Brook Green entrepreneur Laura Stewart is making taste buds tingle across Hammersmith & Fulham with her home-grown catering business Lula's Patties.
The Caribbean patties, made by Laura in her home kitchen, are delivered, stocked and sold in retailers across London, including Bush Theatre in Shepherds Bush. She also caters for events.
"I launched Lula's Patties in 2022, but I never expected to start a business out of my Caribbean inspired patties," Laura, who has a Food Hygiene Rating Score of 5, explained.
"I started to make these products because I wanted to eat more healthily and I didn't feel there were any patties that suited my tastes available in West London. I decided to research a few recipes and started to experiment with traditional flavours, and perfected a recipe that was to my liking."
While finalising her patty style, Laura spent time researching the history of patties and her final product takes inspiration from across the Caribbean. She also qualified for a scholarship to Leiths Culinary School.
"They helped me take my patties from artisan to premium with the help of quality ingredients," Laura added.
Support from H&F
To help grow Lula's Patties from concept to reality Laura also made use of our free business support.
She met regularly with one of our business advisors and attended a Networking.London event where she pitched her patties to the audience.
"It's good to know that the business advisors are local and so present," Laura added. "They're available to book a session with when needed and knowing that there's support available really boosts confidence."
In the past two years Lula's Patties has gone on to reach the final three in the Caribbean Food Awards' baking category – competing against a brand that's been selling for three generations.
Vegetarian friendly
Lula's Patties' menu is currently entirely veggie friendly. Laura offers three fillings, black beans and feta, sweet potato and gungo peas, and for a slightly spicy kick, callaloo and coconut lentils.
And she's not planning on stopping there. New fillings soon to be available include roast garlic mushrooms and squash sourced from a Wimbledon rooftop farm.
"I am always experimenting and thinking of creating new flavours and fillings for my patties. I'm also trying to develop my sustainability by using seasonal vegetables and sourcing my products locally. I'm always trying to find more local producers and get to know their produce."
To grab your own taste of the Caribbean, visit Lula's Patties' website or pick up products from Bush Theatre.
