Made in Fulham
It never fails to surprise us what a talented bunch you Fulham folks are. Each month Urban Village Ldn introduces you to THe Fulham face behind an idea, product or business and asks them what they love about being a local resident. This month we talk to Alicia Agar and Catherine Manna from the ACWay a food & lifestyle blog
How long have you called Fulham home? We have collectively called Fulham home for 10 years and couldn’t imagine wanting to live anywhere else at current!
Tell us a bit about yourself/and your family The AC is our names combined. Alicia is from Harrogate and Catherine from Bristol but we met in London. Who knew a northerner and a southerner could make such a great team! We reside in Parsons Green with our 3 fluffy dogs and a tortoise.
What’s your favourite local haunt and why? Our favourite local haunt on a weekend would have to be Koji, its super close to us and we are such huge fans of sushi, plus they do a brilliant margarita. We have been having takeout but can’t wait to get back in there and soak up all of its atmosphere.
What is your slice of Fulham heaven and why? We are somewhat addicted to matcha lattes and our current favourite spot for one would have to be District by Parsons Green, they just get it right every time. This accompanied by a long stroll through bishops park with the dogs is our ideal weekend lockdown activity. For a little pick me up we also love Ellas place for beautifully fresh flowers, its nice to go in their and make your own bespoke bunch, plus their new menu is fab!
We also are loving the recently opened Natures Delight on the Fulham road, it has become our naughty weekend treat stop off for the most scrumptious dates stuffed with dulce de leche - need we say more?!
What have you missed about Fulham life during lockdown? Where do we begin, everything!.. The scramble for the last roast on a Sunday at Brooke House, the hungover faces at brunch on a Saturday morning in Megans, and even the overly crowded district line carriages on the morning commute. We’ve been so grateful for the downtime the past year has given us to focus on our new venture and have really tried to focus on the positives wherever possible, however we both cannot wait for some normality to kick in.
What local shop/service/business has helped make life easier during the pandemic? We are very lucky in Fulham to have lots of great, locally sourced, green grocers that we visit regularly whenever we need to source deliciously fresh ingredients for a new dish. This also means we’re able to avoid the crowded supermarkets which is another plus during these times! We also couldn’t survive without the numerous coffee shops that have remained open providing us with hot drinks to accompany our walks and yummy cakes and croissants to brighten our mornings. Despite the hard times everyone has a smile on their face, another reason we love living where we do!
If you could do one thing to improve Fulham what would it be? We really love a girls trip for afternoon tea, maybe that’s something a cafe or restaurant in Fulham could provide. If there already is one we would love to hear about it?
Tell us about The AC way and how it came to be. The AC way is our lockdown baby, we decided when hospitality shut we wanted to make eating at home just as exciting, so we committed to upping our game in the kitchen and began to get creative. We started to share our favourite meals and healthy tips with our followers and it soon took off. We couldn’t be happier at how our community has grown and the connections we’ve made with other incredible foodies along the way. We both are really passionate about eating well and making it tasty with well sourced ingredients!
What advice would you give to someone who's thinking about starting a new venture? Just start. There is a saying “if its perfect to begin with then you started too late”. We are far from perfect and we are learning so much as we go on this exciting adventure. The first step is always the most daunting one, then you just have to get on with it and enjoy the process.
