In search of Greenwich’s best… Chocolate Brownie

With all of the excellent bakeries in Greenwich, you’d think getting a brownie would be easy. Not so, surprisingly. You can’t move for cupcakes these days but I found just three indy bakeries selling squidgy brownies on Sunday.

For me a brownie needs to be dense and a little gooey in the middle. It needs to be heavier than a chocolate sponge. I’m a brownie purist so I don’t want bells and whistles in my brownies (for goodness sake, stop putting Oreos in them), just chocolate will suit me fine.

So which one was best?

Black Vanilla, College Approach

Oh, I truly wanted this one to be a winner. I’ve been excited about visiting Black Vanilla, which just opened last week in College Approach, but I knew when I was buying it that it wasn’t going to take the top spot. It looked dry and it was. It tasted of cocoa rather than chocolate and was actually pretty small – it was too thin to get a decent squidge. And the most expensive at £2.50.

But, to get to the cake counter you have to walk past the ice cream, and that looks phenomenal. I’m not discounting Black Vanilla altogether, I think they’re a fabulous addition to Greenwich and were very friendly when I popped in.

Rhodes, College Approach

They call their brownie the ‘best in the world’ and while the hyperbole irritates me, it was pretty good. It looked amazing. Thick, stodgy, unhealthy. Still soft in the middle despite being flaky on the top. Yep, this is one mighty fine brownie. Surprisingly not bitter despite it being so dark. It was the cheapest as well – just £1.80. Getting anything tasty under two quid is a bit of a challenge.

The downside? Not once have I seen the staff smile in Rhodes. I come here for the cake and I take it away rather than staying. A bit of a chat and a smile wouldn’t go amiss.

The Real Baking Company, Greenwich Market

A firm favourite in Greenwich Market, they were getting reading to close up when I visited. Still, I was greeted with a smile and a bit of a chat (they must have been FREEZING after standing outside all day).

The brownie was £2.40 so certainly not cheap, but worth the money. There was an unusual aftertaste to this one. Cherries, or some sort of sweet fruit. It’s certainly no bad thing. The addition of chocolate chips was welcome, too. You could eat one of these in one go, and be very happy that you did.

Verdict

It’s absolutely a tie between The Real Baking Company and Rhodes. If the staff in Rhodes could crack a smile, they’d just edge it for me. Which means obviously you should try both and make up your own mind.

Who do you think does the best chocolate brownie in Greenwich?

Platform: How will disabled spectators reach Greenwich Park from Maze Hill station?

Local resident and member of the Westcombe Society, Lawrence Smith, is concerned about provision for disabled Olympic spectators arriving via Maze Hill railway station. He has contributed this article to Greenwich.co.uk:

When the Planning Board considered the application to use Greenwich Park for the Equestrian events, the Planning Board report (p.94) records that the Westcombe Society urged that “Special attention should be given to the inadequate provision for disabled travellers at Blackheath and Maze Hill stations, including the installation of a disabled access on the down platform at Maze Hill”. 

The Council responded (p.143) that it  “is committed to ensuring convenient and safe access for disabled spectators and it is considered that this matter can be resolved as part of a planning condition.”

It added:

“Network Rail and South Eastern Trains, who operate Blackheath and Maze Hill stations, have plans to improve these stations. As an interested party/stakeholder London 2012 will be working with these bodies to explore opportunities to deliver the needed improvements. It is important to note that the Council are confident that effective transport operations for the Events at Greenwich can be delivered by the existing and additional rail infrastructure (being provided by the ODA)”

 Unfortunately the Council’s confidence seems to have been misplaced.  No planning condition seems to have required the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to deliver the promised additional rail infrastructure to provide disabled access at Maze Hill Station for departing disabled spectators. The plans for ‘the last mile’ to be considered by the Council in January require passengers to reach the departure platform by means of a footbridge that is inaccessible to wheelchair users. There is no proposal for a ramp to the platform from an existing gap on the bridge.

Maze Hill (with Blackheath and Greenwich) is one of three Rail stations designated as a destination for spectators for the Olympic Equestrian Events in Greenwich Park.  Unlike the non-Olympic stations on the line, it will have a full, six trains an hour service for arriving spectators from North Kent and London City Airport.  But although it is the closest station to Greenwich Park, Maze Hill will have no disabled access to the down platform.

