The pies have it
Despite criticism from Stella McCartney and celebrity chef James Martin, camel pie is proving popular in Notting Hill.
Lee Dunning's dogged determination to "do something a bit different" and his pride in the Grand Union has pushed the gastro boundaries just a little bit further.
Dunning started his working life as an actor - subsidising his quest for fame by labouring in pubs and bars.
He says: "I worked for Massive for about four and a half years and then in the Corner Store bar in Covent Garden. After nearly 10 years of working for other people, I wanted my own venture."
Dunning says Fuller's reputation for being a good company to work for led him to the Grand Union. "We're right on the edge of the canal and the whole place had enormous potential to be a gastropub," he says. "I love food - I wouldn't work anywhere that didn't serve food."
With a love of food and a flare for drama, Dunning saw a golden opportunity when his supplier offered him a range of exotic meats - including camel.
"We didn't set out thinking this would be the kind of food we would serve. But when our supplier suggested it, we thought it would be a great way to inject a little flare into the menu," he says.
"I didn't expect it to do so well - we didn't sit here and have this massive plan to sell camel pies. We thought we'd try it and it took off"
Dunning says the camel meat comes from Australia and the animals are killed once a year in a cull.
"Because this is so unusual, we checked supplier certificates and EU regulations. But a certain number are killed once a year anyway - so we didn't see any ethical issues."
