Seasonal Lights And Secrets Of Gourmet Hatch End

Hatch End's latest Italian restaurant Zia Teresa - proud and excited co-owners, Manuel and the chef Antonio!
Hatch End walking trail map at Hatch End station. But whilst the rest of my family were out walking, I headed for free food at the switch-on of the festive season lights on the Christmas tree in Hatch End's main street, the Uxbridge Road.
I try to persuade all my friends from outside to come to Hatch End to enjoy the many restaurants in what a newspaper called restaurant capital of North West London. If you are not from Hatch End, why should you care - what's in it for you? Admittedly, it's a tedious train journey ranging from about 45 minutes to infinity from Euston, so take a book such as Mrs Beetons' cookbook because the trip's worth the effort if you're a gourmet. Hatch End has a plaque to young Mrs Beeton, who wrote the cookery book and established the system for starting recipes with a list of ingredients to buy. The plaque to her on Hatchets, one of Hatch End's 16 restaurants and eating places. It's no surprise that food, including free pizza outside Zia Teresa restaurant, was a feature of the switching on of the seasonal lights on the Giant Xmas tree as light faded 3-6 pm on Saturday Dec 3rd 2011. You can see the lights when you drive through Pinner. (If you stop and park, note that restrictions have been extended to Sundays, so read those signs high up, or use the car park.)

Hatch End, is part of the met line's historic Pinner, featured in many films and TV series and famous for its museum of Heath Robinson cartoons by the lake in pretty Pinner Park.

The Tree Lights

The blue lights on the tree make a good backdrop for photos.

Around the tree stood the Mayor, councillor Jean Lammerman, and Lucia of Hillview Road, who speaks fluent Italian (much faster than I can manage though I've been listening to my Berlitz Earworms disc every morning long to learn enough Italian to ask for vino blanco (white wine), which is useless as I want pink sparkling and cannot understand the reply.

Hillview Road is so named because we could long ago see Harrow on the Hill (famous for the Churchill's school and the hilltop church spire visible for miles and from the Met line trains hurtling from Baker Street. Hatch End had twice a year street parties for residents of Hillview Road.

The Brassy Band

Street entertainment included Christmas carols and music by J50 Brass band under the green tree, an impressively large tree for such a small high street. children in red Santa Claus style hats collected money for charity and the band played cheerful music from jolly red-cover carol books produced by The Salvation Army, I was told by Patrick Dodds who wanted me to tell you that his phone number is 07811 369967.

My neighbours asked how much and does the band do funerals, because Alice's brother had wanted a brass band for his funeral oop north in Yorkshire. (If you don't mind, I'll have Country music or a jolly Gilbert & Sullivan operetta aria for mine. Will somebody please ask Grimsdyke hotel.) But I'm digressing. Also in the picture of the band are tall Laurence Robinson with a warming scarf, though for December 3rd it's remarkably warm - I have roses from my garden on my kitchen dining table. A third member of the brass band is Laura Kitson.

Zia Teresa - Italian For Aunt Teresa

Here in Hatch End we, the public, feasted on free pizza freshly cooked in Zia Teresa (Aunt Teresa in Italian) opened this week in the former Rialto restaurant. Co-owned now by welcoming Manual - sorry, not Manual but Manuel, who, like any good Italian restaurant owner, kisses long-standing customers on both cheeks.

Manuel and his co-owner, the chef, plan a new menu and improvements to the decor which is already lovely with a mural of the Venice canals and Rialto bridge. (The restaurant was previously called Rialto.) What's great about Zia Teresa is that they are able and willing to adapt any dish. I see veal and chicken in lemon on the menu and ask if I can have veal in lemon. Some restaurants will tell you, sorry, it comes ready made like that. But here the food is cooked the way you want it. They will even make any dish of your choice if you give them warning so they can be sure to have the ingredients.

Should you need food or wine to take home, Hatch End also has a handy Tesco Express, and Morrisons which is selling a DIY, or rather BIY, bake it yourself (I just invented that phrase) stollen.

Hatch End Characters

By the tree stood Paresh Patel, who is the treasurer of Hatch End Traders Association, which organises the street lights and street events. (They did a great job for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton - see my blog showing pictures of red, white and blue hats.) Paresh Patel is also the manager of the Hatch End Post office. He was wearing his yellow high visibility and out on the street to ensure Health And Safety.

In support of safety were two jolly policemen.

My neighbours pointed to the star Venus overhead. Venus is the brightest star in the night sky. What use is it? I asked. Venus helps sailors, and walkers, navigate, and tell the time of day. The star is there all year but visible only in the months of November and December. This time next year Venus will be in the same place. So come to Hatch End to see the light of Venus, after watching our little high street switch on the seasonal lights.

Wishing I could write a song which people would sing in the streets every year, I went home to continue songwriting. Today I received the proof copy of my musical The Mad Musician. Maybe I should write a song: Out in the night to see the lights ...

About The Author

You can read snippets of my books on lulu.com

You can read more of my restaurant reviews on yell.com (formerly trustedplaces.com) and also on my webpages and I'm on twitter, Facebook, and You Tube. I sit in Fellini and other restaurants drawing caricatures of friends who buy me coffee or lunch or dinner, and I'm busy mentoring and on the committee of HOD and Harrovians speakers.

Update 2018: Fellini is now Porta Grande.