Women in Wine: At The Laundry with Melanie Brown

Blending old world bistro style with a New Zealand attitude, The Laundry in Brixton is a hit. Then, just four months later, Covid-19 lockdowns force it to close its doors.

"The timing was awful, but I was determined that it wasn't going to beat me," Melanie recalls when I catch up with her over lunch at the now re-opened restaurant. From running a successful new business in a booming London restaurant scene, she suddenly lost all her staff to furloughs while the business still had to be run, bills paid and staff anxieties quelled. "But I wouldn't go back and change anything about the experience," she adds.

Melanie started her career in the United Kingdom 18 years ago, initially as a chef. On her return to Peter Gordon's Providores as Bar Manager, she made the bold move to solely showcase New Zealand wines on its list. Then in 2014, Melanie started her online wine company, The New Zealand Cellar, "to connect UK customers with wines that were not necessarily available in retail environments," according to Melanie.

"As a brand New Zealand has grown so dramatically and successfully in the UK over the last 10 years, people want to hear the stories," she notes. "It's always been my philosophy to act as a conduit between New Zealand vineyards and UK consumers; to bring to the forefront the people behind the wines, and support wineries in having a voice, a place and presence in the UK."

Her success with New Zealand wine, which saw The New Zealand Cellar receive a slew of high-profile specialist retailer awards, prompted other new world producers to approach her. While she says New Zealand wines will always dominate her portfolio, it has expanded to encompass wine from Australia, South Africa and California, and the business was rebranded as Specialist Cellars in 2019.

A success crowdfunding initiative also enabled Melanie to set up a wine shop in the temporary Pop retail hub in Brixton, where it remains. "It's been a huge success," says Melanie. "We've been so fortunate that we were supported so widely throughout New Zealand, with the crowdfundig campaign, which really made me who I am today and led to The Laundry."

Life At The Laundry

When the lease came up for a historic ex-laundry building in Brixton, Melanie leapt at the chance to create an establishment that fused her experience of European bistros and Kiwi hospitality.

"There's a connection of soul and culture that the bistros and cafes have on this side of the world that we don't necessarily have in New Zealand." "However, these often don't have New Zealand's customer service and personal connection. Aligning the synergy between those two really beautiful elements is something that inspired the birth of The Laundry."

Melanie Brown

Housing a laundry for 119 years, the traditional character of the building appealed to Melanie. "It has a sense of place that matches my philosophy and reflects my ultimate aspiration to have a restaurant built on the foundation of France and Italy, but with Kiwi flair and attitude."

Melanie drew on her chef's background for the menu design, created from as much locally sourced produce as possible. It's big on brunches and contains bistro classics such as croque madame and confit duck, but with a Kiwi twist. "It was always a big thing for us to use really quality ingredients, but not trying to be too fancy," Melanie states. "Hearty classic dishes, maybe pimped New Zealand style with some spicy jalapeño!"

Covid-19 lockdowns meant a series of major changes occurred for The Laundry's survival. "Restaurants were getting smashed," Melanie recalls. "So we had to work hard to pivot and make a unique offering." These included selling takeaways out the restaurant's front window, creating menu boxes for people to assemble at home, and starting a general store for The Laundry's food and wine.

"It was mental, but it kept us afloat", says Melanie. "We had to use loans, which was scary as we weren't making any money." However, the business benefitted from the support of The Laundry's largely Kiwi investors. The location of the building, opposite a newly opened theatre, and Melanie's existing strong connections with the local Brixton communities also helped.

"We're three or four years behind where we thought we would be," she admits. "However, the silver lining is that we've had to analyse and critique everything we're doing, and have learned in a short space of time that would have otherwise take years."

Next came the ramifications of Brexit, which unfurled during the pandemic. However, being closed when suppliers struggled to source produce from the European Union, provided time to acclimatise to the situation and understand availability issues, melanie explains.

Staffing remains an ongoing issue, however. "The hard-working EU professionals were shipped back to their homelands," she notes. "We've been left in a dire situation where we can't find any staff, are trying to keep staff, and then having to turn them into professionals."

One of her key messages to the team is that hospitality can be a profession and not a job. "It is my profession; it is my life. But there aren't enough role models for young people entering the industry. You need to employ and train a managemnet team that can personify professionalism and casual excellence, so that the next generation learns that hospitality can be a career."

In order to attract a higher calibre of staff through more attractive salaries, The Laundry has increased its service charge to 15%. "Most people have been supportive when they know it's going to staff and allows us to continue doing what we're doing really well," Melanie reports.

If a pandemic and Brexit didn't offer enough challenges, the massive rise in electricity prices currently being experienced in the United Kingdom is impacting profits. Last year The Laundry's electricity bills almost doubled, this winter likely doubling again.

After all these bitter struggles, a sweet reward came in 2022 when Melanie was one of just a handful of Kiwis in the United Kingdom to be acknowledged as a Kea World Class New Zealander. It's an award that recogises New Zealanders who lead industries around the globe and help build New Zealand's reputation on the world stage. "To be honoured in that way was just absolutely mind blowing," says Melanie. "I couldn't believe that I was being recognised for the small piece that I do for New Zealand. It really made my heart smile.

"I think it probably comes off the back of a lot of hard years of Specialist Cellars work with New Zealand wineries and extending that conversation around New Zealand wine," she notes. "Events have also played a massive role in the success of that business, thanks to winemakers and the support that we get from the wineries."

"There have been moments where I've been exhausted, but secretly I think I love the challenge," she says of her recent journey. "There's a beautiful restaurant and a beautiful team, so it's a wonderful position to be. I'm incredibly grateful. I love it."