At the end of 2015, Nikki Cochrane (left) was nominated as one of the ‘One’s to Watch’ by the BBC’s Make It Digital initiative, so we were pretty chuffed to have already had the chance to chat with the co-founder and director of social enterprise, Digital Mums, in an uplifting, candid interview.

With the festive period around the corner yet again, where else could you get Christmas treats that are boutique, chic, one-off and often fairtrade or organic, other than in East London?

‘Give me a break!’ Oliver Ashton and the team at Jump Programmes give this phrase a new lease of life, facilitating young people, often aged between 16 and 18, into work through organised apprenticeships with partners who want to develop their next generation of workers in a way that benefits everyone. 

If you've got the midday munchies and your belly is grumbling for some brain food after a hard morning's work, Containerville's locale is rife with gastronomy.

Lad about town turned local man of business; John Sutton began his career in printing at 16, after being signposted by the job centre near an estate in Islington, where he grew up.

Thirty-four year old businessman, Semih Lekesiz, has combined forces with friend and twenty-seven year old baker, Onur Sen, to bring about an ‘oven-fresh’ revolution to East London’s wholesale patisserie supply industry.

The area around Containerville truly is the tardis of shopping; one day it’s a visit to the bustling antique market and the next day a Bohemian pop-up shop arrives.

A short stroll from the Kingsland Basin to London Fields down the waterside footpath opens up an entire world of sensations: a phenomenal selection of coffees, cocktails and craft beers that are begging to be discovered. What more can you ask for?