Crosstown Doughnuts at Spitalfields supplied the starting point for an Australian-inspired day out in London in January 2016. The special was the Lam-nut: a doughnut inspired by a lamington, with chocolate, coconut and jam. It became breakfast, followed by a wander around Old Spitalfields Market and a trip north to Camden in search of a kangaroo burger.
The day did not quite follow the menu I had imagined. The doughnut was a success. Lunch required a change of plan. Between the two, there was plenty of London to enjoy.
From the Roberts London video archive, originally published on 25 January 2016. This account follows that visit; the traders, products and market scenes belong to the film’s original period.
Starting outside Australia House
I began outside Australia House, with the Australian flags setting the theme. With Australia Day approaching on 26 January, I wanted to see what an Australian-inspired vlog might look like from London. Rather than book a restaurant, I decided to follow a couple of food ideas through the city’s markets.
The opening of the film also acknowledges that the date carries different meanings. I discussed mourning, Invasion Day and Survival Day, and the treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. That reflection was part of the original introduction before the day turned towards breakfast and a walk around London.
Crosstown Doughnuts and the Lam-nut
At Old Spitalfields Market, the Crosstown truck had an Australia Day special. The Lam-nut combined one of its doughnuts with the idea of a lamington. I had never tried a traditional lamington, so this was an introduction to the combination through a London doughnut.
There was a practical reason for making it breakfast. I wanted to arrive before the doughnuts sold out. In the film, I explain that once the day’s stock was gone, that was it until the next day. Fortunately, there was still a Lam-nut waiting for me.
In close-up, the thick coconut coating almost hides the chocolate beneath. Inside was a cakey doughnut with jam. The combination made sense: something soft and sweet in the middle, chocolate around the outside, and coconut over the top.
I could not compare it with a proper lamington because I had not eaten one. But as a doughnut, I enjoyed it. That distinction matters to the story: this was a lamington-inspired breakfast, rather than a review of the traditional cake itself.
Espresso at the Department of Coffee and Social Affairs
The next stop was nearby at the Department of Coffee and Social Affairs. An espresso completed breakfast, and I sat down beneath the market roof to try the doughnut properly.
The coffee was good, the Lam-nut was good, and the morning had found its rhythm. There is something particularly satisfying about taking time over a small breakfast while a market is still gathering pace around you.
A morning walk around Old Spitalfields Market
After breakfast, I took a look around the stalls. It was still relatively quiet, giving the camera room to pick out the clothing rails, covered walkways and food businesses around the market.
The setting brought back memories of my own time as a market trader. My friend and I had stood out in the cold on Portobello Road. We had considered Spitalfields, too, but my memory of it then was of a much smaller collection of stalls inside the market hall.
Walking through in 2016, I was struck by the facilities and the shelter. I would have welcomed that setup when I was trading. Fashion, including both new and vintage clothes, remained part of the attraction, while food and drink occupied a large part of what the camera found.
For another walk through this part of town later in the same year, see Rough Trade East coffee and Brick Lane bagels in 2016.
Camden Market and the kangaroo search
Next came a train journey to Camden. On an earlier visit, while filming a Christmas-jumper shopping trip, I had noticed a stall selling kangaroo. That gave me the second idea for the day: find it again and try a kangaroo burger for lunch.
Camden was much busier than the morning market. The film follows the crowds, the shopfronts and the routes around the lock before returning to the food stalls. The contrast with the quieter start at Spitalfields is one of the pleasures of watching the journey back.
I eventually found kangaroo steak listed on a menu and joined the queue. The grill was busy, with meat cooking and food being assembled in front of us. For a moment, it looked as though the plan would work.
Lamb for lunch instead
By the time I ordered, the kangaroo had run out. I chose lamb instead, served in a box with salad, potatoes and sauce. The Australian theme had become a little looser, although the barbecue still fitted the day’s inspiration.
My verdict was mixed but fair. I enjoyed lunch, yet thought the barbecue had dried the lamb a little. Its texture reminded me of shredded crispy duck, and I said that I generally preferred lamb roasted. This was an observation about the food in front of me on that visit.
Getting lost in Camden’s market passages
After lunch, I carried on through Camden’s shops and covered passages. The film takes in the mix of clothes, vintage pieces, music, artwork and food, along with the crowds moving between them. An Amy Winehouse tribute appears along the way.
What stays with me is the sheer variety. Camden offered enough turns and small distractions to keep a simple lunch trip going much longer than planned. It was a place to wander, look around and let the next passage decide where to go.
The day finished with a small comic postscript: people in kangaroo outfits outside a pub. After the unsuccessful lunch search, the kangaroos had finally appeared in a completely different form.
Crosstown’s Lam-nut remained the clearest food connection to the original idea. But the whole journey became a record of two London markets in 2016, linked by coffee, a coconut-covered doughnut and an improvised lunch.
