The first in a series of reviews of areas within easy reach of Stoke Newington residents. In this article, Dave Fry describes Highbury Barn, N5, a short stroll across Green Lanes and just south of the Arsenal ground.

There is a compact range of facilities in Highbury Barn, certainly sufficient to survive without ever leaving the area. Post office, pharmacy and hairdresser nestle alongside restaurants, wine shops, delicatessens, and both green (both senses) and other grocers, as well as a respectably sized mini supermarket. But the superb selection of speciality shops adds a touch of class, and extra visitors, to the area, which is surprisingly untainted by national chains.

Our mini-tour – shopping highlights of the area – starts shortly after Blackstock Road morphs into Highbury Park. As Highbury hill flattens, just past the NCH HQ on the right and St Joan of Arc Catholic Church on the left, the first little parade of shops starts, housed on the right in Highbury Park Buildings (1888), a terrace building with some six shopfronts at its base. Of these, Da Rocco certainly deserves a mention. The very Italian proprietor and his wife have made excellent fresh pasta here daily for years – certainly over 25 if a previous shop in Gillespie Road is taken into consideration. He is typically modest about the Blairs, who shopped here regularly when locals and sang his praises (not to the tune of ‘When I’m 64’). Next door is an excellent venture, Highbury Vintners. They stock not only good value day-to-day drinking wine, but also fine wines from around the world, adding an individual touch of personal class to a huge Oddbinesque selection. They have the only range of ciders by apple varietal I have ever seen. The next shop is a new venture, Frogs and Fairies, which looks to have toys and amusements for both child and man – most collectable lead (not literally) soldiers! The final few shops complement the local area, with newsagents, confectioners and a convenience store.

Aubert Park and Kelross Road cross Highbury Park as we venture a short distance further North towards the main shopping block of ‘the Barn’. This takes us past the raised terrace (on the right) again which supports a much larger terraced group of houses, worth viewing for any lover of Victorian terraces, and a further crossroads with Highbury Grange and Hamilton Park.

The main block includes many shops, one of national fame, so starting on the left and leading up to the central Highbury Barn pub, a block of six shops includes a Laundromat and Gullifords the greengrocer, who recently told me he had been there for 50 years. This shop tends to have that one vegetable you cannot find and a reasonable array of flowers. The first in this block, however, is Stingray an excellent Italian (very Italian) restaurant well below average prices – who make their own very individual pizzas. Also in this block is the famed La Fromagerie, where many top London restaurants source their cheese. In the chilled cheese room at the back of the shop you can make a selection of cheeses in prime condition, mainly from France but also covering some English and Italian cheeses. Although the price is high, the results speak for themselves. Also here is Da Mario, another Italian delicatessen with a wonderful range of salamis, cheeses and other delidelights.

The block ends round a corner opposite the Highbury Barn pub, which still retains a local character, despite the recent gentrification: not yet a gastro-pub but good food is available, as it is from the local chippie, the Barn Fish Bar opposite the entrance. The pub was renamed ‘The Beautiful South’ for a promotional video a few years back – somehow it seemed appropriate.

Retracing our steps to Hamilton Park, amongst the shops on the right hand side the highlights are the Master Cobbler, a shoe repair outlet of considerable quality, who also do keys plus sell high quality men’s shoes, and Iznik, a Turkish restaurant to which you can take the most fastidious eater. The food is delicious, and the décor is a complete Aladdin’s cave of candles, rugs, glass ornaments and pictures, moving you a thousand miles East in one step. The next few shops include a further good greengrocer, a health food outlet and chicken shop, and you reach the two newsagents helpfully placed opposite each other.

The delights of the neighbourhood have not run out yet, though, and from the pub to the end of the parade the left hand side includes a highly respected community pharmacy, and an extremely useful post office, located in the closest to a supermarket which the Barn boasts, a branch of Londis. There is also a Thresher for wines, beers and spirits and a good but small hardware store.

The final real treat is on the right hand side where an extremely fine butcher, F Godfrey & Sons is located. Organic and free-range meats are available, including Ronaldsway lamb and organic pork from Suffolk, plus all sorts of cheeses, chutneys and cooked meats as well. The only downside can be the queues on a Saturday morning, but after the effort, the final shop on the right is Crema where you can relax over delicious coffee and cakes.