Fashion editor Katy Taylor started out on magazine fashion desks before a freelance career as stylist, including working for the MTV European Music Awards’ VIP parties. She lives in Tufnell Park and opened Bunny Little’s Bakery last year with her wife Anabel. She has also published a number of articles surrounding the topical issues of women, identity and fashion.
When were you happiest?
On my wedding day in Islington, and our honeymoon in Bora Bora (it’s so good there they named it twice…)
Where would you like to live?
I love our house in Tufnell Park, as it’s great for entertaining with friends and everyone can stay over, but it’s also my escape from the world.
What is your favourite sound or smell?
Our new head chef Claire Assis, a former pastry chef at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, makes everything on the premises. So the smell of freshly baked cakes, bread and savoury treats is hard to beat on a cold Monday morning.
What is your greatest life achievement?
I feel very proud to be a successful married gay woman kickin’ ass with some amazing friends. I also feel proud of what I achieved in my fashion career and the people and brands I have worked with. Not to mention seeing my little dream now a fully fledged reality – with more exciting plans ahead this summer.
Such as?
We’re pleased that the park opposite is finally open again, and to coincide with this, are offering breakfasts and lunch menus including charcuterie, paté and cheese boards. We now also have an alcohol licence and have expanded our outside seating to accommodate more people – so it’s perfect for a cheeky lunchtime glass of rosé.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Always treat everybody with respect. Enjoy what you have, not what you think you want. Don’t over analyse situations you can’t change; and always carry a pair of brightly coloured Rayban sunglasses in your bag.
What is your earliest memory?
Sitting up in bed in the dark waiting up for Father Christmas in my bedroom when I should have been asleep. Everything about Christmas I still find magical.
What makes you unhappy?
Bad hair.
What simple thing would improve the quality of your life?
Bringing back all my favourite TV shows that have now stopped.
What is your most unappealing habit?
Probably biting my nails and leaving them on the floor for others to find.
What is your guilty pleasure in the manor?
Having jagerbombs at Aces & Eights and, on Holloway Road, sneaking into Selby’s.
Where do you hang out?
I love Pizza East for margaritas on a weekend afternoon while reading the style and food supplements, and the Bull & Last for a cosy meal – it’s one of the best pubs in London. Del Parc in Archway is a complete joy, and I go to The Junction for manager Johnny alone. And they make a great Bloody Mary.
Who or what do you hate?
I hate rude people, any kind of homophobia, and people who are late (but that’s just because I’m irritatingly early).
What’s been your best experience here?
Probably the first time I ate at Del Parc. I loved the whole feel of the place and the passion and care that went into the food and wine. And what a great idea: no menu but the food just brought to you when it’s ready – pure theatre.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My “bunny teeth”.
What’s the worst thing anyone’s said to you?
That I have “bunny teeth”.
Tell us a secret?
I’m a mad sports fan and have a freaky ability to recall results and match score especially around tennis and ice-skating. I can tell you every mark Torvill and Dean ever got and in what country – and have a good go at re-creating the moves too.
What is your favourite dish and why?
Like Nigella Lawson, I not only like cooking but LOVE eating. Anything with spice is always good with me. I adore Indian food when I’m feeling naughty – the Holy Cow in Archway is incredible but I also love Japanese for its clean flavours and artistry that goes into it. Oh, and the hot sake, of course.
What did you do today?
I had an early meeting at the bakery and Matt my manager made me a delicious coffee. I then headed into town for a couple of meetings, before seeing my best friend Christina for cocktails and popping into a store launch on my way home.
Describe yourself as an animal?
I’m obsessed with cats and always wanted to be cat woman when I was younger. I have two kittens that look like mini snow leopards and are my children and completely spoilt. I love to be in the warmth, can be pretty self-sufficient, like lots of attention and mew when I’m hungry.
Find Bunny Little’s Bakery at 9 Campdale Rd, London N7 0EA. Check out their new lunch menus and wine lists here
10 thoughts on “Ich Bin Kentishtowner: Katy Tayor, 32, owner, Bunny Little’s Bakery”
Can someone please confirm that Tufnell Park Playing Fields are actually open for football again? It’s been bloody ages and when I walked past there to vote last Thursday it still looked fenced off. Absolutely useless how long it’s been closed.
If so, I will finally try Bunny Little’s.
Chillaxstibate Neil
I looked it up and Islington Council says: “We hope to take the fences down early summer 2014” – given that it was meant to be open about a year ago I’m not holding my breath. Also a bit confused about what she said about the park opposite being open again – unless they had also closed the kids play area and tennis courts at some point.
This woman never works in here. I’ve walked past lots of times with kids and never seen her in there. Not so “kick ass”.
The prices however, are eye watering.
Oh I know. This is quite out of place here stylistically.
I also work in fashion and have never heard of this ‘kick ass’ girl. You know it’s a lot of hot air when girls like this trot out the ‘freelance’ card. She seems very please with herself. Smug almost.
Bakery awful. Flavours was much better. Go to ‘Yeast of Eden’ if you want some proper, reasonable artisanal bread.
Plus, she’s admitted in the above Q&A to chewing and spitting out her fingernails all over the place-is she mad? Hardly going to make me want to revisit-is it?
YUK!
Crikey…what’s wrong with you? You should be ashamed of yourselves. All the woman is trying to do is run a local small business! Such a personal attack makes me sad for the neighbourhood. Why would anyone want to try opening anything new round here?
Diane L, your comment (including the fake email address) goes against everything we ask for in this section (and generally as a publication), which is to be polite, respectful, and offer only constructive – not personal – criticism.
No…she never is in the bakery. The whole thing feels like a bit of a hobby/pet project for someone who was very heavily funded. The cake is very average – for the chocolate one with the pink sprinkles, the only thing special is the…pink sprinkles. The last few times I went the bread was from “The Flour Station.” So it’s a bakery that doesn’t even bake its own bread. What!? Despite the convenience, I have stopped going. Something about it made me feel dirty. Sometimes I think Tufnell Park is going the way of Primrose Hill. Yes, some would view this as a positive. However, I hope more businesses open up where the owner has more of a presence and takes more pride in the products on offer – not just in the look. A bakery is not the new fashion accessory of 2014.
Appalled by some of these comments. Having an opinion about the service a business provides is one thing, but to slam its owner because you haven’t seen her in the bakery / never heard of her in the fashion industry? Running a business isn’t all standing behind the counter (far from it) and who are we to say what has or hasn’t achieved in her fashion career armed with no more than the very brief mention made here? I feel awful for this publication that its readers insist on turning it into some sort of bitching circle.
Hi Susie
Good points, although happily it’s a very small minority of our many thousands of readers who chose to behave in this way…