Out Of The Woods, Leytonstone: the best lasagne I can remember?

When newish artisan café Out Of The Woods opened up in a former butcher’s near Hollow Pond this summer, the news story on Leytonstoner was #1 on Most Read for weeks. Such was the appetite, it seemed, for a quality hangout in Upper Leytonstone.

“We’re very excited about the entire project,” owner Sibel Gumus told me at the time. “We hope it will be an opportunity for the local community to gather. The premises was vacant for around 15-20 years and was previously a butcher and sandwich bar: we’ve fully transformed what was a derelict shop.”

The interior was conceived by local multi-disciplinary design Leytonstone studio Horse, with “unearthed original tiling from its days as a butcher,” as well as striking typography and fresh illustrations. And on my last visit, during that first week of opening, it was wildly busy.

Returning a few months later, it’s good to see the place has really settled into a laidback neighbourhood joint: there are houseplants everywhere (all for sale) and a strong wall of deli products (“if a customer asks for us to stock it, we order it in,” says Sibel), from jarred beans and nut butters to tuna fillets, olive oils, sourdough and fresh veg. Meanwhile, the counter is piled with daily baked goods like croissants, carrot cake and brownies.

Sure, the place majors on brunch, whether that’s omelettes and smashed avo on toast or the “Belly Full” for big breakfasters, as well as skillets of menemen, halloumi hash, and shakshuka, which I tried last time. There are also daily changing salads and sarnies, while smooth espresso comes from East London bean merchants AllPress.

On this visit, Sibel invited me to try a few items that had, well, autumn written all over them: perfect for a day that alternated epic downpours with seasonal sunshine. Firstly, smoked salmon fans should target the Out Of The Woods Special, ribbons of the pink-hued fish on cream cheese-smothered sourdough with feta, toasted seeds, leaves and chives. But to load up before a weekend hike in Epping Forest – or just a lap or two of Hollow Pond – these are my top three recs:

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Lasagne (£9.50, with decent side salad): this is a daily special, and made with intense care and love, just what you need to nurture with a fork after a blustery walk. Golden crusted, gooey and rich, but not wet or sloppy, it’s also not served so boiling hot that you can’t taste it. And, importantly, the meat-cheese-pasta ratio is supremely balanced. Confession: I even took half home to eat at room temperature a few hours later – and it was just as tasty.

Chorizo hash (£13.50): despite the name ‘hash’, this bowl, pictured above left, combines sliced fried potatoes with meaty discs of grilled chorizo, caramelized onions, plenty of spinach and two explodingly orange poached eggs. It’s filling while also giving ‘healthy’.

Basque cheesecake (£7.50): from the satisfyingly burnt exterior (it’s baked at a high temperature) to soft custardy centre, with both a distinctive tangy sourness and caramelized notes, this version of the San Sebastian speciality is exemplary, and elevated further with a tart coulis and fresh berries.

The big forthcoming event is, of course, Halloween (Oct 31st), which sees the cafe open till 9pm for mulled cider and kids’ treats, followed by a night of cocktails and tunes from 8pm till late on Fri 1st Nov. Follow @outofthewoods_colworth.

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