53.4167° N 3.0000° W
Wednesday
Aug132014

London Borough of Jam

Coordinates
51.5532861° N, -0.0449898° W

Address
51d Chatsworth Road
Clapton
Hackney
London
E5 0LH

Website
www.londonboroughofjam.co.uk

Contact
Lillieob@gmail.com

Telephone
-

Social Media
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During the 1930s, Clapton's Chatsworth Road was home to a thriving local market that ran five days a week. Soon after World War II, the market gradually wound up until a band of local traders campaigned to restore Chatsworth market back to its former glory. Now, Chatsworth Road is a bustling street market accompanied by a thriving handful of independent stores, including Venetia's Coffee Shop, Firefly Books and London Borough of Jam.

London Borough of Jam opened in June 2013 and is the brainchild of Aussie Lillie O'Brien, who, after spending her childhood in Melbourne, studied textiles for six months before pursuing a career in cooking. O'Brien spent six years working as a chef in Melbourne followed by a year in Japan before heading to the UK in 2007 to work at the Shoreditch-based St John Bread and Wine as a pastry chef.

After four years at St John, O'Brien made a courageous move to go at it alone and pursue her passion for seasonal cooking and use her skills as a chef to devise her own creations. O'Brien's move into jam making was a bold step but proved fruitful as she quickly gained a loyal following for her jam and preserve concoctions. By only using in-season fruit and preservation methods so that the winter months don’t limit her, O'Brien is able to make her jams all year round and her flavours extend from the traditional to the experimental- try the famous Fig & Earl Grey jam, an in-store favourite (some customers eagerly wait up to a year to restock).

Alongside artisan jams and preserves, London Borough of Jam also present a selection of chutneys, pickles, sauces, natural wines, magazines and homeware items that reflect O'Brien's taste. At weekends you can even treat yourself to a St John doughnut filled with O'Brien's jam. If Clapton is out of reach you can also find London Borough of Jam's products at Shoreditch-based Leila's Shop and General Store, Peckham.

Opening Hours
Saturday - Sunday
11:00am - 5:00pm

Nearest Train Station
Homerton

Nearest Bus Station
Chatsworth Road 

Words by Lee Fleming

Photography by Joe Woodhouse