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Bethnal Green: How Leo Weisz Therapy offers rapid, in-depth help to clients

Founding director Janos Verebes-Weisz on creating a flexible service for those with hectic schedules

Leo Weisz Therapy founding director Janos Verebes-Weisz

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“If people really want to change, then there is hope,” said Janos Verebes-Weisz. “I strongly believe in that.

“Anybody who is fed up can benefit from thinking through what is between them and change – that process on its own is part of changing.”

There’s a warmth, kindness and curiosity to Janos. It’s in the timbre of his voice, the rhythm of his speech and the way he gently turns topics over in his mind to examine and explore them as we talk. 

That’s unsurprising. The founding director of Leo Weisz Therapy has spent his life helping people – initially working as a paramedic and intensive care nurse in Hungary before moving to the UK in 2004. 

As a person in therapy himself, he determined to train as a psychotherapist and found a place working in the NHS with offenders in a medium secure unit in Hackney.

There he spent seven years using group sessions to help those with personality disorders.

Since then he’s worked in the NHS in east London as well as in private practice and has spent time as a visiting lecturer, teaching the next generation of therapists at Queen Mary University and Greenwich University.

He founded community interest company the Community Psychotherapy Network (CPN) in Bethnal Green to offer accessible and affordable group therapy.

“Traditionally psychotherapy has a very strict structure – clients have a time when they must turn up,” said Janos.

“It’s usually a requirement. Through our work with CPN, even before the pandemic, we realised that there was a group of people who need a little bit more flexibility.

“They can afford therapy but, because they are working like mad, they cannot always get to the sessions. 

“That’s why we created Leo Weisz. We specialise in long-term, in-depth therapy and that’s what we offer to people with speed and flexibility.

“When Covid came, it overwrote much of what we thought about what’s needed to do psychotherapy work effectively.

“This means if you have someone who is leading a business and struggling with an eating disorder, for example – a person whose hectic lifestyle makes it very difficult to attend sessions – we can still help them.

“When the pandemic came and we had to put everything online – life shows you that you can adapt.”

Thus Leo Weisz Therapy was created, with Janos teaming up with therapists Sarah Clark, Ivor McKay, Mayer Lindner and Adelaide O’Mahony to offer group and one-to-one sessions to both individuals and businesses.

The organisation is based in Bethnal Green, with access to premises in Canary Wharf in the pipeline.

Leo Weisz Therapy provides services to individuals and companies keen to look after their employees’ mental health

“My background is in dealing with personality disorders, which we see as a developmental illness,” said Janos.

“Some people say it’s untreatable, but we know that’s absolutely not the case. 

“With maturation and development, things can be much better – but it takes time and that’s why we work with clients long-term.

“The benefit of our approach is that we are not working to change habits – we’re promoting in-depth change.

“That’s the most difficult thing – there is often a lot between a person and the change they want to make.

“We have to ask how we can understand the resistance to it and then go towards the desired outcome of a client’s therapy.

“In that sense, more often than not, we find trauma inevitably comes up.

“Things that people have gone through will, one way or another, have influenced their development.

“As a result they suffer with different symptoms.

“Those might include anxiety, depression, an eating disorder, self harm, addiction or complex destructive or risky behaviour.

“Here we’re not working only to address those symptoms – it’s about what they are communicating.

“The phrase we like to use is ‘immature defence structure’.

“Often people are at a particular age or stage in their life and they didn’t get the right amount of support at a particular time.

“They may also have been directly traumatised. 

“Then their development arrested and we try to pick up at that point and support them into a direction they would like to go.”

Leo Weisz Therapy is in the process of opening a facility in Canary Wharf

To that end, Janos and his colleagues aim to offer services that will fit in with a client’s life, while also working to address the issues they are experiencing.

“I think what’s unusual in this field is that we offer flexibility,” said Janos.

“Needless to say, of course, we’re also extremely confidential.

“One-to-one sessions will work for some people, while group therapy is also highly effective, because it puts people into context.

“It works as an analogue for the wider community.

“While many people experience fear when they wonder whether they will be getting time for their issues in this setting, it is actually training for the ego where we can place our problems beside those of others.

“People start finding words for their feelings when they experience commonality in a group.

“These words become a common experience and language that enables group participants to express themselves much faster than they would if they were on their own.

“Being in a group can be extremely freeing – they understand that they are not alone. 

“In a group there are often people at different stages.

“Imagine, for example, someone who is suffering with bulimic attacks and then they’re sitting with someone who already left this kind of behaviour behind after years of therapy.

“Then they start talking about it – why they do it, what it means for them and how they can find words that express those things.

“Then we start to realise these are universal experiences and that we don’t have to act out these behaviours – we can verbalise them instead.”

Leo Weisz Therapy also stands ready to help businesses with an approach that aims to offer practical, beneficial results for their employees.

“In the corporate world you often have people working under enormous pressure and they need a release,” said Janos.

“We are always learning from our clients but we absolutely take a practical approach.

“For example, there will be elements of behavioural therapy that come up in group sessions.

“It’s a repetitive process. We talk about these developmental cycles and we identify symptoms, but it’s easy for people to regress too.

“Then we keep doing the work and change happens over time.

“It’s mind-blowing what can happen. I haven’t seen anyone change for the better in as little as three months – that’s because to do it, you have to reshape internal constructs, to tackle internal defence structures.

“People can be very fragile inside but they can be like medieval knights covered in very rigid armour that rejects closeness and flexibility. 

“You can’t just remove the armour, you have to work to put muscles on the arms and legs so the person can gradually take it off piece by piece.

“Then, underneath they will be strong enough not to collapse without it.

“I’m always very moved when that happens – people come to us and make themselves vulnerable.

“It’s a privilege to work with them.”

Find out more about Leo Weisz Therapy’s services via this link

Read more: How artist Mark Taylor is capturing Canary Wharf and Docklands

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
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Canary Wharf: How Karapincha is bringing Sri Lankan flavours back to the Wharf

Twin sisters Vasanthini and Dharshini Perumal are set to open a grab and go branch in the Tube station

Karapincha’s freshly made Kothu Roti with lamb

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There’s spice, fire, zest and vigour in the eyes of Karapincha founders Vasanthini and Dharshini Perumal and that’s before we’ve even mentioned the food.

The twin sisters are a force to be reckoned with, boasting CVs that name-check JP Morgan, EY, Nomura, RBS, KPMG, Six Degrees Group and many more.

Accountancy, project management, finance, entrepreneurial verve – it’s all there. So why give up flourishing careers in finance to launch a hospitality business?

 “Ever since we came to the UK from Sri Lanka in 2011, we knew we wanted to create a business,” said Vasanthini.

“Some people think that with Indian or Sri Lankan food that you have to sit down and have a meal, but that’s not necessarily the case – you can convert these cuisines to grab-and-go. 

“We’d been thinking about the idea and had done some test marketing at an evening market in Shoreditch – we cooked up some food with our family and it was really nicely taken up.

“We were able to sell more than 100 portions – people really liked it. 

“Then our mum and dad got sick and we couldn’t concentrate on starting something immediately.

“In the meantime Hoppers, a restaurant in Soho, started up and I thought: ‘Bugger – they’ve got my concept’.”

Undeterred, however, and with a faith that their time was yet to come, the duo bided their time before an introduction in Canary Wharf led them in a fresh direction.

“A colleague at JP Morgan introduced me to The Limehouse – a bar and restaurant run by Fuller’s on Fisherman’s Walk,” said Dharshini.

“They loved the food, but weren’t sure whether to go ahead until suddenly everything became OK and we went to sign the contract. 

“It only gave us three weeks to get going – we didn’t have a name, any staff, crockery a menu or anything in the kitchen. Luckily we work well under pressure.”

Karapincha co-founder Dharshini Perumal

Their determination won through with the twins pulling everything together to open in 2018, bringing their version of Sri Lankan cuisine to Wharfers in a 180-cover restaurant.

“Fuller’s was a really good partner for us – there was so much learning to do,” said Vasanthini.

