Come with me to Wimbledon's 'mushroom lab'
Plus: VE Day celebrations, pond dipping and much more
Good morning Wimblers — welcome to this week’s edition. Well done to our readers who ran the London Marathon this weekend. If you have any photos from Sunday, do send them in and we can feature them in next week’s edition.
For this week’s feature, I took a trip to Wimbledon’s Rooftop Farm and got my hands dirty (well, not really, but it sounds more impressive if I say I did). The Rooftop Farm has been upping the pace of production over the past few weeks, and I thought it was high time to pay “urban farmers” James and Oliver a visit to see how they were getting along. Scroll down to read all about the ‘mushroom lab’, the work they’re doing and how you can get your hands on some of their fresh local produce.
We’ve also got news about a murder in Mitcham, a proposed 24/7 McDonald’s and a beautiful story about a local mother and daughter who ran this year’s London Marathon.
Drop me an email — zak@thewimble.com — if you have any ideas or stories you’d like to share. Other than that, happy reading!
News snippets 🗞
🎉 A huge round of applause goes to mother and daughter pair — and local legends — Lynne and Becca Shute for running this year’s London Marathon. Lynne is blind and a lifelong guide dog owner. This year, Becca decided to celebrate her 18th birthday by guiding her mother through the 26 mile course. The pair did so to raise money for Guide Dogs, a charity that helps the visually impaired to live free and independent lives by providing them with support animals.
📚 Book Clubs in Schools (BCiS) celebrates its 10th ‘birthday’ today. Founded by Wimbledon parents Alison Palmer and Beth Ginsburg to encourage their own children to read, BCiS has helped over 40,000 children from more than 250 UK schools with literature via its book club model. A few weeks ago, I caught up with Alison to talk about her charity and its brilliant “peer-led” approach to learning, so keep your eyes peeled in future editions for that interview.
🍟 Wimbledon Broadway McDonald’s has applied for a license to serve customers 24/7. If the application is successful, it will mean that the Wimbledon branch can serve customers from 11:00 PM - 5:00 AM, seven days of the week. If any of our readers would like to have their say on the proposal, submit your thoughts in writing to the Licensing Section at the London Borough of Merton before 12 May. What do we think, Wimblers? Are we in favour of an all-night Maccies? I love a large McChicken Meal as much as the next person, but McDonald’s at 3:00 AM can get a little rowdy. Let us know in the poll below.
🚨 A 24-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following a fatal stabbing in Mitcham on Monday. At around 7:30 PM on 28 April, police rushed to an address in Maple Close, following reports of a man suffering from serious stab wounds. The 39-year-old victim was taken to hospital where he later died. A 24-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday afternoon, and police patrols in the area have increased as a result of the incident. If anyone witnessed the attack or knows anything, they are urged to contact the police on 101 with the reference number 6812/28APR.
Property of the week 🏡
At £750,000, this two-bedroom cottage is one of Wimbledon’s “cheaper” houses. I hate to call anything worth £750,000 cheap, but that’s the economy we’re in. Will I ever buy a property? Probably not, but at least I can window shop. Anyway, this is a cute little pad. Built over two floors, it’s a great home for a small family. I’m a big fan of the garden / patio area — it’s a perfect barbecue spot. And who doesn’t love a good barbecue? Check out more details on Rightmove.
The Wimble’s to-do list 🎟
🖌 Textile Art Exhibition: A Kindness of Strangers: In her first solo textile art exhibition, Sarah McAlister will be showcasing recent work made entirely from found materials. Visitors will also be invited to have an outline of their hands included in Sarah’s work, with the finished piece going on public display to celebrate volunteers working in Wimbledon. There will also be a private viewing on 11 May which you can RSVP to here.
