Hi there! I’m Isabela, the Neighbourhood Programmes Manager, and I’m excited to take over this space and share the story of the Walworth Food Map! 

The mapping initiative began as a continuation of our relationship with London College of Communications (LCC). For the last year and a half, we’ve been exploring how design and food can build community and foster new relationships in our neighbourhood. We decided to develop a Walworth Food Map to put this idea into action and understand if mapping could be a valuable exercise for spotlighting the people and initiatives behind Walworth’s diverse food system. 

Mapping isn’t new. Some Public Health approaches often identify gaps or deficiencies through mapping in order to develop interventions that fix particular problems. On the other hand, asset mapping, which is sometimes used in Community Development or Urban Design, seeks to recognize the skills and capacity that already exist in a community, and then develop opportunities to strengthen them. While learning from different examples, we wanted to prioritise the human relationships and creativity that are sometimes lacking in top-down mapping approaches.

I started by walking through Walworth streets, getting to know new faces and tasting flavours that reminded me of home. Beyond familiar flavours, I was also encountering food that told stories—stories of different cultures, family traditions and the history of Walworth itself. With these stories came food initiatives powered by local gardeners, cooks, chefs, and business owners, each with different interests and approaches, yet all sharing a passion for food. This is why I named them ‘Walworth Food Lovers’. 

My first stop was the Colombian restaurant Amigos, where I met Paola and her family. They recommended me to Donde Fernando, who suggested I head to La Fogata, up in Elephant & Castle, and so on. At every stop, I was being connected through existing relationships and sometimes direct introductions—I remember some of them calling their neighbours while they were still with me! 

In two months, I had connected with twenty Walworth Food Lovers. I realised that the most meaningful part of the experience wasn’t the creation of the map itself- it was the conversations I was having and the new relationships that we were forming over food, while sharing stories about recipes, or walking together through their gardens. 

As I got to know each person better, common themes began to emerge: an appetite for exchanging knowledge and recipes around heritage food, the need for space to grow food in the city, and a shared desire to unite as business owners to tackle challenges such as gentrification. Then, we decided to bring everyone together the best way we know how: by eating together

We hosted dinners where people got to meet for the first time. Exciting ideas emerged, such as hosting a seed exchange event and creating a fruit-growing project at Michael Faraday School to provide fresh fruit to one of the gardeners, who makes and sells delicious jam at East Street Market.

Other connections were forming beyond our dinners. One of the gardeners shared his Archucha (achocha) (a Latin American vegetable) harvest with Amigos Restaurant, inspiring an exchange of food, cooking, and gardening knowledge.

This year, we want to focus on nourishing the relationships between the Walworth Food Lovers and new neighbours interested in joining conversations and initiatives around building a fairer and more sustainable local food system. This is why we will be hosting our next dinner in late May! Please sign up here if you would like to share a delicious meal while making new local connections. We will get in touch with you soon. 

If you are interested in hearing more about the work that we are doing in the Neighbourhood Food Model or joining this growing alliance, get in touch with me or with the Neighbourhood team. We would be thrilled to hear from you!