Happy Chinese New Year – welcome to Year of the Rooster!

Have you tried Sheng High at the E17 Village Market? Felix Tse has been cooking outdoors every Saturday since October, and he’s still there braving the freezing January temperatures to warm up the folk of Walthamstow with his ‘Shengjian Baos’ Chicken Soup Buns.

Felix is an ex-Yauatcha and Hakkasan chef. After stints travelling and cooking in Hong Kong and China he returned home and started working on the London street food scene and in 2016 launched ‘Sheng High’, offering homemade Shengjian Baos.

Shengjian Bao dumplings  are an authentic snack eaten for breakfast on the streets on Shanghai, washed down with warm soya milk. The handmade little buns are pan-fried to form a crispy base at the same time as being steamed so the rest of the dumpling is soft and light on top. The doughy dumplings are traditionally stuffed with pork mince and broth, but Felix is playing with flavours and offering a Chicken Soup and hopefully soon a veggie Tofu and Shiitake Mushroom version.

On a cold winter’s day these hot buns of slurpy, meaty deliciousness were very welcome. Felix serves a portion of 4 dumplings for £6, topped with black sesame seeds and sliced spring onions, a fiery homemade chilli dipping oil and dark, sweet Chinkiang rice vinegar. He’s also planning a regular pop-up evenings in the Froth & Rind cheese shop offering wonton noodle soup and pork or mushroom buns if you fancy a warm seat indoors!

If you’ve not been before visit the E17 Village Market, Saturdays from 10.30am-3.30pm at the Community Hub on Orford Road. It’s a fantastic little community market run by the traders and residents showcasing local artisan produce, street food and home ware including Cyprus Kitchen, Elderflower Cakes, Blomst Flowers, Smoking Salmon, the Greek Café, Flour and Spoon bakery and Perky Blenders coffee roasters.

Sheng High can be found every Saturday at The E17 Village Market, Waltham Forest Community Hub, 18a, Orford Road, London, E17 9LN. 10.30am – 3.30pm