Brixton Blog moves to a new site

By Zoe Jewell, Editor

We have exciting news – almost two years after it began, Brixton Blog is moving to a new website, www.brixtonblog.com, and combining forces with Tim Dickens, the man behind the Brixton Bugle. The website will cover news, culture, features and local history on a daily basis and will, we hope, be a trusted source for all who live in – or want to find out about – Brixton. We want to report on and foster debate in a place we are passionate about.

This is one of the first posts for the Brixton Blog I have written in the first person and credited to my own name. I have always strived not to be an overbearing personality on the site, to remain truthful to the subjects I have covered and give others a place to write about where they live. Yet the Brixton Blog has also been a very personal project to create an online space for news and views about the area I grew up in and love very much.

If there is one regret I have, it is not having looked the fast-moving change in Brixton squarely in the eye and reported on the full effects of gentrification here, both positive and negative.

And my, Brixton has changed since I set up the Brixton Blog two years ago in 2010. My first article was about the Spacemaker project in its first few months. Little did I know what was to come.  There are a feast of new, wonderful restaurants to choose from in the town centre now, but there are also many who feel excluded by this new Brixton or who do not even register it in their lives. Will the change continue at this pace? How will it affect the old traders and what will happen to the surrounding areas in Brixton? We plan to report on all of this at the new Brixton Blog.

Running Brixton Blog alone with a full-time job has meant that the blog hasn’t yet fulfilled all its potential. This will all change as we move to a new site. We want to be a proper, considered, fun online newspaper about Brixton. We plan to keep the council to account, report on crime and look at the effects of the cuts in Lambeth, as well as write features, profile brilliant Brixtonites and tell some of our local history.

We are soft launching tomorrow, so bear with us as we get everything up and running. It might be a month or so before all systems are running smoothly but we hope you stay with us – and above all send all your comments, questions, criticisms to info@brixtonblog.com, because we’d love to hear them.

Meet Brixton

After the success of the first Meet Brixton event in December, we’ve organised a second with the Brixton Bugle team on 18 January at the Dogstar. It’s a meet up/tweet up for the people of Brixton to come together to have a beer and share their love of the place where they live, work or simply admire. Very laid back – and everyone is welcome! Come for 7.30pm. More details here.

Brixton Recipe: Apple and Quince Cobbler

In the first our new guest food blogs, Miss South of North South Food shares her recipe for apple and quince cobbler. With Brixton ingredients of course…

Despite the last gasp of summer a few weeks ago, we have to accept autumn is with us again. It happens to be my favourite time of year with those slightly crisp sunny days, the smell of bonfires in the evenings and the abundance of harvest everywhere around us. The trees and bushes are groaning with plenty and the markets are a joy. It was no difficulty to choose a recipe where the ingredients could be bought or foraged or a mixture of both.

Nothing says autumn to me more than fruit topped with carbs, but it is possible to tire of crumble. So try a cobbler instead. Similar to a scone mixture, it gives a new fluffy dimension to fruit. I’ve used apples (from Brixton Blog’s own garden) and quinces from A&C Continental Deli on Atlantic Road, but Perry Court Farms are doing beautiful English apples at Brixton Farmers’ Market and you might know someone in Lambeth with a quince tree…

I used three Braeburn sized apples and one large quince to make enough for four people. I did measure the cobbler topping to make life easier for you. Start by peeling your quince. They have a sticky feel and are tricky to peel cleanly. Slice thinly and cover with lemon juice as they discolour instantly. Pop in the oven at 180℃ or Gas Mark 4 for about 30 minutes as they take much longer to cook than the apples.

While the quinces are filling the house with a beautiful perfumed fragrance, prep your apples. Peel and slice and cover with water. Then turn to your topping. You’ll need:

100g plain flour
50g cold butter
50g sugar
4 tablespoons milk (approx 60mls)
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or cinnamon (your choice)
50g walnuts, hazelnuts or cobnuts, roughly chopped (optional)

It’s very simple to make and the kids can easily get involved. Add the flour and butter and rub the butter into it the flour til it resembles breadcrumbs, like you do with crumble or scones. Add in the sugar and then beat in the egg and milk (and vanilla or cinnamon) gently and quickly until just combined.

Take the quince out of the oven and mix in the apples, making sure it’s even. I didn’t add sugar as I prefer my fruit tart and tangy. You could if you like. Spoon the cobbler batter over the top of the fruit. It’s quite runny. Then top with the chopped nuts for extra crunch and flavour. Pop in the oven at 200℃ or Gas Mark 6 for about 20-25 minutes for individual cobblers or 40-45 minutes for a large cobbler or until golden and crunchy. Cool slightly and serve as it is or with ice cream or a large dollop of clotted cream. You can also prepare these in advance and simply reheat when needed.

The apple is tart and works perfectly with the sweet fragrant quince. The topping is light and fluffy and the cobnuts I used (also from Perry Court) added a gorgeous creamy crunch that made this feel a bit more grown up and less like nursery food than it might. Celebrate autumn in style with this perfect dessert. Perfect on a Sunday tea-time after a leisurely trip to Brixton Farmers’ Market!

Vox Pops: What’s the best way to tackle gang crime in Brixton?

We think the debate over at Shepherd’s Bush Blog is one we should be having more openly in Brixton too, so we’ve asked some locals (and even one Shepherds Bush resident on Brixton Rd) about what they think to open up debate here. Please do add your own comments.

Interviews by Kaye Wiggins and Zoe Jewell

Suriya Ramprasad, newsagent on Tulse Hill (asked not to be photographed)

“Working here at night, I don’t feel safe. People come in with guns and knives. They don’t care about other people and they have no respect. I don’t know what the solution is. The only thing that might help is more police on the streets, but they also need to stop the drugs problem because that is a big part of it.”

Lachie Gordon, bartender at the Hootananny

“I live in Oval and work in Brixton, and I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen anything that looked like a gang, either when I’ve been at work or when I’ve been out at night. I remember reading that Clapham Road had been closed because of violence and I think that might have been gang-related but I’m not sure. Either way, it’s not something that affects me.”

Nabs, 35, Shepherd’s Bush resident

“It’s more about schooling – get them early and get them right! Teach children well, from about five or six, and that will make all the difference. They need to learn how to interact properly with people. It’s about them getting into the right mindset from the beginning.”

Manuel Mendes, local resident

“I don’t see too much trouble, but sometimes around the main roads it can be bad. We need to give young people more of a chance to get involved in activities to fill their time. It’s also about giving them a better education in schools.”

Artor, 37, Brixton resident

“Is there much gang crime? They should educate the youth. I’m not so aware of the problem here actually, but I think essentially young people should have guidance. All these feral teens – in a way it’s a waste of energy because there’s lots of talent among them but somehow their minds aren’t opened to it. I think it’s very important for parents to push their children to achieve.”

Katem Alebranche, local resident

“I think the problem is more about individual people getting drunk and causing trouble than about gangs, although I think there is some gang violence. But what can you do about it? Not much. I don’t think having more police is the right solution. You need to go into schools, talk to the kids and educate the parents as well.”