Where: The Norman Plastow Gallery, Wimbledon Museum
When: Wednesday 7 May - Sunday 18 May, 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM (only open Wednesday-Sunday)
☕️ Ladies Before Lunch: The monthly get together is back. Head down to the Guild Lounge next Tuesday to meet with friends or make new ones. The activity is free and refreshments are available for a small charge. To book your spot, go to the website and follow the instructions.
Where: Guild Lounge, Wimbledon Guild, Worple Road
When: Tuesday 6 May, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
🦆 Wimbledon Common Nature Club: Pond Dipping: It’s the first Sunday of the month, and you know what that mean … The Wimbledon Common Nature Club is back! This week, children will have the chance to learn about what creatures lurk beneath the waters of Wimbledon Common. Note: These events are suitable for children ages 6-14. Read more about their meetings here.
Where: Information Centre, Windmill Road, Wimbledon Common
When: Sunday 4 May, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
🎖 VE Day Celebrations in Wimbledon: Next Thursday marks the 80th anniversary since the end of the War in Europe. Join other Wimbledon locals from 6:00 PM to celebrate the milestone. There will be a service of remembrance followed by more jolly offerings, including 1940s style dancing, music by the Wandle Concert Band at the War Memorial, and fish and chip cones. Click here to download the events flyer.
Where: Wimbledon Village and the Village War Memorial
When: Thursday 8 May, 6:00 PM onwards
🇲🇽 Cinco de Mayo Masterclass at Amathus: This is your chance to learn about the story of agave in Mexico, understand the differences between Mezcal and Tequila, and hear the inside story of producing these distinct spirits from agave expert Jack Hanlon. Oh, and of course there will be Tequila and Mezcal to taste. Tickets are £45 per person.
Where: Amathus, Wimbledon Village
When: Friday 2 May, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Where does our food come from? A day at The Rooftop Farm 🍄
As a child, I liked horticulture. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I was the ‘Green President’ of my class in Year 1 (this was before being eco-minded was cool). But somewhere along the way, I lost touch with all things green — until a brief postgraduate spell in Devon that rekindled my love for growing, farming and everything ‘sustainable’. When we launched The Wimble last year, I was told about The Rooftop Farm above Wimbledon Quarter. The farm has been increasing its production these past 12 months, and they’re now preparing to supply the people of Wimbledon with fresh produce. In fact, their mushrooms are available to buy from The Fire Station Café as of Friday! So last week, I decided it was time to pay our farmer friends a visit.
It’s Friday lunchtime and I’m in the ‘mushroom lab’ — not a sentence I thought I’d ever write. There’s a strong smell in here, though I can’t put my finger on it. If I were a betting man, I’d say it was the two large onion sacks hanging above the sink. Oliver, The Rooftop Farm’s mushroom specialist, tells me that he’s soaking substrate in them (what we would call ‘food’). When Oliver arrives at work, the first thing he does is measure three to four kilograms of straw or miscanthus (substrate). After that, he mixes in used coffee grounds, collected from local cafés, which the mushrooms thrive off. It’s all very scientific, but bear with me.
Mushrooms are just one foodstuff grown by The Rooftop Farm. They specialise in oyster mushrooms, a particularly robust species that multiply aggressively and don’t require their substrate to be sterilised in order to thrive. They also happen to be some of the prettiest mushrooms I’ve ever seen. They would certainly beat Lidl’s bland white button mushrooms in a beauty contest. Oliver takes me to the sealed black tents where the mushrooms are growing. He unzips one to reveal a silver interior bathed in a harsh LED light. With the tent flap open, a thick steam begins to filter out, enveloping us. It’s all very sci-fi. In my head, I’m playing the theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He shows me the blue and pink oyster mushrooms. They’re both stunning to look at, but the pink ones are particularly fetching.
