June 02, 2026 · By Honest Toil

In the Kitchen with Esters

Building a neighbourhood café around seasonal produce

In the Kitchen With is an original series from Honest Toil exploring the chefs, kitchens and restaurants using our extra virgin olive oil every day. Through conversations, dishes and behind-the-scenes moments, the series captures the people shaping thoughtful, ingredient-led cooking and the role olive oil plays in restaurant kitchens across London.

For more than twelve years, Esters has been a fixture of Stoke Newington's food scene. Founded by husband-and-wife team Nia and Jack Burr, the café has built a loyal following by doing something deceptively simple: serving thoughtful, seasonal food that gives people a reason to return again and again. "We wanted to build a true neighbourhood spot," Nia explains. "Somewhere locals could come back to regularly."

Over the years, they've watched the area change around them while remaining a constant presence themselves. Still owner-operated today, Nia and Jack work in the café every day, maintaining the close connection with customers and staff that has become central to Esters' identity.

With a community of regulars returning week after week, keeping things fresh is essential.

Nia's journey into the kitchen wasn't quite part of the original plan. Growing up with a mother who loved to cook, she was introduced to food from an early age, but when Esters first opened she was meant to be working front of house while Jack led the kitchen. Shortly before opening, however, their chef pulled out, forcing a last-minute change of plans. "It was a steep learning curve and a long journey," she says. "But Jack really taught me everything I know."

That experience helped shape the way she cooks today: thoughtful, practical and deeply rooted in seasonality. It's an approach that values great ingredients, attention to detail and knowing when to let produce speak for itself. That sense of familiarity is balanced by a menu that's constantly evolving. "We change our menu pretty often," Nia says. "We keep a set structure to breakfast and lunch – a soup, a sandwich, a fish dish and so on, but the dishes themselves are always changing." The result is a menu shaped by the seasons and by what's arriving from the growers and producers they work closely with.

One of the latest additions is the Smoked Mackerel Rillettes, Cucumbers, Pickled Cherries & Sourdough Toast. The dish captures a particular moment in the growing calendar – that brief period between spring and summer when the hungry gap begins to fade and the first signs of abundance start appearing. "It's a funny time of year," Nia explains. "We're edging out of the hungry gap and starting to get glimpses of summer produce, but things aren't quite in full swing yet."

At the centre of the dish are cucumbers from Flourish Produce, grown by Calixta in Cambridgeshire. Esters uses both Blonde and Thumbelina varieties, prized for their freshness and delicate flavour. Paired with smoky mackerel rillettes, pickled cherries, radishes and shiso, the cucumbers bring brightness and balance to the dish. Everything is dressed generously with Honest Toil and lemon before being served alongside toasted sourdough for what Nia describes as "schmearing."

It's a dish that reflects the way Esters approaches cooking more broadly: ingredient-led, seasonal and unfussy, allowing exceptional produce to shine. That same philosophy extends throughout the kitchen. "Taste, taste, taste as you go," Nia says when asked about the small details that make the biggest difference. Another non-negotiable? Keeping things organised. "Clear surface, clear mind. Do your dishes as you go."

It's practical advice, but it speaks to the wider approach that has helped Esters thrive for more than a decade: consistency, attention to detail and a genuine care for both ingredients and people.

At a time when cafés come and go, Esters remains what it always set out to be – a neighbourhood restaurant rooted in seasonality, community and good food.

Try the Smoked Mackerel Rillettes, Cucumbers, Pickled Cherries & Sourdough Toast at Esters while it's on the menu!