldn’t make sense.”

“Lisa and I have been cooking together since we were in our early teens,” adds Pennington. “It’s been a dream to have a space in which we can share our passion and give people the full Happy Kitchen experience.”

The décor – so homely that on the day Hackney Citizen visited patrons were trotting about in their socks – similarly reflects the duo’s sustainability-grounded principles. The chairs were bought from a local pub and reupholstered using old coffee sacks. Rustic apple crates serve as storage. The wood used for the fixtures is either FSC certified or acquired from local tree surgeons. “We sourced as much as we could locally and by salvaging things that would have otherwise gone to the tip,” explains Stockton.

The piece-de-resistance of the establishment is the wall of rainbow-hued dried goods. Food staples including buckwheat, polenta, cocoa, rice flour, cocoa drops and cashews sit resplendent in tubs with olive oil and fruit syrup on tap. To reduce unnecessary packaging customers are encouraged to decant the fare into containers brought from home, but until they’ve got into the habit compostable take-away tubs are available.

Hackney residents may have already encountered Happy Kitchen. The business started in 2009 as a bakery in premises under the London Fields railway arches shared with two other start-ups, E5 Bakehouse and Mini Magoo cereal. They become renown for their guilt-free, nutritionally sound cakes, flapjacks, biscuits and brownies – the latter building up a cult following amongst the borough’s chocolate fanatics. The bakery has hosted visits from schools, adult learners and any other interested parties. Stockton and Pennington also give nutrition and cookery lessons to local community groups.

The expansion of Happy Kitchen – and the E5 Bakehouse which also has new premises next door to the canteen – marks a new era for Mentmore Terrace. Less than ten years ago it was run down area with burnt-out cars abandoned under the bridges a regular fixture. Today it is an up-and-coming foodie destination with a fitness studio and vintage furniture shop flanking the new eateries and remaining car garages.

Being able to serve both Hackney’s long-established community and the recent influx of middle-class creatives is a challenge Happy Kitchen are keen to meet. “We try to make everything we do as inclusive as possible,” Stockton explains. “For the quality of product our prices are very reasonable and we regularly host events, classes and talks for the local community. Food that gives health and well-being should be accessible to everyone.”

Happy Kitchen
393 Mentmore Terrace
E8 3PH

Opening times:
Mon-Fri 7am-9pm
Sat 9am-9pm
Sun 10am-6pm