“We had a really good partnership, learning the hygiene systems and how to organise our operation.

“They rebranded the place to match our colours – they really supported us and helped us to start up.”

The Limehouse, along with its neighbour, The Merchant, didn’t reopen following the pandemic, however, with Fuller’s deciding to leave the Canary Wharf estate.

However, Karapincha survives – running in sites at Mercato Metropolitano in Elephant And Castle and Old Spitalfields Market – and Vasanthini and Dharshini are set to bring the brand back to Canary Wharf – albeit in a different form in the Jubilee line station.

Karapincha is expecting to start trading in mid-July. 

“We’re going to be the first hospitality business to open in a Tube station where the kitchen will actually be cooking food,” said Vasanthini.

“Being in the station, we’re going to take the full opportunity to trade from morning until evening, breakfast, lunch and dinner – it’s a grab-and-go concept.

“We’ll be doing some things that are different here to our other sites because of all the offices nearby so that people will be able to come into work and eat our food.”

What won’t change, however, is the twins’ approach to the core flavours Karapincha champions.

“If you ask me where I would like to dine in London, the answer would be our place, because it’s nice comfort food,” said Dharshini.

“It reminds us of home-cooked food, just like our mother made – that’s what we always wanted.

“We didn’t want complicated, fancy stuff.

“We use a central kitchen to supply our sites, but everything is home-cooked style. We make everything we serve from scratch including the mayonnaise and the ketchup.

Karapincha co-founder Vasanthini Perumal

“It’s about conscientiously, carefully making food that is good for your health – exactly as you would if you had people coming to your house for lunch.

“That’s how we train our staff – they’re a lovely bunch who look after each other like family and a happy kitchen means a happy customer. 

“When they buy it, people should not feel that our food is from a shop.

“We also cook in front of customers so they know they are getting something fresh. 

“For example, the boys will make the paratha in the kitchen every day and we never freeze food or bring anything from elsewhere – it’s all made by us on a daily basis.”

Having had the teaser photos on the previous pages, it’s now time to talk about the food. Karapincha is proud to serve a selection of potent Sri Lankan dishes, all with the twins’ personal twist.

Front and centre is the Kothu Roti – a stir fry made with chopped roti bread, vegetables and eggs, flavoured with Sri Lankan curries and sliced up with energy as it cooks on the griddle.

Vegan, chicken and lamb versions are all available.

Vegan curry with rice from Karapincha

Then there’s the traditional Sri Lankan lunch of rice with curry, or how about a flaky folded paratha to dip in a rich coconut-laced sauce?

Failing that, there’s always the devilled chicken and fried rice or lamb rolls to fall back on – which all pack a punch.

When the twins first opened in Elephant And Castle, they were advised to tone down the spice a bit.

Suffice to say they ignored the advice and quickly built up a line of hungry fans eager to feel their tongues fizz from the pepper.

 “The name of Karapincha comes from the curry leaf used in Sri Lankan cooking,” said Dharshini.

“It’s all about what we like to eat – what we grew up eating and the stuff our mother taught us.

“We use her recipe for curry powder, which contains 12 ingredients in specific quantities and we import them from Sri Lanka and grind it in our kitchen.

“The island is known for the best cinnamon in the world.

“But there are some twists too – if you go to that country, you won’t find our pineapple pickle served at any of the roti street food stalls.”

A fried lamb roll from Karapincha

The twins also promise twists on bacon and egg for breakfast at the Canary Wharf store alongside porridges and even a high tea box to tempt office workers looking for afternoon refreshment. 

But then, perhaps this kind of thing is to be expected from a pair of founders who, upon discovering a local mine was up for sale in Sri Lanka, bought it and turned their hand to exporting silica quartz to Japan and Korea, growing the operation to support 100 employees before selling it to mining giant Nippon seven years later.

“It’s really fulfilling to have started Karapincha,” said Vasanthini.

“We’re really happy. We wanted to do something in the UK, so we put this in motion and it’s been functioning for four years. 

“It’s a journey and now we’re looking to take it to the next level and to operate a franchise model.

“We are slowly growing and we want to get bigger – at first within London. Canary Wharf will be our flagship now that we’re catching up after Covid.

“It’s also about the team – the people who work for us are a family.

“They’re so good, really brilliant and they never give up – and they need something to grow into.”

Chicken curry with paratha from Karapincha

Read more: How artist Mark Taylor is capturing Canary Wharf and Docklands

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
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Royal Docks: How Certain Blacks’ Ensemble Festival is packed with free entertainment

Artistic director Clive Lyttle on how acts have been commissioned to get audience’s hearts’ beating

Certain Blacks artistic director Clive Lyttle

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Clive Lyttle is smiling and there’s a glint in his eye.

The artistic director of Certain Blacks is relishing the prospect of putting on four days of completely free entertainment in Royal Docks when the organisation’s Ensemble Festival returns. 

Six whistle-whetting performances are set to take place on July 19 and 20, 2023, followed by a further 10 on July 22 and 23, 2023 – all adding up to a brightly coloured spectacle of newly commissioned circus, dance, art and voguing.

The festival’s 2023 programme is its most extensive to date in Certain Blacks’ ongoing mission to bring live performance from the margins to the mainstream.

“I’d spent 17 years working for Arts Council England and I developed Certain Blacks because of the need to support a wide range of diverse artists,” said Clive.

“Our first indoor festival took place in 2015 at Stratford Circus and we continue to showcase work as an arts development organisation.

“At the Arts Council, I was responsible for Newham, so I have deep contacts in the borough – my first job was as a multi-cultural arts officer for the council.”

Having worked extensively in the area, Clive made the move to Royal Docks six years ago and now lives overlooking Excel from the Flying Angel – a former seaman’s hospital for more than a century, converted into residential homes.

Between there and Certain Blacks’ base at The Factory Project in Silvertown, he oversees two annual festivals – Ensemble in E16  and Heroes, last held at Shoreditch’s Rich Mix in February.

While the latter is a platform for artists to explore performances strictly for an adult audience indoors, the former is strictly family friendly and very much out in the open air.

 “Certain Blacks is part of a network called Without Walls,” said Clive, who originally wanted to be a rock star before going on to study jazz guitar in Northumbria and embarking on a career in the arts. 

Out Of The Deep Blue’s puppet performance will be part of the festival

“It’s a national consortium of 36 festivals that work together to commission and develop innovative new work each year that can then tour the country.

“We’ve got seven new commissions including Gorilla Circus – a large scale show with high wire, trapeze and hair hanging that will be the finale of this year’s Ensemble Festival. 

“We’re lucky to have Arts Council funding, which gives us a little bit of money to get these shows made and then a bit of time to put a programme together.

“I travel to various festivals in the UK and Europe where we meet people – we’re always on the look out for artists.

“The festival is also funded by the Royal Docks Team for some smaller commissions that range from a local music collective to a Chinese dance group, an African psychedelic performance and something we’re putting together called Give And Take, which is about the politics and rights and wrongs of giving.”

These performances will mostly take place in front of Good Hotel off Western Gateway, a few minutes’ walk from Royal Victoria Dock DLR station.

The finale, however, is set to take place beside Building 1000 near Royal Albert Dock DLR on the Saturday and Sunday.

“It’s a spectacular show,” said Clive. “I saw it at the Norfolk And Norwich Festival – one of the partners in Without Walls – in May and it was fantastic.

“Of the consortium, we’re one of the few partners putting that show on.

“It gets your heart really beating – the hair hanging may make a few people wince and the high wire act is one of the best in Europe.

“He doesn’t wear a harness and left me with my heart in my mouth when I saw the show last month.

“As for the rest of the performances, a lot of the programme is an open call to artists – anyone who wants to do outdoor work can apply and that can lead to performances at, say, seven or eight festivals nationwide.

“With Certain Blacks, a lot of it is putting on work and supporting artists that I’d love to see – but also pieces that are unexpected and diverse.

Mughal Miniatures is based on tiny pictures seen in Indian temples

“It has to be fun too. We do a lot of live art, a lot of work which might challenge the audience – but Ensemble is very much PG-rated, even if the shows might make people think.

