flavours - press and reviews

Time Out - Shelf Life 3 April 2007

This bijou delicatessen is an off-shoot of Tufnell Park's surprise hit flavours, owned by former MasterChef winner Julie Friend. From the hanging dough shapes that spell out the name in the front window to the rear shelves' display of floral-print cake tins and organic allotment seeds, the sunny style is persuasive, and the shop is not so chi-chi that it doesn't sell sausage rolls and Tunnocks cakes. The choice of breads is surprisingly wide, though not many of each variety are stocked. We love the myriad jars of England Preserves jams, retro-chic packs of laksa mix, James's chocolates and egg cups in the shape of a VW Combi van. The display of cakes (banana, chocolate fudge, orange and almond and eccles) is tempting too. Take a seat for one of them served with a cup of tea with lemon and honey.

Time Out - Shops and Services 2007

Former Masterchef winner Julie Friend set up this small deli; you can watch her cooking popular dishes such as Moroccan chicken and almond bastilla in the miniscule open kitchen.

Shelves are well stocked with neat displays of Nomades Moroccan sauces, La Cabanon pastes, Popina macaroons and biscuits and Pie Minister pies. Breads are supplied by Flourish and Breads Etcetera.

Time Out - Streets of London 2007

There are no shops on St Georges Avenue itself, but the opening of the fabulous deli flavours round the corner has revolutionised the standard of local food shopping with merchandise that includes Moroccan delicacies or simply honey-mustard roasted sausages to combat a hangover.

Shelf Life - Time Out 2006

What do you do after you've won Masterchef? That was the question that haunted Julie Friend, who won in 1997. So, after eight years building up contacts with numerous food producers via farmers' markets and food fairs, she decided to set up a deli.

Flavours is small, with a miniscule open kitchen where you can see Friend cooking popular dishes such as honey and mustard sausages, sausage rolls in lattice pastry, salads, hot dishes and cakes. Her friends and siblings often help out, lending a real community feel to the place.

Shelves are well stocked with neat displays of Nomades Moroccan sauces, Le Cabanon pastes, Popina macaroons and biscuits, Pie Minister pies, and Local hero Soups from Yorkshire. Breads are supplied by a craft bakery named Flourish, and a Danish one called Breads Etc.

A flavour of the month is showcased through changing displays of of specialist products (eg ginger in January and Chocolate in February). In fine weather you can sit outside and sip fresh coffee from the Monmouth Coffee Shop. Friend says that their Moroccan chicken and almond bastilla 'has become the drug of Tufnell Park'.

Those with an addictive personality should take care.

Women Doing Their Own Thing - Eve 2006

The Pasta Queen.

Charity exec Julie Friend won a life-changing cookery competition. 'It was my passion for Italian cooking - and my risotto recipe - that won me the BBC's Masterchef award nine years ago. From there I began to run cookery courses in Italy, renting a house on the Bay of Salermo and taking guests on trips to vineyards and markets. Now I combine these trips with running a deli called Flavours in North London, and love getting away to Italy each summer.'

Taste of Success Was All I Needed - Islington Gazette 2005

A BBC Masterchef winner has been cooking up a storm - after she opened a trendy new delicatessen.

Julie Friend runs Flavours, on the corner of Campdale Road and Mercers Road, Tufnell Park.

Ms Friend quit her job as chief executive of the charity MedicAlert after she won the TV competition, hosted by Loyd Grossman, in 1997 and has spent her time teaching cooking classes to children and adults, and running courses in Italy.

She said: "I hadn't really thought of making food my career but once I won Masterchef then I thought I'd better."

Ms Friend's new deli specialises in home cooked meals and exotic food, and includes out-of-the-ordinary products such as Moroccan Bastilla from Nomades and Seggiano's chestnut honey.

"A lot of people have commented it's like walking into someone's kitchen," she added. "People are going back to real home-cooked food - one of the most popular things we make is home made sausage roll."

Ms Friend is now hoping to expand the deli so that it has a kitchen big enough to hold cookery classes. "While we make a lot of cakes and dishes on-site already, we're having to look for extra kitchen space to keep up with the demand. It's a lucky position to be in."