While everyone else was busy making sourdough in lockdown, I was busy learning to ferment.

What started out as a large Kilner jar of kimchi made for a friend who lived round the corner has now become The North Shop - a small artisanal food business selling kimchi to London’s best delicatessens and food shops.

Why The North Shop? The name of the house in Northumberland that my Dad was born in, and a business started by a Northerner in North London.

My ethos hasn’t changed from those days experimenting in my own kitchen at home – the best quality possible, using the best ingredients, sourced locally and made with patience and care to produce what (I think) is the best kimchi on the market in the UK today.

It's just kimchi for now, but the range will grow as I explore and perfect. Watch this space...

Richard

Fermenter