“We have the Sonia Sabri Company presenting Mughal Miniatures – The Awakening, a piece based on tiny pictures you can see in Indian temples brought to life.

“Then there’s Fussy Foodies: Battle Of The Pans where people can learn a few tricks about being a celebrity chef, play a few games and have a good singalong. 

“Some of the themes we’ll be addressing through the Royal Docks Team commissions are ecology, being eco-friendly and how we live.

“We’ve got an event anyone can take part in called the Bench Invasion.

“People from Belgium are coming over with 10 benches and we’ll have local volunteers helping to put the benches down, and people can sit and talk to them – then at the end there’s a little party and an exchange of stories.

“It’s about slowing life down and listening.

“We’ve also got a big eco-show with the Austin Dance Theatre called Out Of The Deep Blue – it’s a giant puppet that goes around telling stories about conservation.”

One of the few pieces to take place elsewhere will be dotComedy’s News Desk – a live rolling broadcast about events happening on the streets of Royal Docks presented in front of City Hall, delivered by comedian Richard Sharp.

There isn’t even space here to properly mention the interactive pub serving sounds or the rebellious hip hop dance of S.C.R.U.M.

All in all, it adds up to an extensive, diverse and surprising range of work as Royal Docks beds in as a serious cultural destination in London.

Clive said: “The area is getting to be very much part of the wider events ecology of London and we want to take artists from here out into the wider world.

“One of the points about our small commissions is to start artists on that journey, so they could be commissioned by people like Without Walls.”

Find full listings for Ensemble Festival here

THREE HIGHLIGHTS AT ENSEMBLE FESTIVAL

Gorilla Circus is set will be performed over two nights in Royal Docks

GORILLA CIRCUS

July 22-23, 8,30pm

The absolutely unmissable finale to Ensemble Festival – expect hair hanging, high wire and much more from this aerial spectacle outside Building 1000 at Royal Albert Dock.

Catch Ghetto Fabulous at Western Gateway as part of the festival

GHETTO FABULOUS

July 22-23, noon-7pm

Four LGBTQIA+ dancers from Manchester and Liverpool strut their stuff in this family catwalk extravaganza. Audience decides the winner. Find this show at Western Gateway.

Expect foodie facts and storytelling from Fussy Foodies

FUSSY FOODIES

July 22-23, noon-7pm

Just More Productions presents the Battle Of The Pans – a game show themed around Caribbean cooking.

Expect foodie facts, spices and storytelling.  Find this show at Western Gateway.

Read more: How artist Mark Taylor is capturing Canary Wharf and Docklands

Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here

Subscribe to our Wharf Whispers newsletter here

- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
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West India Quay: How artist Mark Taylor is capturing Canary Wharf and Docklands

Residency at London Marriott Hotel Canary Wharf sees the painter and RNLI coxswain exhibit works

London Marriot Hotel Canary Wharf artist in residence Mark Taylor

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There’s a moment during our interview where Mark Taylor’s voice falters.

The son of successful artist Dallas K Taylor went to art college to become a painter like his father, but wound up initially rejecting his style.

“He painted landscapes and seascapes – it was very commercial,” said Mark.

“He had an art gallery in the North East where I’m from, so I grew up around him working – but I thought I wanted to be a proper artist like Jackson Pollock or Mark Rothko. 

“I’d come down to Tate Modern in London and be completely absorbed by the scale of their works.

“Seeing Summertime by Pollock, I was just completely taken away by the real thing. A couple of inches on the page of a book just doesn’t compare.”

After completing a degree in fine art, however, Mark decided to go into boat design rather than opt for the life of a struggling painter – building on a lifelong love of the water, having been raised on boats growing up in Blyth.

“During my degree I’d partnered with boat builders and went to work for a company called Sealine in Kidderminster,” he said.

“I used to watch their £2.5million fancy boats go off down the road on trailers escorted by vehicles with flashing lights, and I realised I was landlocked  – it was my dream job, but in the wrong location. I needed to get back to the coast.”

A project helping an artist put together a portfolio led Mark to turn to the classroom as a profession, moving back to the North East to lecture in fine art in the Newcastle area.

“It meant I could be on the lifeboat like my dad and I could teach art as well, so that’s what I did for many years,” he said.

“Then my father discovered he had Motor Neurone Disease and he went downhill pretty fast. 

“At that time, he had a 12-month waiting list for his artworks but wasn’t able to fulfil his orders.

Detail from Mark Taylor’s Altitude

“So I decided to leave my position at the college to become his full-time carer.

“I went back to the family home and looked after him and, during that time, I told him I would paint his pictures.

“I’d learned how to make work like his to pay my way through university – I’d nick his style, hang work in his gallery and sell it.

“During the months I cared for him, he showed me a few techniques to emulate his style with a palette knife in oils.

“He taught me to smear the paint on the palette and to cut through it so that, with practice, you can get a thin precise line – perfect for the mast of a boat or a line on a building.

“I developed that style and one day I was painting a very famous scene – the bridge over the Tyne in Newcastle looking down to the quayside. It was a historic scene with horses and carts in the foreground.

“When my father saw it, he said that he couldn’t have ever painted the horses like that and if I could, then I would never be hungry.”

It’s here Mark’s voice falters at the memory – a moment not long before his father died. 

“It was really amazing to think I had taken his technique and been able to continue his legacy – to paint like him and then for him to say that he couldn’t have done it himself felt great,” said Mark

“For more than a decade now I’ve continued painting like him but increasingly putting more of myself into it.

“Now I’ve got my own identity I’ve started branching out into different techniques with collage and acrylic rather than oil paint.

“It’s a bit like being a musician – you do a first album, then a second that’s different and now I’m on my third in the London market, which is fantastic.” 

Detail from Mark Taylor’s painting of Tynemouth Lifeboat
READ THIS NOW
Sorry to break the flow of the article, but there’s something else that adds depth to Mark’s character. 

His father also gave him a lifelong love of being on the sea, coupled with the example of stalwart service saving lives in the RNLI.

Having moved back to the North East, Mark began volunteering on the lifeboat as Dallas had before him. 


Rising rapidly through the ranks (thanks to his dad training him in water safety from an early age), he’s now the coxswain for the Tynemouth all-weather lifeboat – the largest in the charity’s fleet – as well as helmsman for the station’s inshore inflatable lifeboat. 

While there’s probably enough material for a book in his more than 16 years of volunteering, to save lives in some of the most extreme conditions on the water – one tale stands out.

“I’d just qualified as a navigator when we got the shout that a vessel was sinking 110 nautical miles off the coast,” said Mark. 

“We knew we’d have only enough fuel to get out there, do a search and then return so everything was on me to get to the right place.
“The search area was huge – the drifts, the tide, the wind. 

"A helicopter picked up a very faint radio message from the stricken boat and we managed to find the vessel, get it on tow and then pull it back to Sunderland over about 14 hours.

“It feels incredible when you can get someone back to their family who would have drowned if it wasn’t for the RNLI. 

“That one turned out to be the farthest rescue from shore ever completed in the organisation’s 200-year history and it was my first shout as a newly-trained navigator. 


“You risk your life, but there’s a reason why you’re doing it. 

“People’s lives are in grave and immediate danger so we go out in all conditions. 

“It’s a great thing to be able to do and an honour to be the coxswain, following the retirement of Michael Nugent who I’ve looked up to all the way through.”


Go to rnli.org to make a donation to the charity
Detail from Mark Taylor’s Signs

Which brings us in a roundabout sort of a way to why Mark is featured by Wharf Life.

Having mostly painted coastal scenes and architecture, one of his works was selected for the Royal Society Of Marine Artist’s annual exhibition, an accolade that won him the attention of the London Marriott Canary Wharf on West India Quay. 

Recently appointed its artist in residence, Mark has created a series of paintings currently on display there, with more planned to spread throughout the building. 

The works use acrylic and, frequently, collage of historic maps of the area, to capture Canary Wharf and views of Docklands as it is today.

