Street food moves indoors

The Mock Turtle has been founded by two street food companies and will be based at Queensway Court in Leamington - an assisted living development for the over 55s.

The Jabberwocky, Leamington’s first street food van, will be providing the restaurant with seasonal produce, home-cooked meals and their varied menu of toastie favourites. And another street food trader, the Cake Doctor, will cater for the cafe side of the operation.

Flic Luxmoore, from Jabberwocky Streetfood, said: “This is not the kind of food you would normally expect to find in a retirement complex. Instead it’s a whole new way to eat street food and a first for the town.

“The street food revolution has transformed the way we eat. From festivals to markets to working lunches, this industry has changed mealtimes all over the country. Why can’t it do the same for retirement home food? We want to prove that great ingredients sourced locally and cooked with passion are the best way to anyone’s heart.”

Although based in the Queensway Court development, which was recently completed, the Restaurant and café is open to everyone.

Flic said: “This will give us a great community to work with interesting remit to fulfil - providing an interesting and delicious menu that will appeal to older residents from every walk of life, as well as our local foodie following and the wider community.

“We have designed our menu around some classic favourites, but through a modern British lens. Our Mock Turtle Burger uses local, 28-day dry-aged Ettington beef, handmade patties, relishes and sauces in a freshly baked bun. We speed-grill the ultra-thin burgers, pile on cheese and then stack in a bun with our relish, bacon, gherkins and all the other good stuff.

“The café follows the same principles. The Cake Doctor scours the world for tasty, inspired and delicious recipes, adds his own unique improvements and then bakes them fresh each day. From fruit-laden cream cakes to warm tray bakes, everything is baked in house.

“We are already drawing up plans for pop-ups with lots of our local foodie contacts to keep the evenings interesting. We also want to help the 250 new residents moving into Queensway get to know Old Town businesses and the services offered in the nearest part of Leamington, designed to tie in with the Portas Pilot scheme.”