Private Women-Led: Ethiopian Flavours in Shepherd’s Bush with Coffee Ceremony

Local Impact: How you will help the local community by joining this tour: Your tour is run in partnership with Women in Travel, a social enterprise that enables underprivileged women to access employment and entrepreneurship. 15% of all ticket sales go directly to Women in Travel.Your guide, Sefanit, arrived in London from Ethiopia when she was 14 years old. She is working as a tour guide thanks to the support of Intrepid Urban Adventures and Women in Travel. Shepherd’s Bush in West London is home to a thriving Ethiopian community, with many shops and cafés and even hair salons dedicated to Ethiopian culture. Over two and a half hours, your guide Sefanit will introduce you to her Ethiopian heritage within the historic Shepherd’s Bush Market. We will begin our adventure by meeting one of the market’s traders and sip a delicious juice known for its medicinal properties. Next, we’ll stroll through the market and visit an Ethiopian shop, where we’ll learn about the importance of coffee to Ethiopia. You’ll see the unroasted beans and special coffee pot and explore the spices specific to Ethiopian cuisine. Finally, you’ll get taste these flavours first-hand as we enjoy the highlight of this tour: a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. Sharing coffee is an important tradition in Ethiopia. It’s a time for people to get together and share stories, and Sefanit will have plenty of tales to tell you as you enjoy your coffee with popcorn (a popular pairing in Ethiopia!). Says Sefanit, “Ethiopia is a big part of my life. The colours, smells and community of my childhood are still with me and in me. In Ethiopia, food is everything and I can think of nothing better than sharing my culture with visitors to London.”