“The docks are massively important, when you look at the history of this area and how that has influenced the buildings we have, and the new towers – it’s about celebrating what’s here,” said Mark.

“You’re capturing moments in time. The first painting I did for this series was looking at Canary Wharf from Blackwall Basin – there’s a lovely bit of water there with the reflections of the buildings all around it.

“I took a photograph of that and then, the next time I came down, a concrete lift shaft for a building under construction had sprung up in the middle of the scene so that view is now lost.

“But I was able to capture it and put it in this painting.

“Then, the next paintings can celebrate what is coming in the future.

“For some of the other pieces I was researching what the area had been like and I realised the colour of one of the maps I was looking at was like the windows of the office blocks at night so I began working pieces of collage into the painting.

“That way I have the new in the work while honouring the heritage of the area too.

“I’ve spent the last 11 years concentrating professionally on my art, developing and bringing new elements into my work.

“With the Royal Society exhibition and this residency I think I’m definitely on my way to qualifying as a decent artist.

Detail from Mark Taylor’s Sunset Over Greenwich

“It’s a bit like climbing a mountain – you get to the top and you realise there’s another peak you just didn’t see until you reached that point.

“What I’ve also realised is that my dad was always a great artist – he painted pictures people loved and would request again and again.

“For me, painting standalone works is exciting and I’ve been able to take his technique somewhere completely different.

“I get totally absorbed by the work. I’ll often go into the studio at 10.30am and paint right through until 1.30am. It’s amazing to be in that creative space.

“Luckily I live within sight of the lifeboat station, so when the pager goes off I can drop my tools and go straight out.

“Going on a shout puts everything in perspective. The other day I was under real pressure to get this picture finished for a client.

“I was really feeling it – at a moment where you don’t know where to stop. Is it going right? Is it going well now, but is it going wrong?

“Then I got the call and me and two crew had to go and extract a casualty trapped on the shoreline in a heavy surf, which we managed successfully.

“After being out at sea with the adrenaline pumping, saving someone, I was completely calm.

“In the greater scheme of things if you make a mistake on the canvas you can always paint over it.”    

Mark’s work is on display at the Marriott on an ongoing basis, with each original piece also for sale. Prices start at £11,500.

Mark is also set to come and produce some of his work at the hotel itself starting in July, although exact dates are yet to be confirmed.

Wharfers are welcome to come down on these occasions and meet him amid his paintings.

Detail from Mark Taylor’s Canary Wharf From Blackwall Basin

Read more: Discover volunteering opportunities with Canary Wharf Group and The Felix Project through its Green Schem

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
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Isle Of Dogs: How Ottisdotter is bringing Henrik Ibsen’s Lady Inger to The Space

Specialists in lesser-known works are set to perform the playwright’s most brutal work

Mark Ewbank, joint artistic director of Ottisdotter

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The Space arts centre on the Isle Of Dogs is gearing up for 10 performances of a rarely seen work by Henrik Ibsen.

Specialising in lesser known and obscure plays that feature the oppression and subversion of women in society, theatre company Ottisdotter is set to present Lady Inger as June turns into July. 

“It’s by the second most performed playwright in the world after Shakespeare, but Ibsen is most famous for his last 12 works,” said Mark Ewbank, joint artistic director of the company.

“He actually wrote 26 and for a decade we have been exploring his earlier canon – the pieces he wrote while he was developing as a playwright.

“Lady Inger is fascinating because it is based on the history of Norway and people who actually existed.

“Ibsen took some liberties with the story to make it more dramatic, but in essence it is a medieval epic from the 1500s.

“Lady Inger is trapped between two opposing powers. Norway was a kind of region of Denmark at that time and the Norwegians were subjugated by both Sweden and Denmark.

“Lady Inger herself represents the nearest thing Norway has to a queen but, as it’s a regional province, she’s a bit like Nicola Sturgeon – the head of a devolved nation – and she has to make sure that everybody else is happy.

“Nils Lykke represents Denmark and has come to Norway to make sure Lady Inger is being consistent with what his country would like.

“There are also some Swedish rebels who want Lady Inger to support their cause, so that Norway can become free. In the play, she is really stuck between a rock and a hard place while trying to get the best for her country.

“Ibsen is famous for writing about women and this piece shows a female leader who is trying to do as well as possible for her people.

“The ultimate story of the play – without any spoilers – is that everybody is undermining her and even her own people are sceptical about a woman being up to the job.

“You’ve got Denmark trying to play political games with her – to test her – and Sweden trying to work out if they should support her.

“One of the reasons it’s so rarely put on stage is that this is a medieval epic and most companies don’t want to do one.

“It’s very like Game Of Thrones – quite a big piece to put together.

Kristin Duffy plays the titular Lady Inger in the forthcoming production

“It was the first play Ottisdotter – which takes its name from Lady Inger’s surname – put on back in 2013 and it was a wild success.

“Lots of people are interested in Ibsen and wanted to see it – there was a gap in the market because everyone does The Doll’s House or Hedda Gabler, but not his early works.”

Helping flesh out the story this time round are Kristin Duffy in the titular role and Ivan Comisso as complex antagonist and Danish emissary Nils Lykke.

“Lady Inger is like Hilary Clinton – someone who’s spent her entire life feeling the call to be a leader for her people,” said Kristin, who auditioned for the part after learning about the production via The Space’s newsletter.

“Despite her qualifications for the role, she’s continually brought down by the men around her.

“Like Hilary, Lady Inger gets a reputation as someone who is not always so kind but that’s because she’s constantly beaten down.

“When I saw this role come up, I read the whole script and thought it was such an interesting, three-dimensional character that I wanted to audition.

“The play is written in a way that makes portraying Lady Inger challenging because like all the characters, she is flawed.”

“In the play, I’m very much the underminer,” said Ivan, who appeared in Ottisdotter’s previous show at The Space – Emilia Galotti in 2016 and recently starred in emerging Netflix rugby hit In From The Side.

“You would consider Nils the antagonist but he has his own agenda.

“Denmark is technically the owner of Norway at the time, so as a Dane he’s come in, sniffing out trouble from the Norwegians and the Swedish. He’s there to keep an eye on things.

“He’s a very interesting character. Ibsen portrays a lot of his thought processes and there are a few asides between him and Lady Inger.

“You can see these political titans going head to head and this is one of the main driving forces of the play.

“I always call it a political drama like House Of Cards.

“It’s fun to see these people circle each other – almost as equals, even though Norway is subjugated.

“This is what Ibsen does with women, he portrays incredibly powerful female characters who go head to head with men and convention.”

Ivan Comisso plays antagonist Nils Lykke in Ottisdotter’s Lady Inger

Key to Ottisdotter’s decision to revive the play is its continued resonance despite dealing with events hundreds of years ago.

“It’s exciting to see this play because it could be a contemporary work,” said Mark.

“The play is set in 1528 and Ibsen was writing it in 1855, but you could say the things that happen in it are still happening to this day.

“It demonstrates the theatrical machinations that Ibsen had to go through to show that women are poisoned by society and could only succeed if they were not continually undermined.

“His work represented the birth of realism in the theatre and has that timeless quality to it.

“Every one of his works shows how Ibsen thought society shaped us and how it continues to do that.

“None of his plays needs to be situated in Norway, for example. They could be set anywhere in the world. His focus is on how people interact as human beings. 

“We’re also lucky with the setting. The Norwegian Embassy sent me to Trondheim in 2013 to research our first production so I’ve seen Lady Inger’s castle with its whitewashed walls and ironwork.

“The Space can easily represent a medieval castle so the work and the theatre go together really well. 

“Ibsen plays are generally best when they are presented with minimalist design and we’ll be performing it in the round so the audience really becomes part of the production.

“The actors will be in amongst the audience so they can really feel the energy.

“Without giving anything away, Lady Inger ends with a twist – there’s no happy ever after.

“It’s known as Ibsen’s most brutal play and it’s definitely one for audience members to digest.

“In a way, people have to provide their own ending – nothing is wrapped up in a bow for you and it continues to make people think long after they have seen it.