What’s the difference between a blue and pink oyster mushroom? The pink ones are tropical and like the heat, Oliver tells me. Whereas the blue ones are Brits at heart: they grow in 10 to 20 degrees with a higher humidity. Like his mushrooms, Oliver is a man who hops between climates; another of his projects is a company that utilises these sorts of mushrooms to restore forestry, particularly fire-damaged forestry. When Oliver isn’t in Wimbledon, he’s busy helping those affected by the LA wildfires with his restorative mushrooms. Mushrooms like the ones grown in Wimbledon aren’t just delicious; they also break down heavy metals and plastics in the soil — perfect for cleaning up contaminated areas.
I leave Oliver in the mushroom lab and head onto the roof where the rest of the farming is done. Here, I meet senior farm manager James. We’re surrounded by dozens of containers, each one filled with peat-free compost and a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruits.
Being on the roof of Wimbledon Quarter, the farm is essentially a microclimate. This brings certain challenges, but it also means that they’re warmer than traditional allotments and ground-level gardens. James tells me that they’ve been able to start growing certain vegetables and herbs earlier than normal. The farm is growing a lot more than it was a year ago. They’ve got several types of lettuce on the go, as well as: carrots, strawberries, peas, French beans, beetroots, radishes, courgettes, spinach and, well, you get the point. “When I show people around the farm, I’m showing them what they can do with a limited space,” James tells me.
James joined the farm in March. He’s got over 40 years of horticultural experience and has worked with the likes of online sustainable grocer Abel & Cole. “I’m gardening all the time,” he says. “I’m either here, in my garden at home, on my two plots or at my allotment.” The Rooftop Farm is expanding by the day. Their aim is to provide the people of Wimbledon with fresh, sustainable local produce. There are no “food miles” when it comes to this farm. By the end of this week, they’re hoping to soft launch the sale of their mushrooms via The Fire Station Café downstairs (where you can already buy the farm’s honey). They’re also supplying their produce to local businesses. In fact, you’ll be able to sample their mushrooms, honey and micro-herbs this Thursday at the Fox & Grapes “Sourced and Found” Supper Club.
James shows me around and I ask him to explain what an average day at the farm looks like. “I turn up and I look at what’s growing,” he says. “I make sure that everything has enough water, especially now that we’re getting hotter, and I check to see if the produce has been fed with enough of our natural fertilizers. But really, I’m always thinking about what we can grow next, and then I’m taking stock of how that turns out. Ask anyone, whether they’re growing plants in their garden or working on a large-scale farm, and they’ll tell you that it’s all about successes and failures. There will always be both.” I’m sure that’s true, but to me — a man ignorant to the ways of horticulture — this farm looks like a big roaring success.
Check out The Rooftop Farm website and make sure to look out for their produce in the coming weeks, especially this Friday at The Fire Station Café to pick up some of their mushrooms.
Question of the week 🔍
Last week I asked you when The Rolling Stones first played at Wimbledon Palais. The answer: 1964.
Q: With this week’s heat wave knocking us for six, I thought I’d ask a weather-related question: What year did the All England Lawn Tennis Club experience its hottest day on record (35.7C)?
Photo of the week 📸
Here we’ve got the Easter Bunny and Alice from Alice in Wonderland after Wimbledon Quarter’s Easter festivities. I think the carrots around the Easter Bunny’s shoes are a particularly nice touch. If you have any photos you’d like us to feature, please send them to my email: zak@thewimble.com.
You’re up to date 👋
Thank you for reading this week’s edition. If you have any ideas or people you think we should feature, drop me an email: zak@thewimble.com. In the meantime, have a lovely week and I’ll see you next Thursday.
Hi Zak, I enjoy reading the Wimble every week but just to let you know VE Day wasn't the end of WWII, as you say. It was the end of the war in Europe; the war continued for a further three months in East Asia and the Pacific.
“I took a trip to the mushroom farm” haha! I love that Zak consistently finds such interesting people in Wimbledon to write about every week. The mushroom farmer and rooftop farm should have their own tv show, they already have a Keanu Reeves lookalike as the lead! And the mum and daughter, Lynne and Becca Shute running the marathon brought tears to my eyes . Love it.