Hamptead haps: UPDATED

Thought I'd give everyone a quick update on what's happening in the neighborhood this summer... Lots of changes on the high street.

Melrose and Morgan - This is a new food shop that Ric wrote about a few months ago. We've been regulars since it opened and especially love dropping by on the weekends to pick up odds and ends for lunch. It's not a grocery store by any means, but they do have a nice selection of pre-made meals, specialty food items, and cheeses.

The Hampstead Butcher opened in April and it's amazing (this went in where Rosslyn Deli used to be). We LOVE having a place to get "real" meat, other than Tesco, and their cheese counter in the back is expansive. Another perfect place to stop by when you're putting together a picnic for the Heath. There's also a really nice Australian guy who works behind the counter and has a son about the same age as James, so we always swap baby stories.

Yogurty - to draft off the success of Slice of Ice we have another contender in the "frozen snacks" category. Yogurty went in next to Waterstone's where the HiFi store used to be. Their sales pitch is around the healthiness of their frozen yogurt - it's all zero or low fat. Haven't tried it yet, but might be a good option when the line at Slice of Ice is too long to handle.

The French Infusion - this isn't totally new, but I just read an article in Elle UK about "hot new brands" to be on the lookout for. Most of them could only be bought online or at fancy department stores like Selfridge's. But 3 out of the 10 are represented on Hampstead's High Street, and they're all French brands. Zadig & Voltaire, Comptoir de Cotonniers (one of my favs) and Sandro (the newest addition). Not bad for sleepy little Hampers!

The Duke! Thanks to the efforts of our friend Rob and his Save the Duke website, the Duke of Hamilton has gotten a reprieve from it's demolition. It was a technicality in the end, and it's not a done deal, but for now the pub will stay open (thanks to an old, old tree on the property that can't be cut down to make room for a parking garage). There is still a lot of negotiations happening, and deals to be made, but we're hopeful that we won't have to say goodbye to our favorite true pub.

Closures - A number of high street shops have closed recently, including Crabtree and Evelyn which was right across from Gail's, the clothing store next to the Post Office (not a huge loss), and the Turkish place on the corner of Flask Walk. Not going to miss any of those places really, but do hope interesting things fill the spaces soon. There's also still an empty spot next to Ritz pharmacy. Lots of room for fun new things!

Watch this space...

UPDATE: Thanks to the tip from Rob who noticed that Euphorium Bakery in South End Green has also closed. Again, not totally surprised given the density of bakeries within a 10 block radius. And the fact that there is another Euphorium Bakery just down the hill in Belsize park.

I also forgot to mention the roadworks that are currently overwhelming our little village. They're supposed to continue for three months and have shut down the High Street and Heath Street at different points. Between that and the August summer holiday, it's been eerily quiet in Hampstead this month. I'm actually enjoying it quiet a bit! Maybe we should barricade the neighborhood off for good! :)