“It’s such a rich work that, even after all this time when we’re rehearsing it it’s still possible for me and the cast to find new things in the piece. 

“Because we have a cast of such talented actors, they push our understanding of the piece. Come and see it for yourselves.”

  • Lady Inger is set to run at The Space from June 27-July 8, 2023. Performances start at 7.30pm and tickets cost £16. 

Read more: Discover volunteering opportunities with Canary Wharf Group and The Felix Project through its Green Scheme

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Royal Docks: How UEL student Ashlea Cromby won a £5,000 grant for her startup

How Mansimble Tea And Estate impressed at the university’s Female Founders Demo Day

Ashlea Cromby, co-founder of Mansimble Tea And Estate and UEL PhD student

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Business is about remaining agile.

Mansimble Tea And Estate – an importer of rare Kangra tea from India – was founded by University Of East London alumni Ashlea Cromby and Vanessa Browne in response to a problem. 

“I never thought I’d be in the tea business – my whole family is from Hainault,” said Ashlea.

“I grew up wanting to be a hairdresser – a stylist at London Fashion Week, because I always had pretty high goals.

“But I went to Epping Forest College (now New City College) and studied piano, then came to UEL to read music as an undergrad for three years because it was the university closest to my house.

“That’s where I met Vanessa – we lived a bit of a wild life for a few years and then I started working in schools, teaching music.

“I’d been to India when I was 18 and volunteered in some local schools – then I went back in 2018 after my masters at UEL in special educational needs. 

“On my last night during that second trip, I was speaking to the owner of the Mansimble Tea Estate and he told me he wanted to build a school – I said I’d love to work with him on that.

“We did extensive fundraising at UEL with cake sales, music events, fairs and auctions – and we built the school.”

But then a problem arose. The arrival of the global pandemic saw a drop in donations to keep the school running.

Ashlea and Vanessa needed a plan to fund the school sustainably, protecting it from the ups and downs of charitable funding.

“It hit me like a lightning bolt that the estate’s Kangra tea could be used to fund the school,” she said.

“I Whatsapped the owner and asked if he exported the tea to the UK and he said no, so I messaged to say: ‘Now you do’.”

Now studying for a PhD at UEL, looking at autistic identity and internet memes, Ashlea had no experience in the sector, but she and her business partner dug in and launched Mansimble Tea And Estate in 2021. 

Mansimble’s Kangra tea comes in hand-tied cotton bags

“In the early days there were issues with borders – much of the world was still in lockdown – but we got the tea and launched it as an ethical brand targeting Yoga studios and hippy communities,” said Ashlea.

“The estate is owned by Indians who pay the pickers a fair wage and provide free education for their children through the school.

“However, we did some market research, looking at the big afternoon teas at the Dorchester and the Ritz and we realised we could target them.

“These hotels always want rare teas that come with a story, so we looked at branching out – offering heritage and rarity, but also an ethical brand that is sustainable.

“Kangra tea accounts for less than 1% of production in India and our teas come in hand-tied cotton bags.”

Combined with a blossoming gin collaboration that’s set to be stocked by Sainsbury’s, this all makes Mansimble a compelling story of a business starting to gain real traction.

That’s perhaps the key reason why Ashlea’s presentation to UEL’s Female Founders Demo Day – a competition that recently saw six women pitch their business venture ideas to win a £5,000 grant – won out.

Held at UEL’s campus on Royal Albert Dock, the contest saw a total of £10,000 in grants awarded to female entrepreneurs with support from Ankh Impact Ventures whose founder, Pierre Rolin, chaired the judges. 

“The money will make a huge difference to Mansimble,” said Ashlea.

“It will allow us to pay up front for tea chests, that will help us to scale the business and then we can start really expanding.

“That will help the core part of the business, which is to raise funds for the school in India.

“With regard to the tea itself,  we want to be the leading Kangra specialist in the world – the Coca-Cola of that business.

“We want to see it featured on as many afternoon tea menus as possible and to truly re-establish it.

“Going back to Victorian times, it was the most prized tea in Britain.

“It won gold and silver awards in Amsterdam in the 1840s and was the very best of the Victorian high society teas.

The tea is grown on an Indian-owned estate, which pays its workers fair wages and provides education for their children

“Then there was an earthquake that hit the region where it is grown and, because of that, the British pulled out.

“They already had Assam and Darjeeling and the rest of India so they decided they didn’t want to waste their money on this tiny place and its crop of tea.

“Today the estate is owned by Indians and it produces this incredible product.

“It is not bitter at all – it’s the smoothest, most amazing tea, served with no milk or sugar.

“If you liken it to the spirit world, then you’re getting a beautiful, full-bodied whisky.

“The tea itself – which is called a liquor when it’s brewed – is smooth, full of flavour and amber in colour.

“What we want to do is return Kangra tea to where it used to be in the UK market – right at the top.

“As a brand we are doing something different to what’s out there.

“There are lots of ethical tea brands and there are many speciality, high-end tea brands. Then there are everyday brands like PG Tips and Typhoo.  

“With Mansimble, we are both an ethical brand and one that is targeting the top end of the market.

“We are approaching tea in a different way, because the Indians are in control of the estate in contrast to its colonial past.”

  • Two other students were also given grants at Demo Day. BSc computing for business student Nicole Ihemadu was recognised with £2,500 for her Uzuri Tribe venture aimed at using AI to create a bespoke selection of products based on customer preference and aimed at black women.

Kiri Scamp, who is studying business management at UEL, also received £2,500 for Millér, a brand developing muti-purpose, recyclable and sustainable makeup kits and vegan and ethical products to go in them.

Also presenting on the day were Angela Rixon with coaching venture My Wisdom Career, Jasmine Shroder’s trauma-based therapy business and Ashantae Samuel-Maragh of ASSM Waves, making workout gear from recycled fishing nets.

Read more: Discover volunteering opportunities with Canary Wharf Group and The Felix Project through its Green Scheme

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Canary Wharf: How volunteering for the Green Scheme can help fight food poverty

Canary Wharf Group and The Felix Project launch long-term partnership to get food to those in need

Canary Wharf Group and The Felix Project have teamed up to battle food waste and feed those in need

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Volunteers needed…

That’s the simple message from Canary Wharf Group (CWG) as it officially launches a long-term partnership with The Felix Project – a charity that rescues surplus food and distributes it to vulnerable people through front line organisations, schools and community initiatives.

Together they have unveiled the Green Scheme – an ambitious project to provide more than 1,000 meals a week through around 10 local organisations, saving some 500kg of food that would otherwise have gone to waste. 

To achieve that, they are  looking to recruit as many as 1,500 people to ensure food is collected from retailers, restaurants and office kitchens on the Canary Wharf estate before transporting it to where it needs to go.

“What CWG is looking to achieve is really more than just having a positive impact in the buildings on the estate,” said Jane Hollinshead, managing director of people, culture and customer service at Canary Wharf Group. 

“It’s about how we fit into the wider ecosystem in terms of being a responsible business. 

“We’d had some conversations with The Felix Project about just doing some simple volunteering – that was really a corporate social responsibility thing.

“But this was at the time when the cost of living was really beginning to spiral out of control and there were huge issues around food waste, so I went over to see their warehouse in Poplar and it struck me what a natural partner Felix would be for all of the things that we. as an organisation. value.

Flash Back: How The Felix Project arrived in Poplar

“I thought that if we were to create something more strategic with them, then the reach we would get through their operations would be exponentially greater than if we were doing things on our own.

“From their side, our position as a landlord opens up opportunities for Felix because they are able to meet our customers, many of whom have surplus food at the end of the day – whether they are retailers or restaurants in offices. 

“It’s a really symbiotic partnership – we both bring things to further each other’s purposes.”

While CWG and Felix are still exploring the full extent of what may be possible through their collaboration, the Green Scheme is the immediate priority.

Retailers including M&S, Joe Blake’s and Waitrose have already signed up, with support also coming from the likes of Morgan Stanley and Barclays.

