New cookbook Order Up! is a tribute to London’s neighbourhoods and their thriving food scenes. Produced by global tech company Square – which is dedicated to empowering businesses to streamline their operations – the cookbook is split into north, east, south and west, with recipes from beloved local restaurants, cafes and bakeries. 100 per cent of proceeds go to supporting the hospitality industry: £7.50 from each book sale is donated to Hospitality Action, a charity that supports those who work in hospitality, and a further £7.50 goes to whichever venue you buy the book from. 100 per cent of the sale when purchased online from orderupsquare.com will go to Hospitality Action. Broadsheet partnered with Square to launch the book on December 1, with a special event at Honey & Co Studio on Lamb’s Conduit Street attended by creators, chefs and industry stalwarts.
On the night, Broadsheet led a panel with an impressive slate of hospitality operators, to talk about the industry, what they’re feeling positive about right now, how their businesses are rooted in community and how burnout is impacting the industry. Guests heard from Atreka Cameron (All Nations Vegan House), Itamar Srulovich (Honey & Co), Jess Blackstone (Fink’s, Saltine and Fink’s at Clissold House) and Hospitality Action CEO Mark Lewis on the challenges currently faced by the industry and where they see it headed in the future.
While the panel wasn’t afraid to get honest about the hardships of hospitality right now, the evening overall was a celebration of the resilience and creativity of London’s hospitality industry – an optimism explored in the Order Up! cookbook. It kicks off with a foreword by Giuseppe Federici – aka @sepps – before diving into a note from Astrid Wears-Taylor, the fundraising and events director at Hospitality Action. The 20 recipes – divided into north, east, south and west – come from beloved staples and buzzy new spots, with dishes from across the capital’s vast spectrum of cultures and cuisines. Each recipe is accompanied by the story of the venue behind it.
Readers will find the coconut and creamy oyster mushroom stew from All Nations Vegan House in Stoke Newington, an apricot and chamomile galette from Fink’s, a beef sandwich by Earl’s in Leytonstone and the beloved banana bread from south London’s Brickwood. There’s also the piccalilli that’s found all over the menu at Lulu’s in Herne Hill, Honey & Co’s vanilla cheesecake and the lasagne from Tom’s Pasta. In between you’ll read the story behind each recipe and restaurant – how World Famous Gordos in Hackney was born out of need, why Milk in Balham has managed to draw queues for more than a decade, and how community is embedded in the foundations of Middle Eastern diner Honey & Co.
Ultimately, though, the cookbook is all about community – getting out of the house and enjoying what London has to offer. As the Square team writes in its intro, “We created this cookbook as a celebration of … people: the ones who bring flavour, warmth and personality to all the places we call home, who open early, stay late, and never stop thinking about how to make the next plate better than the last.”
Order Up! by Square is out now. All proceeds support hospitality; £7.50 from each sale will be donated Hospitality Action (charity no. 1101083) and £7.50 to the restaurant where it’s purchased. Online sales at orderupsquare.com donate 100 per cent to Hospitality Action.