Trinity Stores is a delicatessen, cafe and kitchen in Balham that delivers food sourced from Britain’s small, regional producers, thus highlighting their adoption of traditional methods and consistent quality of produce.

The Venue
A traditionally-made Chelsea bun’s-throw from Balham Station, the Trinity Stores exterior is a powder blue statement of middle class transformation in this South London neighbourhood. The interior is a cosy environment divided into cafe and store with the chairs and tables having to bunch up a little to make room for the displays of bread, condiments, jams, sauces, olive oil, meats, cheeses, coffees, teas and other home-based delights. If you happen to be a yummy mummy, consider navigating the buggy in here a lost cause. As with hybrid stores of this kind, there is an added eccentricity to the proceedings; brightly-coloured plastic seats are positioned with non-matching tables that look like they’ve been stolen from domestic back gardens.

The Atmosphere
Despite its close proximity to Balham Station, Trinity Stores conjures up feelings of village-like charm. However, if you decide to pull up a pink seat and sit at a B&Q garden table, don’t expect the staff to be too attentive as it seems they flit between the role of waitress and store-keeper in the blink of an eye. This is the difficulty in maintaining a store with such high standards; the in-store customer feels a tad neglected as the team reorganises assorted displays and replenishes countless shelves.

The Food
Despite this minor quibble, the central draw is the quality of the food and there is no doubt that the breakfasts and lunches available here are truly delicious. From the breakfast menu, there are such organic treats as muesli with cranberries and nuts, toasted brioche and Greek yoghurt with fruit compote. For lunch, the salmon fishcakes are fantastic. Tomato is cooked with the salmon to compliment the full flavour as it crumbled in the mouth, and the dill sauce is a tasty extra.

A wonderful variety of soups, quiches and gorgeous toasted open sandwiches are also available with its changing seasonal menu a devilish ploy to tempt you back on a daily basis. The char-grilled chorizo and wild rocket baguette is fabulous, the chorizo in particular a testament to the meticulous care Trinity Stores employ with its authentically chewy texture, true to the traditional Spanish approach. The Cornish ice cream is also a much vaunted way of finishing your meal in sumptuous, guilt-laden style - deliciously creamy but not such a large portion to weigh you down for the rest of the afternoon. In keeping with its community vibe, picnic hampers are on offer for when the sun decides to emerge sporadically from the rain clouds.

The Drink
The hand-selected, farm-pressed fruit juices of Chegworth Valley are recommended as an alternative to the usual non-alcoholic fare to accompany your meal.

The Last Word
Superior breakfast and lunchtime offerings at reasonable prices combined with a clunky yet affectionate eccentricity make Trinity Stores a notable step towards Balham turning into a kind of Notting Hill of the south.

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