From left, Canary Wharf Group CEO Shobi Khan, The Felix Project CEO Charlotte Hill and CWG managing director of people, culture and customer service
>> “Our purpose is to bring people together to enhance lives now and in the future,” said Canary Wharf Group CEO, Shobi Khan. “Through partnerships like this, we aim to ensure Canary Wharf is more than just a place to live or work, but a place where you can be connected to the local community and can have a positive social impact.


“The business community at Canary Wharf has a big part to play in making The Felix Project a success and indeed some of our local companies are already on board, including Morgan Stanley and Barclays. 

“With such a concentration of retail and office businesses on the estate, a key part of our role as partner will be to introduce the charity to our wider community and bring the scale that’s needed to have a real, lasting effect on local people’s lives. 

“We have so many people who can play their part, whether they work, live or regularly visit here – I urge anyone willing to spare a couple of hours to sign up to volunteer and help us get surplus food to those who need it most.”

The partners are now keen to attract more businesses and, crucially, volunteers to drive the project forward.

“For the Green Scheme, we will act as the hub,” said Jane.

“That makes sense because we can keep the food fresh on the estate and then get it out faster than if it were sent to a warehouse first. 

“It’s also about bringing the individual volunteers out to the organisations that we and Felix are supporting.

“What happens is that the food is collected from the retailer or office restaurant by the volunteer who then delivers it. 

“We wanted that to be done in a sustainable way so it will be either on foot, by bike or via a dedicated electric van that we’ll charge up in our car parks.

“We are looking for anyone at all to volunteer for the Green Scheme – you might work or live in or near the Canary Wharf estate, or be a visitor.

“There are no boundaries when it comes to this kind of activity and we see it as a really good way to build relationships with the local community.

“We want as many people to help as possible – all volunteers have to do is to pass a health and safety induction and be able to carry a takeaway delivery service-style rucksack.”

CWG is clear. This latest initiative is very much looking beyond the borders of the estate in a bid to get as much of the community involved as possible.

Charlotte and Shobi load the dedicated electric van with surplus food
>> “In the UK, 4.7million people are struggling with the cost of food,” said Charlotte Hill, CEO of The Felix Project. “This is an issue we cannot afford to ignore and the situation is critical as the cost-of-living crisis intensifies. Many Londoners are trying to feed themselves on less than £3 a day.



“We’re thrilled to partner with Canary Wharf Group as they’re in the unique position to be able to convene the hundreds of businesses, retailers, employees and residents on the Estate to tackle this issue together, meaning we’ll have a much greater social impact than we would otherwise. 

“They have the access and logistics that we need to make the scheme a success at a time when the need is so high, and are committed to the same long-lasting, sustainable and meaningful change that we built our charity for.”

“I think the benefit from the volunteers’ perspective is that they will be achieving something that’s meaningful,” said Jane. 

“That comes back to what I increasingly see from our own employees and customers. 

“When people come to their workplace, they want to feel they are doing something that really has value.

“When you have this huge cost of living crisis and you have in-work poverty – people who are relying on food banks even though they have jobs – then a partnership like this fulfils a purpose that is twofold. 

“Firstly, it’s reducing food waste, because there is so much that would otherwise be thrown away. 

“Secondly, because of the significant challenges the UK has faced over the last few years, food poverty is also coming through as an immediate crisis.

“The next generation particularly want to feel that they work for organisations that share their values. Part of that is having an impact in the community and a strategy for that.

“Here we are delivering something that works for our people and has benefits for CWG and our customers but also for the Felix Project and all the people and organisations it helps.”

While the Green Scheme itself is an ambitious project, Jane said it only represented the start of the collaboration between Felix and CWG – something that would grow in the months and years to come.

Volunteers will deliver food direct from Canary Wharf to the organisations supported by the Green Scheme

“We want to see how we can use the assets that we have as an organisation and explore how else we can help the charity,” she said.

“We’re looking at working with our office clients to see whether we can help them create a more diverse group of volunteers down at the Poplar depot.

“We’re talking to Morgan Stanley – which has a very effective volunteering strategy – about how that best practice can be shared.

“We’re also investigating how we can encourage people who are experts in their particular sector such as sustainability or professional services to volunteer their time to help the organisation.

“There’s a contribution of expertise, so it’s not just about the Green Scheme. It’s really about sharing knowledge and asking how we can involve our supply chain. 

“Can we make use of small businesses locally to help them deliver what they are doing, for example?

“The partnership is very much about setting out our stall to the outside world as an organisation – what our values are and what we stand for.”

Those interested in volunteering with the Green Scheme should sign up online to find out full details of the project.

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Canary Wharf: How Wood Wharf Kindergarten offers tailored childcare

Recently opened nursery provides a haven for kids aged 0-4 on edge of Harbour Quay Gardens

Everything at Wood Wharf Kindergarten is play-based

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Humans change physically, mentally and emotionally at a faster rate in their first few years than at any other point in their lives.

The experience and stimulation they encounter during this formative time plays a crucial role in their development, laying the foundations for the people they will later become and the individuality they will express.

These are facts that are uppermost in the minds of staff at Wood Wharf Kindergarten, which recently opened its doors in Canary Wharf. 

Arranged in generously proportioned surroundings over the two lower floors of 10 Park Drive, it offers childcare to babies and young children aged 0-4, 51 weeks of the year.

The children are taken out twice a day in all weathers

‘Tailored’ is the word that best sums up its approach.

“Getting to know the family and understanding what their needs and their child’s needs are is the most important part,” said Heleanna Phair, nursery manager at Wood Wharf Kindergarten. 

“The first thing we do is to invite parents in for the settling-in sessions, which we do together.

“A lot of nurseries will ask parents to bring their children in for an hour and then leave them at the door. 

“We believe the parents should be in the room with the children to help them to become familiar with the environment and with the staff – especially the key person who will be looking after them.

The nursery works with the interests of each child

“Then, slowly, the parent moves away and stays downstairs so they’re on call if needed.

“We don’t allow any child to start unless they’ve gone through that settling-in process and we feel the child is emotionally ready. Of course, that looks different for each child and family.

“Once we’ve been through that process, parents have a key person who acts as the main point of contact and will send them daily information about what their child has been doing.

“We’ll let them know if the children are sleeping, if they’ve had a bottle or gone out for a trip – those notifications and photos go out throughout the day, which is a real comfort for people.

“Every six weeks we’ll write a long learning story, so parents get an update on their child’s developmental milestones, and then we’ll invite them in every three months for a bit of a parents’ evening for a catch up on how things are going.

“We  have very strong parent partnerships here, and parents are always invited in at the beginning and end of every day for a verbal handover.

“It’s so important we work with them, that they know what their child has been doing and how they are developing.”

Nursery manager Heleanna Phair

With a track record of achieving assessments of “outstanding” from Ofsted in previous roles, you don’t have to sit with Heleanna long to feel her obvious passion for the job she does.

“I’ve lost count of the number of years I’ve been in nursery management,” she said.

“Of course there’s a lot of legislation to take into account, but I think that if you’re genuinely passionate about what you do and that you really think about the children and parents you have in your nursery then that’s what helps you gain this level of recognition. 

“No nursery is the same as another – they all have challenges.

“My first management role was for a charity and, because many of the children were disadvantaged, what they really needed was feeding, love and attention. 

“Here we have some children who have nannies, language classes and swimming lessons and have had the opportunity to travel a lot.

“So, for us, the challenge is to provide a curriculum that is exciting and engaging, because they have so many experiences in the bag already.

“To do that we make sure everything we do is fresh, current and child-led. There’s no top-down approach to our teaching at all.

“We see the children each day – discover what their interests are – and then plan learning opportunities for the next day.

The nursery caters for children aged 0-4

“I always mention to parents when they come in at first that we may not move a child up from the babies room at 18 months because they might not be ready.

“Equally, we have a boy at the moment who is only 14 months, but is ready for the toddler room because he just wants more stimulation. 

“Knowing the children and parents and reviewing the service as you go is really important.

“I once worked at a nursery that operated 12 rooms and the children were moved every six months.

