Founder of Forza Wine in Peckham and at the National Theatre in South Bank, as well Camberwell, Bash Redford tells us what he loves about south London and a bit about himself as well….
What is the story behind Forza’s opening?
An escape route from desk work. And I now realise a natural route for those with ADHD to take.
I started Forza in 2012 – I’d been working in marketing, PR and the arts. I started a supper club as a re-discovery of the hospitality I missed from growing up in the North. Restaurants weren’t accessible to me in London because they were massive money – that’s why we always try to make sure you can go to any Forza spot and have something great for a tenner.
The original Forza was £25 for an Aperol Spritz and a three-course meal.
It started as a pizza-focused supper club on a rooftop in East London (we wanted it to be in New Cross as that’s where I lived but couldn’t get the pizza oven into the garden) and then spent about four years roaming around London.
We found a permanent home in Peckham (where Jumbi is now) because it was cheap. It was a really, really, really different building then – not in that “I lived there before it was cool” way, but genuinely – the original had holes in the ceiling, a sloping floor, and a fairly regular roster of power cuts, floods and the rest of it.
Photo by Caitlin Isola
What do you love most about running Forza Win(e)?
The people. Our team(s) feel really, genuinely, representative of the areas where we set up. I was on the train home the other night with two people who had grown up and gone to school in Lewisham, where my kids now go. They work with us and have really exciting, cool careers ahead of them. That felt good. Obviously, I love all of the food and drink, too, but the teams and people are the highlight.
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What does a typical week in south London involve for you?
Lewisham Market on Monday morning to shop for the week, Peckham on Monday afternoon, Camberwell on Tuesday, National Theatre (Southbank) on Wednesday and then Thursday and Friday, I just generally tend to be wherever I’m needed most.
I spend a lot of time in Hither Green (because I live there) and have two kids, so I’m often doing drop off, pickups, park visits, etc.
What are your favourite South London eateries?
Aha. There is only one. Viet Rest on Deptford High Street; I have eaten there more than any other restaurant ever (including my own). I’ve also said the same thing forever, which is probably quite dull, and I guess people reading this want to know more spots than one…
So, in no particular order: Asian Takeaway by Peckham Rye station, the newer but EXCELLENT kids on the block, Toad Bakery. I got to know the guys that run that place well in the past few years and they bring joy to the area, especially their sun buns.
Filishack, I eat their grilled chicken inasal with all the sauces about twice a week.
Taro (the Japanese place with excellent t-shirts) just opened in Catford – I went the other day and can already feel that it is going to be a regular haunt. It’s rammed, though, so not always easy to get a table.
For coffee, it’s always Browns of Brockley, the bagels are decent, too.
I’m still a sucker for the Anchor & Hope in Waterloo, the food is always exceptional, and if I’m in a pizza mood, Theo’s in Camberwell – PHWOAR.
Where do you shop for clothes and homeware in South London?
I don’t if I’m honest. Deptford Market is probably the one I’ve got most stuff from, but my taste in homewares is mostly from the restaurants and my parents (ex-hoteliers and current hoarders).
I just made a load of stainless steel benches and tables in my kitchen at home with my mate Hal (of Ammonite designs fame).
For clothes, I tend to come across rather than shop specifically for – generally second-hand or vintage or I’m lucky to get gifted quite a few bits, which is handy, but means my style can be quite weird. Trainers are my weakness, but there’s nowhere decent in south London to get them.
And your favourite south London landmark?
Quite niche ones, tbh. Am I allowed to say the Dog & Bell? Or the Marquis of Granby? They are pubs that offer the most ‘south east’-style experience in my opinion – they aren’t Landmarks per se, but they are to me and if they left, this part of London wouldn’t be what it is.
It’s pretty rowdy having a restaurant in the National Theatre, and I LOVE that building but I’d be lying if I said I went there lots before Forza being there.
How have you seen the local area change as you have been in situ – and in the new spots you’ve expanded to?
I’ve seen it change loads, but there’s a really clear distinction in my mind between the changes that are being mindful and positive and those that are just reading a Time Out article and opening a business. If a business has an awareness of the local area prior to going there, and makes an effort to be respectful of and involve the community there, then they’ll more likely last.
All of the spots we’ve ever opened have been empty before we opened them: Forza Wine Peckham was just a rooftop of a building, and the National Theatre was a closed theatre bar. Camberwell was a closed hotel dining room.
It’s not something we actively seek, but it feels as if we’re adding value if we’re creating a space that didn’t otherwise exist.
Peckham is the place that’s changed the most since we’ve been there, though – although in many ways it hasn’t changed at all – Khan’s Bargains is still there, Rye Lane is still Rye Lane. House prices have gone insane and there are more readily available flat whites and less affordable housing, which in turn means everyone (myself included!) moves out, but I don’t think that’s specific to south east – it’s everywhere!
What’s the one place, thing or activity south of the river that everyone should try at least once?
Deptford Market on a Wednesday morning, sunset at Forza Wine Peckham, swimming in Surrey Quays, The Dog & Bell sausage festival, a walk along the banks of Thames down near Deptford, Telegraph Hill on a blazing hot day/evening with a cold beer, the hospitality at Italo Delicatessen in Bonnington Square.
How can you possibly put it down to one? South east is the one, all the things in it are what make it so!
