What does elixis mean?

Elixis is an adaptation of the word ‘elixir’ meaning essence of life.

I’m Letitia, founder of elixis a health food cafe catering to those with an interest in a healthier lifestyle based on Gloucester Road.

I’ve had a passion for cooking and natural foods since I was a kid. Growing up on an Arable farm in Dorset, being exposed to the freshest and most natural food, I saw how it could transform any dish.

Having ‘pet’ pigs that were slaughtered, I soon turned vegetarian and had a diet focused heavily on plants as I started cooking for myself.

As a teenager I became enthralled in the world of health food that started trickling into Londons food scene and decided this was what I wanted to do.

At 18 I booked a one way ticket to Australia and worked at some of the best health food eateries up and down the East Coast from Melbourne to Byron Bay.

Upon returning to London amidst the pandemic I worked my way through hospitality icing cakes in warehouses, rolling Viennoiserie as a pastry chef and finally in fine dining. I worked gruelling 90 hour weeks, my skillset rapidly improved and I learned how to give any dish finesse as I learned from great chefs.

I spent a couple of years backpacking around the world, inspired by the cafe cultures globally and the cuisines everywhere I went. I realised that the healthiest diets were those based on natural foods, forgetting dietary labels or fad diets, with focus on plants, fermented foods and with small amounts of natural animal products.

I was particularly interested in blue zone countries such as Japan, where a large focus of their diet is on seaweed and sea vegetables - a high collagen source alongside many other vital nutrients. This is something that is largely unexplored in the West and something that is incorporated in the dishes at elixis, such as our Wild Child Scrambled eggs which come with a Wakame seaweed salad.

I created elixis to show people that eating well doesn’t have to be bland or boring! I started elixis as a stall at farmers markets and events across London, selling our healthy treats and breakfast pots. I am so grateful to all our amazing loyal regular customers who gave us such great feedback and encouragement along the way.

At elixis you can enjoy a beautiful light space, neighbouring the picturesque Stanhope Mews (it has been featured in multiple movies!) with a cup of our B-Corp locally roasted coffee, house-made healthy treats, cold pressed juices and our tasty made to order brunch menu. We make everything from scratch by hand in small batches in the kitchen underneath the cafe at 123 Gloucester Road!

We look forward to welcoming you to elixis!

Letitia

Founder