“That was really bad for them emotionally because they were not forming attachments with the staff.

“Here we make sure that three moves is the maximum and we only make them when the children are ready, which means the age range in each room is quite broad but also that each child is in the right place.

“We have a qualified early years teacher in our pre-school room, which is a real benefit. They are responsible for our school readiness programme.

“This, like all of our teaching, is play-based, but prepares the children for formal education with an emphasis on literacy and numeracy.”

While staff at Wood Wharf Kindergarten preside over a curriculum that includes Spanish, Mandarin and even Yoga, the overwhelming atmosphere is one of fun.

Softly furnished rooms are filled with wooden toys, books and activities intended to sneak a little knowledge in while the kids are simply having a good time.

But the nursery is about more than just the building itself. 

“We’re an outdoor learning nursery and we go outside in all weathers,” said Heleanna.

“We don’t keep them in if it’s a bit cold outside and we are in the process of securing a permanent outdoor space next to the nursery with a temporary one set up at Union Square in the meantime.

Wood Wharf Kindergarten is located on the edge of Harbour Quay Gardens

“I’m always very clear with parents about this because I really believe in it. It’s the same with messy play.

“We always ask that the children should be dressed in old clothes – nothing precious.

“It’s so important not to have barriers to learning so if the children don’t want to wear aprons, then we won’t make them.

“Having a close relationship with the parents is really important so they understand our approach and its benefits.

“It’s the same across the curriculum. If any of the children don’t want to take part, then they don’t have to. 

“That’s why we only have full-time staff because its so important for our key people to observe the children every day so they really know how they are doing.

“Nothing is structured, but there are always goals behind the activities – to me ‘outstanding’ looks like giving children the best possible experiences and we are so lucky to be here in Canary Wharf to do that, with Crossrail Place Roof Garden and all the parks to explore.

“The staff take the children out twice a day – often on quite long trips, including places such as Mudchute Park And Farm on the Isle Of Dogs – a favourite with everyone.”

Located on the edge of Harbour Quay Gardens overlooking West India South Dock, Wood Wharf Kindergarten sits on the quieter half of the estate. 

Packed with toys and equipment, it also offers food to meet any dietary requirement from head chef Mitchell Wilkinson – a cook with decades of experience working for the likes of Wimbledon and The Hurlingham Club before moving into educational settings.

“We do have some spaces at the moment and I’d urge parents to get in touch,” said Heleanna.

“We can host them for stay and play sessions if they like because we know it’s important to be sure.”

Wood Wharf Kindergarten fees – which include all meals, snacks, formula, nappies and trips – are £120 per standard day for under-3s and £110 for 3+.

Those interested in securing a place can get in touch with the nursery here.

The nursery is based on Park Drive in Canary Wharf’s Wood Wharf district

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Canary Wharf: How Mallow is bringing plant-based food to Wood Wharf

Borough Market-based Mildreds offshoot expands to east London with zero waste Park Drive eatery

Pulled Mushroom Biryani with plum tomato shorba, cucumber coconut sambol, cardamom raita and spiced almonds, £19 at Mallow

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“I want people to feel joyful, satisfied and surprised when they come to eat at Mallow,” said Sarah Wasserman.

“My favourite thing is when someone tells me they’ve brought a non-vegetarian person to the restaurant and that they couldn’t believe how much they enjoyed the food.”

As if Patty & Bun, Feels Like June, Dishoom, MMy, Hawksmoor and Emilia’s Crafted Pasta weren’t enough, Canary Wharf is set to get two new openings at Wood Wharf, just across the road from one another.

Roberto Costa’s Fish Game is coming at the end of the month, but it’s plant-based Mallow, which is taking bookings from Friday, June 26, 2023.

As head development chef for Mildreds restaurants, and its sustainability focused offshoot Mallow, it’s Sarah’s responsibility – alongside partner in crime Alessandra Malacarne – to create dishes that will feed and delight the growing brands’ guests.

“I started out as an art school kid and spent seven years studying at places like St Martin’s and Goldsmiths,” said Sarah.

“I realised during that time that I wasn’t going to make any money as an artist so I started working in food places.

“As a vegan, that included travelling round the States working in places where you grind your own flour and make your own hemp sandals – all of that stuff. 

“I started out doing some shifts as a student when I was at the Royal Academy Schools and eventually became a manager in the original Mildreds restaurant.

Head development chef for Mildreds and Mallow, Sarah Wasserman

“After that I ran the salad bar, worked as head pastry chef and then as head of central kitchen.

“From there I co-authored three cook books and eventually became the development chef. 

“Then I was allowed to bring in Ally to help me, so that officially makes me head of development for Mildreds and Mallow because there are two of us.

“I’ve worked there for 17 years now, on and off.”

For those who don’t know, Mildreds is a Soho institution, founded by Jane Muir and Diane Thomas in the late 1980s.

“They wanted to eat in a more compassionate, sustainable way but thought the whole vegetarian scene was so uncool, with wall hangings and things like that” said Sarah.

“They wanted to eat in a great, contemporary place that just happened to have good vegetarian food.

“That’s the vibe – and to this day, nothing goes on the menu unless it tastes great. 

“I didn’t even know it was vegetarian when I walked in – this was back in the time when you could just turn up with your CV and get a job – it just looked like a cool little place. 

“All the big production houses and music offices were there, so lots of people from those places would come and it was pretty cool to just pop in.”

An artist’s impression of how Mallow will look in Wood Wharf

As time has passed, Mildreds has expanded to five locations in the capital and in 2021 decided to try something new.

It opened Mallow in a fine red brick building right across the road from Southwark Cathedral, right on the edge of the hustle and bustle of Borough Market.

It’s this brand that is set to arrive in Canary Wharf this month – but what is it? 

“When the original site in Southwark became available, we knew it had to be something special,” said Sarah.

“Borough Market is where all the fruit and veg for London would have been coming and the basement of the building we have has been used as the banana store for the whole city.

“With Mildreds we already had something plant-based and internationally inspired and with Mallow we were really trying to expand on the potential of its location and the nearby suppliers – to do that with as little waste as possible.

“We took the name because it’s a plant you can use from the root to the leaves. Marshmallows also get their name from it because when you cook down the root you get a gelatinous substance that, before gelatin, was used to set jellies and sweets.

Burnt Aubergine Muhammara Borek served with green tabbouleh, baba ganoush cream and ezme, £18 at Mallow

“That’s a tradition that had been lost and I think it’s great to bring back a seasonal ingredient like this.

“It’s a tweak we apply to everything – we try to use as much as possible of the produce we’re working with in the most interesting way we can.”

The plan with Mallow has always been to simply take seasonal produce and then create something fun and delicious with it, while also operating as close to zero waste as is practical. 

Visitors to the forthcoming Wood Wharf venue can expect more of the same, with an expanded menu and the odd special event drawing inspiration from across the globe.

Working tirelessly alongside Sarah in that mission is fellow development chef Alessandra. 

“Originally I wanted to be a doctor, but cooking has always been my passion,” she said. “I would always relax by cooking for myself. 

“I was living in Pisa and looking for a job to make some money to get an apartment and that’s when I started in hospitality.

“It was everything I like – the food and the kitchen. I realised I didn’t want to live with my head in a book. 

Alessandra came to London from Italy

“I had no experience so I worked my way up – learning from a Michelin-starred chef. In one hotel I worked my way up from cleaning fridges.

“I’d never really felt at home in Italy but I loved London – I’d always dreamed about moving here.

“My best friend shared that dream and so we did it. 

“After a couple of years working in restaurants I joined Mildreds because I wanted to be vegan.

“The thing for Mallow’s menu is that we don’t just stick with something we already know, we always like to change it up and that can be quite a challenge.

“We like to go from country to country and pull things together.”

“We have quite a bit of fun with it,” added Sarah.

“We’re pretty irreverent – Mallow is much more fusion than Mildreds, more playful.

“For example we’ll be doing marinaded corn ribs cut through the centre so when you bite them they’re really juicy and flavourful.

