| Food For Thought | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location within Central London | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1971[1] |
| Owner | Vanessa Garrett[1] |
| Previous owner | Margot Boyce-White[1] |
| Food type | vegetarian |
| Location | 31Neal Street, London, WC2H 9PR |
| Coordinates | 51°30′51″N0°07′32″W / 51.5142473°N 0.1255163°W /51.5142473; -0.1255163 |
| Seating capacity | 40[2] |
| Website | Archived 5 February 2020 at theWayback Machine |
Food for Thought was avegetarian restaurant in theSeven Dials district of London'sCovent Garden.[3] Founded in 1971 in a former banana warehouse, it later closed in 2015 due to rising rents.[4]
The restaurant was founded by Margot Boyce-White in 1971 when the relocation of London's fruit and vegetable market toNew Covent Garden caused the area to be redeveloped. The premises inNeal Street had formerly been used as a banana warehouse. The business changed hands in 1977 and was owned by Vanessa Garrett, daughter of the couple John and Jane Damant, who bought it. Rising rents caused the restaurant to close on 21 June 2015.[1]
Thecounter-culture activistSue Miles worked at Food for Thought, so starting a career as a restaurateur.[5]
The restaurant was patronised by workers in the nearby businesses of the Covent Garden district, which included the numerous theatres. Acts which ate there included theRed Hot Chili Peppers.[6]
A former stable and forge inDenmark Street was used by the proprietors of the restaurant as a storage area and sleeping quarters. This was then used by Andy's Guitars as an amplifier workshop and the testing there then developed into the famous12 Bar Club.[7]
The food at the restaurant was vegetarian and some of it wasvegan. Fresh vegetables were used but, to keep the cost down, these were not normallyorganic, The preparation avoided peeling to preserve the nutrients in the skin of the vegetables.[8]
Russell Rose, reviewing the place forVeggie & Organic London, rated it five stars for vegetarian choice and three stars for taste.[2]
This is a remarkable bargain basement vegetarian eaterie on one of Covent Garden's busiest thoroughfares. ... Food For Thought is a bit rushed but for a really cheap bite, in the middle of London's theatreland, it's tough to beat.
A cookbook composed of the restaurant's recipes called "New Food for Thought" by Jane Stimpson was published in 2002.