Food & Drink: Josie Long's hippie lunch

Review by Josie Long | 30 Jul 2010

I want to recommend the Forest Café, not because I think I necessarily does the best food, but because I really like it. This is how it describes itself: a volunteer-run, not-for-profit, DIY, arts action events social chaos space. It is also a vegetarian café.

I have a love-hate thing with most hippie, health food style cafés. I like their produce but they tend to be run by uptight arseholes, and much as they try to con you into believing that they aren’t just another business with beanbags and cutesy handwritten notes, just try going in for a nap and you’ll soon be made aware that they aren’t as laid-back as they say they are.

Here, even though it might take 25 minutes to get a cup of tea, it will be served for you by a toasted, lovely volunteer. There’s a freebie area and a fantastic arts space upstairs with their own Forest Fringe. It’s about generosity and kindness at its heart. As well as that, it is simply a good place to hang out: full of people who look a bit baked; proper nice lefty activists; people who should not have dreadlocks but do. Also vegans. The hand-painted décor is great too.

Josie Long: Be Honourable
Just the Tonic @ the Caves
5-29 Aug (not 17, 22, 23), 7:40pm, £8-£9