The Westcombe Society had also sought assurances on the availability of a ‘walking’ route for the disabled from Maze Hill station to the venue.  In its response (p.136) , the Council stated  “Given the plans for spectator marshalling and signage discussed within the TA and that there are still some two and a half years before the start of the Games, it is considered that clearly defined spectator walking routes (including for those who are less able) will be established well in advance.”

However, no such safe and convenient route for the disabled has been established, less than nine months before the start of the games.  The plans propose that the footbridge is reached using a very narrow pavement across the rail bridge and require possibly unsighted and slow moving disabled persons to cross Maze Hill close a blind bend, with no marked pedestrian crossing.

No attempt is made to use the existing gap in the bridge wall (at a point where the pavement is much wider and road crossing much safer) to provide a step-free pedestrian ramp to the departure platform for the disabled.  Unlike the footbridges over the A2 and Romney Road, there would be no expense involved in removing such a ramp after the games.

Platform: What future for East Greenwich Library?

Over the last election campaign, which seems far more than 18 months ago, there was a lot of concern from residents in Peninsula ward and myself about the fate of the East Greenwich Library. During the election campaign, residents were led to believe that the Council had promised to secure the future of the Library in the long-term and in 2010 renovated the library.

Therefore I was a little surprised last Thursday evening to be informed at the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee, that work had started on the new Greenwich Centre (to be based on the old Greenwich Hospital site) and that “It (the centre) will replace the current East Greenwich library.”

In March 2010 greenwich.co.uk reported that “He (Cllr Fahy) added that he would continue to work with the Friends of East Greenwich Library and Ward Councillors ‘to maximise a long term future for the building’”. It would appear from the report on Thursday that this ‘long term future’ will not be as a Library.

The report explained that the closure of the Arches Leisure Centre and East Greenwich Library will result from the creation of the new Greenwich Centre and implied that the buildings will be sold off to pay for this project. The report explained that the cost of modernising the Arches would be £17.6m but failed to explain why the Council had invested in repairing and improving the East Greenwich Library only to sell it off once a new centre is built.

I did ask about whether there had been any consultation about the closure of the Library but was told this would take place in the future. This seems strange as the decision to spend £30m building a new set of Council Offices and homes which the centre will be part of, has clearly already been taken. Surely any consultation will be irrelevant as the Council has already decided on the final outcome.

The closure is a real blow to those people who thought they had secured the future of this historic library which was built by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie’s foundation and celebrated its 105th birthday last year.

The Committee was informed that plans for the new centre include:-

• 645 homes in 5 blocks (of which 314 homes will be affordable & 53 will be family homes).
• A new library
• Two new swimming pools and leisure facilities
• A new service centre
• A new Health Centre

Although the report suggested that work on the new centre would start in 2012, officers informed Councillors that holes were already being dug and the centre should take around 27 months to complete.

Cllr Spencer Drury is the leader of Greenwich Conservatives.

Platform: Save the Meantime Nursery

Greenwich is facing the loss of an extraordinary and unique community resource – and yet virtually no one appears to know of its existence or of the threat to its existence.

Occupying two acres of former industrial land on the Greenwich peninsula is the Meantime Nursery. An offshoot of the wonderful (and much better-known) Greenwich Ecology Park, it features insect hotels, vertical gardens, living willow fencing and a series of raised nursery beds containing experimental turf seeded with wildflowers, aquatic plants and more.

Created by volunteers and opened with a little fanfare only in Spring 2011 (yes, 2011), it is now threatened with closure. The threat looming over it is that the land is to be turned over to a Dutch company to create a ‘glamping’ attraction (glamorous camping, with beds, wardrobes, internet and mood lighting), decked out in lurid orange, for mostly Dutch tourists, and planned to be operational in time for the Olympics and a tall ships sail-past next year.

The Meantime Nursery, just a few months ago, was being hailed as a wonderful new local resource for conservation and biodiversity, benefiting community groups and local schools. It would be an educational resource, help to cut carbon and host food-growing projects. At the time of the nursery’s opening, attended by a government minister, the landowner, the Homes and Communities Agency, said: “This is a really fantastic project and we are proud to be involved. As well as providing the land rent-free we have undertaken the essential enabling works on site to ensure that this land can be put to good use immediately.”

