What’s New

Carbon Kopi to open Fulham branch

Hammersmith speciality coffee shop Carbon Kopi are set to open their second site in Fulham this month. Located on the former site of the dry cleaners and post office on the corner of Hazlebury and Wandsworth Bridge Roads, they are aiming to be open mid-May, in time for the Wandsworth Bridge Road Spring Fayre on Sunday 15 May.

The company was founded by Chris and Natalie Brittan in 2019 just before the pandemic and their first store is located on Margavine Road, Hammersmith. Natalie told Urban Village LDN “we have seen the business go from strength to strength as word of our reputation spread. We’ve always felt an affinity with Fulham, with many customers from the area and beyond travelling to our Hammersmith site and when we saw the lovely corner spot we felt it was the perfect launchpad for connecting with the community here”.

We always love the story behind the name of a brand and Natalie told us that the word ‘kopi’ is Malay for coffee, a nod to Natalie’s heritage. Carbon Kopi will be open seven days a week from 7.30am - 5pm serving coffee, tea, cake pastries, sourdough toasties (The New Yorker, Truffle Cheese, Chicken Pesto) and Natalie added “we will also offer a 30% discount for all staff working for the NHS and emergency services and look forward to keeping them caffeinated.” Welcome to Fulham Carbon Kopi!

Find Carbon Kopi on Facebook, Twitter or follow them on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/carbonkopi/ head to their website on the link below to find out more.

Lyceum Fit creates community programme

Opening this month Lyceum Fit is a physical fitness studio with a difference. Located at the Sands End Arts and Community Centre (SEACC), Lyceum Fit have the community at the heart of their offer and a focus on both physical and mental fitness; training not only the body but also the mind. Urban Village LDN spoke to George from Lyceum who told us “we’re working in partnership with the Sands End Arts and Community Centre (SEACC) after approaching the trustees last year and very much see ourselves as a social enterprise who want to engage with the community”. Lyceum Fit are working very closely with SEACC to delivery training, workshops and talks to the local community. They want to influence and promote health, fitness, wellness and the outdoors to the community and make this accessible for people of all classes and backgrounds. Plans so far include junior fitness classes, a community morning running club and classes for over 60s.

George told us, you learn something new every day, that Lyceum was the name of Aristotle’s first gym, one of the oldest gyms in the word which was founded in 335 BC. Lyceum was used not just for fitness training but also for the exercising of the mind and it was here that Aristotle held lectures on philosophy and scientific theory. George continued “I sustained a head injury after being hit but a taxi, so I had to learn to read and write again. During this time I read a book called “The Brain That Changes Itself” by Norman Doidge, the brain is willing to be trained and react like any other muscle so at Lyceum we are focusing not only on physical strength and conditioning but also mental fitness”.

We spoke to Sabina one of the other three trainers at Lyceum. Sabina is a local resident who has been coaching Fulham locals for many years and will be running the classes for over 60s. “During the lockdowns I saw lots of older people walking and exercising in South Park and thought there was so much more I could offer to improve mobility and ability within this age group”. Sabina has worked as part of the team at Balance Sports Physiotherapy Clinic gaining experience with various types of sports and lifestyle related injuries as well as post / pre surgery training preparations and is looking forward to working with this age group to improve their confidence and mobility safely. Working alongside George and Sabina the last member of the Lyceum team is Robbie who will be developing the children’s fitness programme making sure each child reaches their maximum potential physically and mentally. Robbie was a Sports coach and Teaching assistant at Garden House School for 3 years and has set up multiple after school fitness clubs for children.

We love that every inch of space at SEACC is being used, we saw work in progress before Lyceum was officially open and look forward to meeting the team in person and hearing more about what’s on offer to the Fulham community. Follow them on Instagram here https://instagram.com/lyceumfit

Douce France London launch French speaking clubs

A new holiday camp and after school club for French speaking children is starting in Fulham. Similar to those that are run in France, the first Douce France London camp will take place at Twynholm Baptist Church (324 - 326 Lillie Road) for children aged 4-12 from 11 -29 July. Founders Jennifer Semar and David Meslet got in touch with Urban Village LDN to tell us about the camp which will be held entirely in French and is aimed at French speaking or bilingual families living in London. Their aim is to build a community and respond to their needs by growing and developing their programme which, rather than focusing typically on one area, will include activities in Drama, Sport and Art.

Jennifer and David, both originally from Lyon, have been living in London for five years. During that time Jennifer has worked in schools located in West London including L’ Ecole des Petits and seeing a gap in the market decided to create and set up Douce France London. Jennifer told us that their company name “is inspired by the song of the same name by famous French singer Charles Trenet, in it he recalls his childhood memories. Pleasant and happy memories from our childhood, nourish and comfort us, my own memory takes me back to games in the schoolyard, books I loved to devour and imaginary stories that transported me to a fantastic world”.

Douce France London “want to create a place that is open after school and during the school holidays offering fun activities and French classes. Children attending will play, learn and grow through collective games which allow them to develop their individuality whilst participating as a group”. Play is at the centre of the camp / club offer, Jennifer continues “the role of play is important because it enables the acquisition of skills, allows young people to develop intellectually, socially and encourages language”. Their team of qualified and experienced professionals “will adapt to the needs and rhythm of each child” and their educational programme will complement that of schools. 

To find out more get in touch at hello@doucefrancelondon.com or follow them on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/doucefrancelondon/ website coming soon!

Chango Empanadas

Chango Empanadas UK was founded by Bernardo Neville who was born and brought up in Argentina. Bernardo wanted to bring authentic Argentine Empanadas to the UK and did just that in 2017 when they opened their first bricks and mortar site in Westfield Stratford and took part in various food markets across London from Soho to Richmond.

The company continued to branch out opening stores in Wimbledon, Highgate, Wandsworth and last month they opened a shop in Fulham at 64 New Kings Road. The team at Chango Empanadas told us “we’ve been trading for many years at the Duke of York Square market every Saturday so it really made a lot of sense for us to be in Parsons Green. We’ve had a great reception and we know we now have a challenge to keep our customers excited with our product and what we offer in store”.

For those of you who don’t know, an Empanada is a baked or fried pastry turnover with filling, think a mini South American version of a Cornish pasty! As well as eight flavours of Empanadas including Traditional Beef, Spicy Chicken, Ham and Cheese, Pumpkin and Goat Cheese, you will find other Argentinian goodies in store; Alfajore biscuits, made of Dulce de Leche and a hint of coconut, there is also a chocolate version and of course you can pick up coffee or eat in and enjoy a glass of Argentinian wine. With the weather improving why not ditch the sarnies and pick up some Empanadas for your al fresco lunch in the park?

You can also order from their website. Get pre cooked and frozen Empanadas delivered to your door for you to reheat and eat. You can also order from Deliveroo or Uber Eats. Follow on Facebook or Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/changoempanadasuk/