One of the many producers at the weekly King’s Cross Food Assembly, which we featured on our print issue front cover last month, is local kitchen Elysia.
A social enterprise based on Judd Street, Elysia prepares breakfasts and tasty small plates for offices, meetings and any other gatherings on the horizon.
So far, so meh. However, their USP is that founder Sophie Andre buys surplus and rescued food from artisans and premium food brands. These are cutprice products (such as organic granola, olives, bread, veg and cheese) that would normally be discarded due to overproduction or because they do not meet the high standard of the producers. And this practice allows them to cover their costs – and even make a margin.
Its clever raison d’être is simply to promote premium but slightly imperfect food. And to cap the worthy credentials, they also bicycle orders across London – as well as being regulars at the King Charles 1 pub, where the Food Assembly gathers every Sunday.
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This “zero-waste tartine” uses a hummus made with “wonky” vegetables by feted suppliers ChicP. It’s piled high with crunchy radishes, pickled carrot and roasted tomatoes – either from London markets that are surplus or rejected by supermarket warehouses. As for the cheese, it’s from the best British cheesemakers – in our tasting it was a strong cheddar. The hummus and cheese are laid onto a tasty piece of artisan sourdough from Bread Ahead. All in all, a delightful snack – devoured easily in one.
But why the choice of name? “In mythology, the Elysian fields are a blissful place, where the ancient Greeks went for a happy afterlife,” Sophie says. “So it refers to the second life of the rescued food we handpick that would otherwise go to waste because of its shape, colour or last minute cancelled orders.”
Tartines cost £2, minimum order 10. Find out more on their website
