Jared Wybrown and Raissa van Dijk.
Nothing compares to the feeling of purchasing fresh vegetables, soft bread and local produce – especially when all we know is where to find these at larger market chains. West London, Belgravia specifically, has gained a new reason to reconsider the weekly food shop. London Epicerie, the latest venture from London Cheesemongers founders Jared Wybrow and Raissa van Dijk, has opened on Ebury Street with a proposition that combines the neighbourhood grocer, specialist food shop and the type of place where buying a loaf of bread can unexpectedly turn into dinner for six.
The concept grows out of more than a decade spent building London Cheesemongers, an independent artisan shop on Pavilion Road in Chelsea that originally started when Wybrow maxed out a personal credit card to buy a single 200kg wheel of Le Gruyère AOP. Having built a reputation around a tightly curated, seasonally rotating counter of 30 to 50 cheeses, Wybrow and van Dijk developed deep, long-standing relationships with independent growers across Britain and Europe. Instead of keeping those specialist connections confined to cheese, London Epicerie expands the idea into a full food shop, bringing seasonal fruit and vegetables, fresh bread, farmhouse cheese, charcuterie, wine, dairy and pantry staples into the same space.
“London Epicerie was created from a belief that people shouldn’t have to choose between convenience and quality,” explain the founders. “By bringing together trusted producers, transparency and expert curation, we aim to make better food easier to buy and enjoy every day. We hope that small, informed choices can contribute to a healthier and more sustainable food system.”
James Retief.
James Retief.
Among the available products, Westcombe Dairy supplies clothbound Cheddar from Somerset, while L’Etovas brings raw-milk Alpine cheeses made in mountain chalets during the summer months. Alma Bakery provides bread, Noja Progetto Agricolo contributes ancient-grain pasta and Piro brings early-harvest Tuscan olive oil. There is also traditional balsamic vinegar from Bonini, Maison Marc cornichons and charcuterie sourced through Ham & Cheese Co., a long-standing partner of London Cheesemongers.
The founders have taken a similarly considered approach to the people behind the shelves. Wine Director Daniel Garcia Thomas brings experience from The Goring Hotel and Brat, where he spent four years as Head Sommelier, and has shaped the wine selection around growers with character and a clear connection to their land. Nutritional Therapist Edmund Swinburn adds another perspective, helping make the store’s approach to nutrition a lot more practical and engaging.
Wybrow brings more than three decades in food to the project, having worked as a chef before moving into specialist retail at Neal’s Yard Dairy and founding London Cheesemongers in 2014. Van Dijk, who has a background in clinical psychology as well as training in fitness and yoga, has spent the past three years managing the cheesemonger alongside Wybrow, bringing a focus on customer experience and the relationship between food and wellbeing.
James Retief.
The shop itself was designed by Deidra Hodgson, taking cues from traditional European food stores without recreating one as a museum piece. Natural light, oak, warm stone and a restrained material palette give the space a contemporary feel, while shelving, crates and preparation areas are built directly into the architecture. A subtle grid runs through the interior, giving the shelves their own rhythm as customers move between fresh produce, pantry goods and the more specialist finds.
London Epicerie is now open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm at 65–69 Ebury Street, Belgravia. And yes, you can still go in for just one thing.
Find out more here.
photography. courtesy of James Retief
words. Gennaro Costanzo
