Tatler has crowned Hackney “the borough du jour”

But ignore their advice, here’s what you should really do in my London neighbourhood

This week the high society bible, Tatler, declared that east London’s Hackney, where I live, is the “borough du jour” calling it “the new west London, brimming with It girls and Gen Z glamazons”. For my international readers who might be unfamiliar, Tatler is a Condé Nast-owned UK magazine that is basically a dedicated puff publication for the royals, as well as reporting on which lords and ladies are bonking, and acting as a sort of Airbnb for the landed gentry (“Viscount Bathurst puts his wonderful Grade II-listed family home onto the luxury rental market” is a recent headline). It has a column called ‘Tiara of the month’ (I’m sure you’re dying to know so this month it’s a “stunningly unique diadem given to Queen Victoria by the Sultan of Muscat”). They preface all members of the royal family with words like ‘hardworking’, ‘inspirational’ and ‘passionate’. 

If you’re not from these parts and still struggling then just think Saltburn. Tatler might be quite absurd but that’s only really because UK society is too. And I don’t wish to diss the writers and editors there; they’re certainly not without a sense of humour. The magazine’s tagline is even “the original social media”.

Still, you can imagine the confusion when such a publication crowns your neighbourhood “the borough du jour”. Telling the one percent and trust fund babies of Chelsea that Hackney is the hot new postcode feels, at best, ridiculous and, at worst, downright problematic. I have called Hackney home for 13 years now and most of us who live here like it precisely because it is not west London. It is a vibrant, diverse, creative, down-to-earth enclave.

But my friends and I laughed at the tired list of suggestions Tatler gave for people interested in getting to know Hackney: Campania, Bistroteque, London Fields Lido. I mean, what year is it? Had the author ever even been here? (The byline is mysteriously ‘By Tatler’). My suspicions grew when the article raved about Violet’s cakes (it’s simply Violet) and do you mean to tell me that Tatler, the magazine that reports on every time King Charles so much as farts, failed to mention that Violet provided the cake for Harry and Meghan’s wedding? As residents, most of us know this because it was a big moment for a beloved local independent spot and we were excited for them. 

Now, I don’t want to get into an argument about which is better, east or west (it’s east), but I want people to know there’s more to Hackney than Tatler’s little round-up. There are some absolutely brilliant places that you should visit. So for the real hot spots, the hidden gems and all the places worth your time, let me be your guide.