This Roberts London film from October 2020 follows a distinctly British food idea from the streets of central London to the kitchen: smoky baked beans on toast, made from scratch and served on a substantial slice of sourdough.

The journey begins at Charing Cross and continues through unusually quiet West End streets towards Soho. Bread, ingredients and London food history provide the route; bacon, onion, beans, tomato and black treacle provide the finished plate.

From Charing Cross to Soho

The film opens in central London, where the walk from Charing Cross supplies the city half of the story. In 2020, these familiar streets were quieter than usual, so the footage now works as both a food film and a record of London during an unsettled year.

From there, the route turns towards Soho. The destination is Bread Ahead on Beak Street, where a loaf of sourdough gives the finished dish the structure it needs. A thick slice is important here: these beans are richer and more substantial than the familiar contents of a tin.

Making smoky baked beans from scratch

Back in the kitchen, the recipe begins with smoked bacon. Cutting it into small pieces allows the fat and flavour to move through the whole pan rather than leaving the bacon as a separate topping. Onion follows, softening alongside the bacon to establish a savoury base.

Smoked paprika reinforces that flavour while garlic and seasoning deepen the sauce. White beans are then folded into the mixture. At this stage the dish begins to move away from breakfast shorthand and towards a slow, glossy pan of homemade beans.

Balancing smoke, sweetness and tomato

Black treacle gives the sauce its dark sweetness, but it is used as part of a balance rather than as the dominant taste. Tomato brings acidity and body, while the beans absorb the combined flavours as the pan simmers. The result should be thick enough to sit confidently on toast rather than running across the plate.

Sourdough toast and the finished dish

The sourdough is sliced generously, buttered and toasted before the beans are spooned over it. Its crisp surface and chewy centre provide a useful contrast to the soft beans. More importantly, the bread remains recognisable beneath the sauce instead of collapsing immediately.

The tasting completes the film’s argument. Beans on toast may be simple, familiar and inexpensive, yet making every part deliberately produces a different experience. Bacon and paprika provide smoke, treacle supplies sweetness, tomato keeps the sauce lively and good bread turns the mixture into a complete meal.

A British classic in the Roberts London archive

Viewed now, the episode preserves several parts of the Roberts London format in one short film: a walk through the city, a visit to independent food shops, a practical cooking sequence and an affectionate look at an everyday British dish. The humour remains, but so does the central idea that even beans on toast can tell a London story.