Best known for its football club Tottenham Hotspur FC, the north London district of Tottenham in the London Borough of Haringey is multicultural with up to 300 different languages spoken by its residents. It has been subject to a regeneration programme in recent years following the infamous rioting in 2011, and expects to benefit from the relocation of its football club in 2018.
The district is said to have been named after Tota, a local farmer, and has been a settlement for over a thousand years. It was a leisure destination for wealthy Londoners including Henry VIII, who visited Bruce Castle and hunted in Tottenham Wood. Until the nineteenth century, Tottenham was semi rural and characterised by its market gardens due to its close proximity to the River Lea. Following the introduction of the Great Eastern Railway in 1870, the low lying fields were transformed into affordable housing for the lower middle and working classes commuting into central London.
Tottenham residents are being urged to go back the area's roots and eat local once again following the relocation of Tottenham Green Market to T Chances Arts & Music centre's car park at 399 High Road every Saturday. Locally made fresh bread, cakes, charcuterie, jams, chutneys and cheeses sit alongside rare breed meat and seasonal vegetables from slightly further afield. Also available is hot food, natural wines and coffee.
Dining out options are also rich in variety and include modern pubs such as The Beehive, specialising in beer from London brewers and wholesome burgers, and cafés such as Downhills Park Café, a volunteer-run eatery supporting adults with learning difficulties, while good cheese can be found at speciality cheese shop Wildes Cheese, where it’s also possible to book yourself onto cheese making classes.