So what has changed? How and why did the HCA’s proud commitment to this project evaporate? It is time local people realised that this wonderful site is under their noses, time that it was publicised and opened up to the public more widely, and time that the community demands answers from the HCA and from Greenwich Council. An application for the ‘glamping’ site to have a licence for alcohol and music has run into trouble, so there may yet be time and opportunity to mobilise to save the Meantime Nursery.

I was lucky enough recently to get access to the site. I hope the photographs here will give a sense of what we face losing in the name of a profit-seeking, temporary, tourist jamboree.

Gavin McGregor lives in east Greenwich and is a member of the East Greenwich Pleasaunce orchard care group, a keen forager and a frustrated balcony veg-grower.

Would you like to have your say about a local issue? To contribute a ‘Platform’ article, email rob@greenwich.co.uk.

The Cost of Love: Valmike Rampersad Q&A

Valmike Rampersad is one of the stars of The Cost of Love – the low budget movie made in Greenwich by local director, Carl Medland.

A graduade of the Central School of Speech and Drama, Rampersad has appeared in several movies and recently shot his first his first Hollywood feature, ‘The Exquisite Continent’ with Emmy Nominated Director, Stephen Gyllenhaal (‘Losing Isaiah’). He took time out from filming in LA to answer some questions about his role in The Cost of Love, which is released today on DVD.

How did you get the part of Raj in the Cost of Love?

I met Carl Medland (Director) at a screening of a friend’s film and he asked if I would be interested in auditioning for the role. The synopsis sounded too good to pass up, so Carl sent the script and I thought it was excellent. I then met with Carl and read for the part.

What attracted you to the character?

It was one of those scripts that you just wanted to keep reading until you get to the end – a real page turner. I was keen to be a part of this film because it is very different from any of the others I have done and it gave me a chance to be a character that brought me out of my comfort zone – one that is very different from me. My character, Raj, is also based on a very good friend of Carl’s, which helped to make him more real.

Can you explain a little about the role of your character in the movie?

Raj is a cardio thoracic surgeon who has the world on his shoulders, but he hides his feelings from everyone. His fiance is dying from cancer and the reasons for his marriage to her are unclear. He is ultimately conforming to doing the right thing. Dale, a male escort (played by Christopher Kelham), is Raj’s best friend from childhood and is in love with Raj. Raj has the life that Dale wants – a good job, a fiance, a steady income etc. Raj’s life is intertwined with all of the other colourful characters in the film and in some way we all affect each other by one of the many types of ‘love’ at whatever the cost. Dale offers Raj an escape from his daily routine lifestyle, along with a sense of security.

The movie was made on a low budget and is very Greenwich-centric… what was it like to work on?

Indie low budget films are often the most fun. It was very professionally done and beautifully shot, all on schedule and with a really excellent crew, most of whom I am still in contact with. Carl is also an excellent Director – he knew what he wanted in each scene and he knew how to achieve it from his actors. Playing ‘Raj’ opposite Christopher Kelham (Dale) was made that much easier because Chris did such a brilliant job. He really put a lot into creating his character and was a fun person to work with.

Many people will fondly remember Michael Joyce who appears in the movie but died tragically before it came out. Do you have any memories of him?

Michael made everyone on set laugh. He was such a happy guy, always colourfully dressed and smiling. I had the joy of shooting a couple of scenes with him and he really was brilliant to work with. I actually couldn’t stop laughing whenever he was around!

Who do you think the movie appeals to?

I think the film speaks mostly to a gay audience but there are as many straight characters as there are gay, so hopefully with all the various stories going on in the film, it will appeal to everyone.

What have you worked on since The Cost of Love and what can people see you in next?

I am currently spending a fair bit of time between Los Angeles and London. I had a wonderful opportunity shooting with Emmy Nominated Director, Stephen Gyllenhaal on his film, ‘The Exquisite Continent’, in LA. I am also working on two other projects in LA but not allowed to say what they are for now! I shot a film called ‘The Rise and Fall of John Tesoro’ in Trinidad, where I was born, which was a lot of fun. It was nice to be able to go to work and then head back to my whole family at the end of the day, not to mention the home cooked food! The film is now doing the film festival circuit. I shot a print and commercial campaign for Nivea as one of their new faces, celebrating 100 years of Nivea, which has just launched. Hopefully a couple of other features I shot last summer will be out soon – one is called ‘London Life’ and the other still has a working title.

You can find out more about Valmike at his own website.

The Cost of Love is available on DVD from today.

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