“What we want is a good balance of international influences so there’s a nice flow of flavours from different places.

“There’s a nice sort of symmetry to the new site because the first restaurant is where much of the fruit and veg in London was sold.

“The docks would have been where it was coming into the city.

“As the first purely plant-based restaurant in Wood Wharf, we’re appropriate, because today Canary Wharf has a huge amount of people from all over the world working and living there and we try to cater for a very diverse range of tastes. 

“Mallow in Wood Wharf will also feature some new dishes, an expanded wine list and some new cocktails. “

Mallow is located in Wood Wharf’s 12 Park Drive and is set to open at 8am on weekdays and at 9am on weekends.

You can find out more here.

Shitake Miso Croquettes with pickled shimeji, shiso and yuzu mayo, £9 at Mallow

Read more: How Padium is set to bring padel tennis to Canary Wharf’s Bank Street

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
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Canary Wharf: How Padium is bringing padel tennis to Bank Street

Indoor club will feature seven indoor courts, an outdoor court plus a pro shop and changing facilities

Padium is under construction at 10 Bank Street

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Just what are those vast metallic arches that have sprung up on the flat patch of ground between Morgan Stanley and Societe Generale?

Well, the three-peaked structure is set to shelter Houman Ashrafzadeh’s latest dream.

The serial entrepreneur, together with two friends, already has a presence at 35 Bank Street, having launched new wave salad bar Urban Greens in September 2021.

This summer he’s set to do something completely different with the launch of Padium, a little further west on the estate. 

“I grew up in Sweden and I’ve lived in London for nearly 16 years but, whenever I’d go back to visit, I’d see this new sport emerging,” he said.

“My brother and his friends played it and so I tried it and got completely hooked.”

That sport was padel tennis – popular across Europe and especially so in Houman’s old home town of Helsingborg with an unusually high number of courts for a place with a population a little over 100,000 people. 

“When I discovered it, I felt it was something very different – so much fun, but with a social aspect,” he said.

“You have four players on a smaller court, a lot of banter going on, and it’s intense, because you’re in a more confined space than on a tennis court.

“It’s relatively easy to pick up – after two or three sessions you get the basics and you can have a decent game even with someone who is better than you.

Entrepreneur Houman Ashrazadeh is behind plans for Padium

“I was fascinated, because it was so much fun, and I went back to London, super-excited to play a game with my friends – but there was nowhere to buy Padel rackets, except online.

“Eventually I managed to convince a few friends to play and tried to book a court, but there were hardly any.

“Back then, there was one in Regent’s Park and one in Hyde Park, but they were outdoors – when it rains, you can’t really play.

“The frustration grew because I wanted to play in London. I played every time I went back to Sweden, but that was not frequently.

“I just couldn’t get over how strange it was that it hadn’t caught on in the UK. Squash was big, so why not padel?”

Initially Houman’s idea was to try to replicate the sorts of facilities he’d used in Sweden – unmanned courts in warehouses accessed by a code.

However, a dinner with Spotify co-founder Martin Lorentzon – an investor in Houman’s successful Coffydoor venture – took things up a notch.

Canary Wharf Group CEO Shobi Khan takes on Houman in an exhibition match to mark the official unveiling of Padium

“One of the topics that came up was padel tennis,” said Houman.

“Martin loves it and plays five or six times a week – it’s a passion for him and he’s very good at it.

“ I told him I was looking to start a Padel club in London as then there were none.

“At that time, Stockholm had hundreds of courts, but I only knew of two outdoor courts in the whole of London and he couldn’t believe it.

“So I showed him the Excel spreadsheet I’d been working on  and he said he’d be interested in partnering up and investing.

“Having him on board gave me the ability to do something on a bigger scale than I’d been considering.

“My experience of Padel in the UK was that it was often very basic.

“It was embarrassing to bring friends from Sweden to these places, because the facilities were poor.

“Courts would not be maintained properly, with broken plaster on the walls and would often be too close to one another, so balls would be flying in from other games, or there would be no changing facilities or showers.”

An artist’s impression of how Padium will look

So Houman went back to the drawing board to create something he thought would be capable of “revolutionising” the game in the UK.

“I realised the club needed to be in a flagship location – a place that could attract a lot of people who had never played before,” he said.

“It should be an educator, to get a lot of people involved, including kids and schools so they too can enjoy this amazing game.

“I was told by some companies that I could just put up some courts and not spend much money because the demand was so high that they would be packed anyway.

“But I didn’t want to do that, I wanted to create an experience and an environment where you could build a community. 

“I want young people involved, corporate clients and really good players too – the full 360-degrees like I was used to in Sweden. 

“With Martin involved, I didn’t want to replicate any of the experiences I’d had in the UK, I wanted to raise the bar and have something much better to revolutionise the sport here.”

Padium will house seven indoor glass courts

The result is Houman’s plans for Padium.

The facility will be home to seven indoor panoramic glass courts under a 10-metre high ceiling including a centre court.

There will also be an outdoor court, a pro shop and a nutritional drinks bar. 

The store will stock clothing from tennis legend Björn Borg and a selection of rackets from Babolat. 

It will also have changing and shower facilities with a towel service and a club lounge on a mezzanine floor where players can hang out before and after games. 

“Right now I play at other clubs, but I have to devote half a day for one hour of padel, because I have to travel for an hour, play, return home to shower, then continue my day,” said Houman.

“That’s a lot of time to spend when the whole thing could just take 90 minutes.

“I want the emphasis to be on good service at Padium with my staff being really knowledgeable and friendly – to create an environment for everyone where it’s welcoming and everybody feels included.

“This goes back to my Swedish roots, where padel is open to everyone.

“We don’t have fancy clubs over there where you have to be a member and it takes you 20 years to get on the list. It’s possible to create a premium product and to have that inclusivity where all are welcome.”

The proposed lounge area on the structure’s mezzanine

Extensive work to strengthen the foundations under 10 Bank Street have been undertaken to support the concrete slab on which Padium will sit.

Located on the site of a mooted 32-storey office block, the club will bring fresh life to a patch of ground that had become a popular sun trap before the winds of Storm Eunice tore up its astroturf.

Open daily from 6am-11pm, courts will be bookable in advance for four players with slots of 60, 90 or 120 minutes available with no membership required to play.

“One of the seven indoor courts is a centre court, which will cost a bit more, but we’ll be incorporating court camera technology on that one, which reads the game and gives you statistics,” said Houman.

“One is a recording camera which records the game and the other is AI-based, to give you statistics about your game, which is really cool.

“This will help people who want to improve their game and so coaches can assess their performance.

“If it’s popular, then we’ll look at rolling it out to other courts too.

“For me, padel is the perfect combination of squash and tennis. It takes the best of both and combines them into one game. 

“It’s easy to learn, but hard to master. Because the courts are smaller, the actual amount of time you spend playing is greater than tennis – rallies can often go on for minutes rather than being over quickly.

Padium will include a pro shop and nutritional drinks bar

“Also, tennis can be a lonely sport. With padel you play with four people, so it’s super social.

“You have a ranking, sign up and play with players of a similar level you don’t know, so it’s a great way to meet people.

“One of our responsibilities will be to help nurture the grass roots of this amazing sport.

“We want schools and people from the local community to come and discover the game because they will be the players of the future.

“We need players to convince councils and other organisations that it’s worth approving these facilities – that the investment will be worth it – so we can grow the sport.

“Ultimately the aim is for it to become an Olympic sport.

“There’s a federation and there are professional players making a living from the game now, which is great.

“The Lawn Tennis Association is also involved now and we’re looking forward to working with them too.”

As for Houman, Urban Greens remains a strong focus and, come the opening of Padium there will certainly be some crossover between the two brands.

“Padel and salad go well together and Urban Greens will certainly be catering for events we put on,” he said.

“We’ll also be offering companies corporate sponsorships for the courts where businesses can have their name and logo on the booking app and on the courts themselves, with playing time for their staff and whole-club takeover events.” 

Read more: How Kinaara on Greenwich Peninsula offers authentic Indian flavours

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
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