When it comes to buying Australian food in London, you’ve got two choices – and that’s to either buy Aussie staples to stock your cupboards, or eating out in restaurants that serve Oz specific foods. So, let’s take a closer look at both choices.
Aussie Groceries, etc.
You have to be a little tenacious to purchase Aussie food in London, as there’s not that many outlets available to you.
If you want to visit a physical shop, then you can go to the Covent Garden based, Cybercandy, who sells a range of sweets, cookies, and chocolate. They’ve also got an outlet in Camden Lock, so there’s two choices to visit.
For genuine Queensland beef, why not check out Tom Hixson of Smithfield, who mainly sells to the restaurant trade, but also sells to the public.
As their name suggests, they’re based in the world famous Smithfield Market, and it’s certainly an experience to visit. It’s the largest wholesale meat market in the UK, and also one of the largest in the whole of Europe.
You can also purchase Aussie food online. One of the largest and best outlets is Sanza, who stock a whole range of products from Tim Tams to Vegemite, Gravox to Allens Chicos…
Some of the British supermarkets sell a small range of Aussie products. Waitrose, Asda, and Tesco are your best bet, but also check out Lidl, who sometimes has Australian products on their shelves.
Australian Restaurants
There are some great choices when it comes to dining out Aussie style. Check out the following if you’re in the need of some good old fashioned Aussie dishes:
The Slug at Fulham
Not only can you enjoy Australian cuisine, but in an atmosphere something like you’d usually only experience back at home.
In addition to serving great food, The Slug at Fulham gives you the opportunity to enjoy live sports events too, as well as some authentic Aussie signage that you’re more accustomed to seeing on the other side of the globe…
Granger & Co.
Owned by Australian chef and food writer Bill Granger, the aptly named Granger & Co. has three outlets in Clerkenwell, King’s Cross, and Notting Hill.
Following his initial restaurant that opened in Sydney in 1993, Bill’s food and relaxed surroundings have achieved legendary status around the globe, with successful outlets in Tokyo, Seoul, and Honolulu – as well as Sydney and London.
Lantana Café
Named after the Australian plant (or weed, depending on your outlook), Lantana Cafe burst into existence in 2008, when its three owners decided to open a café that encompassed everything they loved about the Aussie café scene.
So popular has it been that there are now three cafes in London: Shoreditch, Fitzrovia, and Camden.
They serve menus that are in keeping with the seasons, and always utilize fresh products in their dishes. Weekday menus include typical Aussie breakfasts (white sourdough toast with house jam or vegemite, eggs on sourdough toast, or toasted muesli, for example), and yummy brunch dishes including corn fritters with streaky bacon, kedgeree, and slow braised smoky beans…
They also serve a great range of smoothies and juice, along with delicious and healthy lunchtime dishes.
Walkabout
With a name like that, it couldn’t be anything but Australian. And this is a place that not only embodies the best in traditional Aussie food, but also the things antipodeans love about life, such as sport and partying…
All the Walkabout venues pride themselves with providing Australian dishes that you won’t find anywhere else in the UK.
The only Walkabout location in London is in Temple, close to the station, but there’s also one just north of the city in Watford.
Barossa Fulham
Back to Fulham for a great coffee house and Australian kitchen, Barossa Fulham.
Here you can enjoy wonderful breakfasts such as the Bondi Brekkie that consists of smoked bacon, chipolatas, roasted plum tomato, corn fritter, field mushroom, sourdough toast, and poached or scramble eggs (they also do a delicious veggie version too).
They also offer interesting and varied lunch and dinner menus – all made with wonderfully fresh ingredients (and pretty healthy too).
Farm Girl Café
Another great Aussie café culture venue in the heart of vibrant Notting Hill. Farm Girl Café was opened by farmer’s daughter, Rose Mann, to create a warm and welcoming environment for expats and other nationalities to enjoy.
The menu is not only delicious, but specifically engineered to be nutritious and healthy too – as only a girl born and raised on a traditional Aussie farm knows how to do…
On the menu are delightful offerings such as avocado toast, a 3-egg omelette cooked in coconut oil, a delicious sounding spelt and asparagus bowl (with or without chicken), almond soba noodles, booja booja ice cream, and a great choice of hot beverages.
They also cater well for vegans, so pretty much anyone with any dietary needs will enjoy dining here.
Flotsam & Jetsam
This typically antipodean café is all about coffee and all-day brunch – how delightfully “down under!”
They use the finest seasonal ingredients to create their dishes, and source from local suppliers to ensure that they give back to the community.
Enjoy such delights on the menu as chili and feta scramble, buttermilk pancakes, and eggs royale. There’s also a great croissant and pastry selection, and they cater for gluten and dairy free diners as well.
And then there’s the coffee… Espresso to die for – hot and bitter, just the way we like it (but you can also add milk too, if that’s your thing). And did we mention the tea? Delicious, plentiful and great quality.
Oh, and then there are the juices and sodas as well – in fact, everything that you’d expect to find at a great Aussie café…
Flotsam & Jetsam is a small, very typical Aussie café. As such, they don’t take any reservations for tables, they simply rely on walk through trade. This makes it a great choice to visit on the spur of the moment.
