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Notting Hill, a seed-eating hippy enclave
Sri Carmichael19.03.09
NOTTING HILL residents eat the most seeds and use the least deodorant and shower gel in the country, according to a "map" of shopping habits.
The apparent existence of a hippy enclave in west London is revealed in an analysis of shopping baskets by the capital's largest online grocer, Ocado. The research also reveals the unhealthy diets of those living in east London, which is home to the highest proportion of beer drinkers and the lowest proportion of apple eaters.
On average 42 per cent of people across the country buy apples, compared with 35 per cent in east London.
Some 14 per cent of shoppers put beer in their baskets, whereas in north London that drops to 11 per cent, the lowest figure. However, the survey of 180,000 customers suggests north Londoners have the cleanest kitchens. They bought the most washing-up liquid and kitchen cleaner of any area.
South London's reputation for being popular with young parents is confirmed by the revelation that more customers there buy nappies than anywhere else, at 18 per cent.
The capital as a whole appears to have some of the healthiest eating habits. Londoners buy half the national average of ready-made curries, cake and gammon and drink half the amount of spirits.
Londoners also eat three times fewer chips than shoppers in Birmingham.
Reader views (1)
i spent my entire childhood and on into my forties in notting hill and now only live in earl's court.
when i lived as a child in the gate it was the second biggest slum in Europe, although i didn't know it, we just accepted it as was and got on with it. it was a grand cosmopolitan area and i now regard it as a privilege to have lived there at the time. it was always through the fifties, onto the sixties and up until the the affluent took over an area of artistic, bohemian and
multi cultural mixes of interesting people. portobello and golborne road markets were alive, interesting and always a grand craic, however the rbkc always seemed intent on killing the markets off and had been doing so since the early sixties, it is apparent this has now succeeded and the area is now just another homogenized and sanitized area of high street chains, not much different to any high street in the land.
so i would not agree that it is a 'hippy' enclave, it was in the sixties, but now the interest in health foods and seemingly 'new age' ideas is merely a fashionable affectation with little deep interest behind it. as 'fashion' changes and those with time on their hands and a thick wad grow bored with present trends they will gradually embrace whatever the fashionista movers and shakers deem to be the way ahead. however there still exists 'real people' with interesting thoughts and ideas in the area, they will stay and continue to keep hope alive for a golden dawn based on strong conviction.
- M.O'Brien, london.uk
