Food for Thought (restaurant)
| Food For Thought | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
  Location within Central London | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1971[1] |
| Owner(s) | Vanessa Garrett[1] |
| Previous owner(s) | Margot Boyce-White[1] |
| Food type | vegetarian |
| Street address | 31 Neal Street |
| City | London |
| Postal/ZIP Code | WC2H 9PR |
| Coordinates | 51°30′51″N 0°07′32″W / 51.5142473°N 0.1255163°W |
| Seating capacity | 40[2] |
| Website | Archived 5 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine |
Food for Thought was a vegetarian restaurant in the Seven Dials district of London's Covent Garden.[3] Founded in 1971 in a former banana warehouse, it later closed in 2015 due to rising rents.[4]
History
The restaurant was founded by Margot Boyce-White in 1971 when the relocation of London's fruit and vegetable market to New Covent Garden caused the area to be redeveloped. The premises in Neal Street had formerly been used as a banana warehouse. The business changed hands in 1977 and was owned by Vanessa Garrett, daughter of the couple John and Jane Damant, who bought it. Rising rents caused the restaurant to close on 21 June 2015.[1]
The counter-culture activist Sue Miles worked at Food for Thought, so starting a career as a restaurateur.[5]
The restaurant was patronised by workers in the nearby businesses of the Covent Garden district, which included the numerous theatres. Acts which ate there included the Red Hot Chili Peppers.[6]
A former stable and forge in Denmark Street was used by the proprietors of the restaurant as a storage area and sleeping quarters. This was then used by Andy's Guitars as an amplifier workshop and the testing there then developed into the famous 12 Bar Club.[7]
Cuisine
The food at the restaurant was vegetarian and some of it was vegan. Fresh vegetables were used but, to keep the cost down, these were not normally organic, The preparation avoided peeling to preserve the nutrients in the skin of the vegetables.[8]
Reception
Russell Rose, reviewing the place for Veggie & Organic London, rated it five stars for vegetarian choice and three stars for taste.[2]
This is a remarkable bargain basement vegetarian eaterie on one of Covent Garden's busiest thoroughfares. ... Food For Thought is a bit rushed but for a really cheap bite, in the middle of London's theatreland, it's tough to beat.
Gallery
-
The restaurant's counter and tables were in the basement. -
A lunch dish of soup and salad served on stoneware -
Patrons would commonly queue up the stairs ... -
... and squeeze into the cubbyhole -
Vanessa Garrett (right) on the last day
Cookbook
A cookbook composed of the restaurant's recipes called "New Food for Thought" by Jane Stimpson was published in 2002.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Peter Watts (30 March 2015), "Food for Thought: the last vegetarian gasp of alternative Covent Garden", The Guardian
- ^ a b Russell Rose (2009), "Food For Thought", Veggie & Organic London, Metro, p. 24, ISBN 978-1-902910-32-1
- ^ Sonya Barber (25 March 2015), "Food for Thought in Covent Garden to close after 40 years", Time Out
- ^ "Food For Thought, London's iconic vegetarian restaurant, set for closure". the Guardian. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ^ Jonathan Green (13 October 2010), "Sue Miles obituary", The Guardian
- ^ Alexandra Rucki (30 March 2015), "Favourite among vegetarians, Food For Thought in Covent Garden, 'forced to close due to rent hike'", Evening Standard
- ^ Carrier, Dan (17 November 2022), Untold London: Stories from Time-Trodden Streets, History Press, p. 44, ISBN 978-1-80399-225-9
- ^ Jane Noraika (2002), "Introduction", New Food for Thought, Andre Deutsch, ISBN 978-0233050713
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