Vera's St John's Wood cafe and food shop named after Hampstead gran

Vera's is a partnership between Ben Osoff, wife Grace, and chef Tim Peirson, who met while working in London's top flight bars and restaurants.

They opened their shop in a former dry cleaners on Blenheim Terrace in December, selling baked goods, excellent coffee, fruit and veg, and dishes to go - or eat on site, cooked up by Tim from the produce on the shelves.

Ben, who grew up in Hampstead and attended Devonshire House School, named the venture after his grandma.

The shop sells premium goods, fruit and veg, baked goods and deli items (Image: Vera's)

"She's my mum's mum, the matriarch of the family, and it was that memory of being over there, her hospitality and cooking wonderful meals that I really liked for the name of the shop," he says.

Ben started out as a teenager working in the kitchen of Odette's in Primrose Hill before moving onto the Wolseley, Lindsay House, and taking a graduate programme in management with D&D restaurants.

He met Tim at Kensington Place in Notting Hill, and Grace at the Paternoster Chop House. All three bring their expertise to Vera's, which sells coffee by Margate-based Curve Coffee, ready-made cocktails by Tayēr + Elementary in Old Street, bread from Heath St Bakehouse in Hampstead and cakes and pastries by artisan bakery Staple - run by Grace's brother Stephen.

Vera's serves coffee, baked goods and lunch and is hoping to expand to evening meals when they have built up the business (Image: Vera's)

"We wanted to do something ourselves, then Tim came on board, and we are all equal partners," says Ben.

"We want to be a really, really good shop, full of the products that we like, seasonal fruit and veg and great baked goods, and we have a menu that showcases whatever's in the shop that's in season."

Vera's opened after a "big refit" of a dry cleaners that had been vacant for some time. Grace and Ben live in New Barnet, but having grown up in Hampstead, Ben knew the area.

He added: "It's a premium offering so we wanted to be in an area where people were interested in that. It's early days, we are not on a high street, but we are starting to build it up. Everyone who comes, comes back, so it's really nice to know we are doing something right. We have picked our favourite products, if we stock it, we believe in it and when people ask us, we can talk about it."

With seating for 30 in the basement, an outdoor terrace, and an alcohol licence until 11, Vera's eventually hopes to serve evening meals.

But for now they are running monthly supper clubs on the last Friday of every month, with spaces available on the next one on February 23.

Vera's is open Tuesday to Saturday at 6 Blenheim Terrace, NW8.