About this time last year, when the snow was thick on the streets of London, I walked to work through some eerily quiet streets – pleasant crunching of white underfoot. Until that is, I neared Tottenham Street and my path onward was hampered by tape and a policeman directing me back the other way. Gigs, the exceedingly tasty chip shop (I’m tempted to say Chipperia – do you think that would catch on?), had suffered massively in a fire. The place was utterly gutted and for months past has been boarded up with a woebegone air to it.

But no longer! One day, the boards were down and a completely new layout revealed. Next, a band of people were busy wiping, polishing and generally making the place gleam. And now, it is open for business! With a queue snaking outside along the pavement no less.

Ah, pass the vinegar please…

Lesley Crooks, Sales & Digital Manager