London is heaving with stories. But it is also heaving with a mindset that doesn't allow us to slow down and tell them. The characters and communities are changing. It's happening quickly and it's bursting with beauty. Let us document some of them before they fade! - with food as a focus because food is everybody's language and there's some blazing-wise old souls tucked away in the back there without a voice bringing not just flavour but perspective to the table. "Something is only beautiful because you noticed it" so let us look up from our screens and notice. Step away from our broth-brimmed bowls and head to the boiling pans bubbling boisterous in the kitchen where the real #noodlepulls are happening, watch potwasher pete chopping the onions his dad's way, the fishes being slapped down and gutted (more skills than scales) by those who do it daily and aunt griselda swinging the pasta before a round of linguine cats-cradle, ways only as she knows it. Documenting and gathering, being open, humble and learning from experiences is what Routes & Froots can be, I hope. (Going to do it anyway so might as well tell it).

We're obsessed with food and content. We're also obsessed with productivity and marketing. This means there's less time to tell the real stuff. What we need: more from-the-heart content. We need to live in the cracks in order to find the real stories. In 'a world that's always on' and lusting after short-term, quick-fire content we don't need more bitesize we need deep stuff. Stuff that takes time to gather, with the ability to slow down and yes, hit the accelerator when needed, but that's ultimately juiced from making longer term relationships built on knowledge from the older generations.

- September 2019 ✍🏽(and still feel the same ❤️💥)