foodie heaven

I had to go to Ilford to day and I make it a rule never to go to Ilford without visitng Durga Sweets down Ilford Lane

If you're ever in the area go there - they don't only do all the mysterious sweets picured here jalebi, ras malai, burfi, laddu and so on, they also do the best pakora and samosas

When I first moved to the East Side and lived just off Ilford Lane the shops were a mixture of Asian and the usual things you'd expect, a plumbing shop, a roller bearing wholesalers, a Greek bakers to mention just a few.

Now they've mostly gone and the road is full of Indian supermarkets and sari shops. To be honest, I love it - where else would I go to go to a shop that offers you a choice of five different aubergines? Not to mention packets of every spice you can imagine, sized from tiny to catering.

But even when I first lived there Durga Sweets was there, proudly announcing themselves as being from Ilford and Accra. Then you could buy wonderful Indian dishes (often left over from the catering for weddings that was one of the things they did) that were so cheap it was hardly worth cooking yourself.

Now the shop is run by their children and grandchildren, and I'm told that the grandparents complain about the music pounding out of the cars as they slowly make their way up and down the road between Barking and Ilford