Onions from Leila’s Shop

These are the most beautiful onions in the world. I bought them for £1.10 in Leila’s Shop at 17 Calvert Avenue next to Arnold Circus. Not that the quality of Spring Onions was something that has ever come to my attention before, but I think this is maybe the point – Leila caused me to think differently.

It is almost impossible for me to walk past Leila’s shop without succumbing to curiosity and stepping inside to see what is new. Regularly, I leave clutching a small brown paper bag with a dark moist slice of gingerbread inside to lift my spirits. This is something that can make my day. When they are in season, I have bought highly scented Narcissi from the Scilly Isles here and Bluebells from Cornwall too. Leila always tries to keep English flowers in stock, in fact whenever I ask where any of her stock comes from, whether a little bag of Lapsang Souchong or a large jar of Honey, there is always a story attached.

It is not fancy or posh, but everything about Leila’s shop is unique with a lyrical sense of poetry. Leila understands that eating should be never be just another bodily function, she knows that food can be an inspiration.  There will not be a chain of Leila’s Shops and that makes this tiny place – the expression of one woman’s passion – very special indeed.

It touches me because I identify with her love of detail in simple things, and the aspiration that even a bunch of Spring Onions can bring joy.