Reports emerged last week of a minor uproar in Richmond, London’s notorious hotbed of middle class shenanigans. In the south-west borough — “probably London’s most attractive borough, darling,” trills its official tourism website (I may have added the “darling”) — the council has just granted permission for a new Ottolenghi restaurant and deli to open on Hill Street, replacing a furniture showroom. And So To Bed, Richmond? Fat chance of that now.
The announcement came just as Rightmove reported that the suburb is Britain’s happiest place to live. Evidently, this survey was done before the news broke that some chef from Jerusalem was about to turn up and shove handfuls of pine nuts down everyone’s throat, because some quarters have been up in arms. One complainant wrote to the council with fears that Ottolenghi would “pump out into the evening dozens of people per night into an area that’s already febrile”.
