Now she is the proud owner of two Good Food stores, both in Catford and Sydenham. Locally, these stores are known hotspots for barista-style coffee, fresh pastries and a hub of Lewisham-based products. Now, Vicky is joined by a welcoming team of local staff, and lovely business partner Julian who came on board two years ago.
Good Food were the deserving winners of the Best Sustainable Business and Best Independent Food Retailer awards at the 2023 Mayor of Lewisham Business Awards and are now one of five familiar faces fronting the Discover Lewisham campaign. Vicky commented that Lewisham is a great place to have a business because Lewisham people love local.
“We consider the environmental impact of everything we do.”
The Good Food stores stock around 200 local products from local beers to honey as well as tea. Their delicious selection of bread is made by Francis at Cooper’s Bakehouse and delivered by bike each morning. As well as focusing on local products, the stores use compostable packaging, and promote plastic-free living by selling refillable household products.
“People are mad about hot sauce!” Lewisham is bursting with hot sauce producers that shine at food markets and stores like Good Food. As well as plenty of local hot sauce brands, Good Food stores fan favourites like the Hot Peanut Rāyu from White Mausu.
From the moment you step in the door, you’re greeted with not only colourful food and products, but a real sense of community. Regulars grabbing a coffee and Good Foods’ happy-to-help and positive staff. When asked about something she has learned along the way, Vicky said,
“Starting a business is hard work, but you should invest in people. Your staff is always the best thing about your business.”
This year and next, Vicky and her team are hoping to get more of their local products online and showcase more of what Lewisham has to offer to new audiences.
Visit Good Food stores:
- Catford: 7 Sandhurst Market, London, SE6 1DL
- Sydenham: 26B Sydenham Road, London, SE26 5QW
- Visit Good Food’s website
This hidden gem is one of the many proudly independent small businesses that Lewisham has to offer. Here’s our guide to a great summer in Lewisham.
Discover Lewisham
We are proud to launch Discover Lewisham this Summer. Since 2022, this is the fourth time we have run a Discover Lewisham campaign, and this time round we are featuring local business as the face of Discover Lewisham this Summer. These local businesses were all winners at the 2023 Mayor’s Business Awards, as voted by the local community.
It originally started out as a six-week campaign over the 2022 summer that positioned Lewisham as an events destination, using the London Borough of Culture programme as an anchor to attract local people to stay in the borough and spend locally, and visitors to come and discover what Lewisham has to offer.
Did you know, in London, VISA/CBRE have also calculated that for every £10 spent locally, £3.80 remains in the local economy. This could double if people actively choose to spend more locally. So, we are encouraging people through this campaign to stay local and spend local, because if our Lewisham businesses thrive, so does the community. Whether it’s relaxing in our award-winning parks, attending an outdoor festival, or exploring the local cafes and arts scene, there’s plenty to enjoy – and it’s only an 11-minute direct train journey from London Bridge station.
So visit your local, explore a part of the borough you might not have ventured to before, make recommendations to friends, comment on social media, share your experiences, it all goes a long way to making sure our local business community are supported, and shining a light on Lewisham as a vibrant, diverse and exciting borough.
Lewisham Council has utilised it’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocation to support the Discover Lewisham this Summer campaign.
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