Ros?oes with warm weather with lunching al fresco and summer holidays in sunny Mediterranean climates

Ros?oes with warm weather, with lunching al fresco, and summer holidays in sunny Mediterranean climates. All the more reason for me to shed my long-time indifference to the breed. It’s a standard occurrence at this time of year: in wine columns and in fridges round the Northern Hemisphere, everyone’s thoughts turn to pink wine. The wine, however, is not African, but Chilean.Any style tips? Lloyd and Adwoa have black plates, which make the yellows, oranges and reds of the food look all the richer.Name that tune The music is as Ghanaian as the food: CK Man’s “Dance Highlife” and “Diamonds Forever” by the Western Diamonds.What’s the gossip? “Jollof’s an essential part of the market now – they bring a lot of atmosphere and warmth.” “They could have bought some Ghanaian weather, though, I’m bloody freezing.”. Stephen Selby owns the street’s art shop, Off Broadway, and it’s his backyard we’re in.

Andrew Boff is the local Tory councillor (and market supporter) and Louise Breadwell is the market organiser.What’s the occasion? Jollof’s first birthday, and that of the reborn Broadway Market.What’s cooking? Spinach agushi (spinach, cracked melon seeds, mushrooms and smoked mackerel); red red (black-eye beans, tomatoes, peppers, ginger and garlic); jollof rice (a West African favourite: rice, stock, tomatoes, onion, garlic, chillis, rosemary and spices); kelewele (plantain, cloves, ginger, garlic and chilli); plus an enormous bowl of salad and some home-made (intense) shrimp paste on the side.And to drink? African beers – Star and Gulder, both brewed in Nigeria. But of course I’ve got other goals I’d like to achieve: in the Davis Cup, Olympics, and the French Open [which he is still to win].”He adds: “I may have an edge over other players mentally because of the success I’ve had on grass and the way I’ve been winning Wimbledons without too much of a problem. *For further information on Jollof Pot, tel: 020 8692 0143, or visit What’s on the menu? Star beer and ‘Diamonds Forever’Who’s who? Lloyd Mensah and Adwoa Hagan own Jollof Pot, a catering service for weddings The company also runs a stall on Broadway Market. Of the various uncles and aunts here, Sophia, Lloyd’s mum, deserves a special mention. She’s very much part of the Jollof Pot set-up, doing much of the cooking and bringing with her the secret ingredient: authentic recipes from Ghana. But anyway, this is a party for measuring achievement, not just a boogie. But until last year there was something lacking: a decent market.

Now there are 50 stalls each Saturday, selling flowers, fashion and homeware, but with food at the centre.Before the plates are piled with food, we are asked: “Is there anything you don’t eat?” You can see guests thinking, “Like I know Ghanaian food well enough to answer.” Still, large platefuls are demolished, beers finished, and music almost danced to (you know the English, we love that shifting-weight-vaguely-from-one-foot-to-another dancing). This street has been on the local food and drink map for some time with restaurants, gastropubs and even an old jellied-eel shop. Even Andrew Boff, a local Tory councillor (a rare breed in these parts) is in his sports sandals and party shirt. A guy from the local record store is being both nice and incredibly cool and, for a bit of traditional authenticity, Louise Breadwell, an East Ender through and through, is giving away duty free fags to anyone who’s taking.Breadwell is looking particularly jolly, and as the organiser of the market, she has reason to be. The road runs between Bethnal Green and Hackney and Mensah and Hagan have a stall there every Saturday.Four simmering hotplates of food – the same dishes that were being sold on the stall just a few hours ago – smell great There are African beers and Chilean wine Relatives are in bright African get-up. One year ago, Lloyd Mensah was a software engineer and Adwoa Hagan worked in IT recruitment Then they set up a new business in London’s East End.

Can you see where this is going? No, actually it’s not another multimedia consultancy, but a very different start-up: Jollof Pot, a Ghanaian food company.
“We started Jollof because we wanted Ghanaian food to be tasted by not just those in black areas,” says Mensah, looking around at the mixed crowd celebrating the company’s first birthday in a backyard borrowed for the occasion from one of the shopkeepers on Broadway Market. Depending on what time of day you visit, the season and the weather conditions, your experience of these sculptures and their backdrop could vary quite dramatically – which is just one good reason to go back and give it repeated viewings over the year! This exhibition is supported by GlaxoSmithKline as part of the company’s community support programme . As you wander through Kew’s 300 acres of landscaped gardens, and the spectacular glasshouses, you?ll see the exquisite, swooping lines and incredible constructions of Chihuly’s glass sculptures, some of which are built on an incredible scale. ‘the Sun at Kew Gardens?, for example, is made from 1,000 delicately blown glass pieces, and stands at more than four metres high and wide.