Coming soon: Bottles and Blooms

Been enjoying the pop-ups at the space next to Leytonstone tube? So have we. And next up is Bottles and Blooms, open for just five days next week, Its schtick is local grown-and-freshly-picked flowers, potted plants and English wine.

It may sound quirky, but when you think about it, the two things go together like fish and chips, whether you’re going to a friend’s for dinner and want to take along a bottle, or you’re in the market for a it’s-Fri-yay-gift-to-self (or any other day of the week).

Local girl Rachel will be working with two main flower farms to stock the shop. “Both abide by virtually organic standards and are truly inspiring,” she says, beaming. “One is a social enterprise that provides a supportive environment for adults, either as a way of integrating and transitioning back into their community, or as an ongoing place of employment if that is what they need. The other is a true start-up story based on hard graft and grit. I’ll be picking all the flowers myself, so if anyone has any requests, do let me know.”

For the vino, she’s met some cracking English wine-makers this summer. “Some of the big names like Chapel Down and Hush Heath will be in the shop, as well as a few much smaller but just as accomplished vineyards. I had the most relaxing morning with a chap called Jonty Daniels from Astley last week. His vineyard dates from 1971, making it one of the older English sites. He stocks a few places in London including Sketch, Selfridges, an outlet in Borough Market – and, for five days only, my little pop-up in Leytonstone!”

Rachel got into English wine when a friend brought along a bottle of English fizz one day. “I loved the fact it had a story, and I wanted to find out if the reputation of it being expensive was truly deserved. A friend of the family grows small amounts of grapes for her local collective, so she was able to point me in the ‘English wine for beginners on a budget’ direction.”

“Pairing English wine with English flowers then just seemed a natural one – my very first job was in a plant nursery, and recently ordering flowers for a wedding and flying in hydrangeas from Colombia just felt bonkers. I looked closer to home. And so my simple concept began.”

Rachel moved to Leytonstone at the beginning of the year. “Organic Lea [a worker’s cooperative growing food in the Lea Valley] is right up there on our list of why we enjoy living here.  I love the narrative behind each week’s delivery – what’s ready, what’s not, what suffered the most from excessive amounts of rain. In fact, hearing our suppliers’ stories has been my favourite bit of Bottles and Blooms so far. My day job in Human Resources is quite similar in that regard – meeting people and hearing their stories – but that’s probably where the similarities end. It has been, and continues to be, a steep learning curve. But that’s what makes it fun, right?”

With Laura Lea Designs taking the permanent lease on the space from October, Rachel feels lucky to have the shop for one last brief pop-up fling. “It’s great to test the concept in such a direct way. Who knows what will come next, but having the little shop on loan, so to speak, must be the best possible way to see what others think of this very English combo.”