Nape, Camberwell: Show-stopping charcuterie and wine in simple surrounds

Cannon and Cannon has opened up shop in Camberwell, and filled it with spectacular produce 
Just the cure: Meat and more at Nape
Ben Norum12 December 2017

Charcuterie enthusiasts will be more than familiar with Cannon and Cannon, which sources and sells the very best of British cured meats at markets including Borough and Primrose Hill.

Nape is run by the same team and serves the same fine produce, along with an extensive selection of wines from its stripped-back but still relatively cosy site on Camberwell Church Street.

Its name is a reflection of its local sourcing and patriotic approach to pig meat: nape is the English translation of Italy’s coppa, a marbled and much-marvelled ham from the muscle at the base of a pig’s neck.

Unsurprisingly, there’s some of that on the menu. It hails from Cornwall and boasts thick veins of sumptuous, softly melting fat with a distinctly nutty flavour. Pair it with a gutsy red wine and you’ll find it has the charm to whisk you away to the hills of southern Italy for a few moments as the flavours mingle in the mouth. That’s if you restrain from looking out over Camberwell Curch Street for a moment, of course.

Simple setting: Nape features views over Camberwell Church Street
press shot

There are also offerings of sultry smoked pork belly, salami-style duck sausage spiked with Sichuan pepper, a deliciously rich brawn made by Blackhand in Hackney, and deeply gamey cured mutton that comes with pickled walnuts.

A small selection of toast-based hot dishes is also available, with a Cornish chorizo, Cornish blue cheese and pickled fennel toastie leading the pack when it comes to salty, piquant, juicy indulgence.

Added extras: Pickles, bread and rapeseed oil

All this is supplemented by exemplary pickles from Vadasz Deli and sourdough from Bread Ahead, along with a bright and nutty-flavoured British extra virgin rapeseed oil.

Wine is just as carefully sourced, with a view to good value, low intervention and sustainable offerings. With this in mind there are six wines on tap, a number of natural options, two orange wines and nine which are a fiver or less per glass.

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The Aves de Vin Fort from the Loire Valley (£5.50) is seductively musky, while Belle Naturelle Grüner Veltliner from Austria (£6.50) is an elegant wine which walks a lovely line between a gently floral white and a sharper, somewhat cider-like orange.

The tempting menus make it easy to tot up several small plates and a fair few glasses each, but still you’d be hard pushed to rack up too much of a bill.

Nape: The lowdown

Final flavour: A simple showcase for show-stopping sourcing

At what cost? Dishes start at £3.50 and rise to £7.

Visit if you like: Primeur, WC Clapham, Fernandez & Wells.

Find it: 21 Camberwell Church Street, SE5 8TR; napelondon.com.

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