Putting Peckham on the map

It could become the capital's most unlikely draw for trendy foodies, SE15's answer to the River Cafe Cookbook. Flavours of Peckham is a collection of recipes celebrating the culinary delights of one of London's less glamorous areas, and local traders hope it's going to put the borough on the capital's food map.

Traders there have got together to show the cosmopolitan array of foods on offer, and have drafted in the help of one of London's most famous food schools to produce the recipe book.

Two graduates from Leith's School of Food and Wine, the world-famous college set up by leading cook Pru Leith, have produced The Flavours of Peckham.

Based on traditional recipe suggestions from shop owners, it has 10 different offerings from around the world.

They include curried mackerel from Ghana, Ethiopian fish stew, plantain fritters from the Ivory Coast and goat and pumpkin curry from Jamaica - with West Indian mango and coconut smoothies to wash it all down.

"A lot of people in Peckham never bother using the High Street shops because they don't think there's much there," said Peckham town centre manager Dave Stevens.

"In fact we've got foods from all over the world because we're such a cosmopolitan community. We've had the help of a couple of professional "noses" who've scoured local shops, asked them for suggestions and dreamed up recipes which we're sure will hit the spot."

Southwark council is printing 2,000 copies of the recipe book, to be distributed free throughout the borough.

Recipes from Vietnam, Greece, Ireland and the Middle East also feature, while shoppers can get the ingredients they need with the help of a map pointing out stores such as the Sierra Leonean and Caribbean supermarket.

Producing the book has cost £11,000, but the council reckons it will be money well spent if it helps rid the High Street of its image for drugs and violence.