Stepney and Alexandra Palace markets

Arlene comes from a family of bakers and cake makers - her mother was a great West Indian cake baker. In the 1960s each weekend, her resourceful mother would bake cakes for most West Indian celebrations.

Arlene is a therapist, yoga teacher, birth-worker, doula and beekeeper. She now also sells her very different cakes at farmers markets in London. Arlene started beekeeping in 1998, after inheriting a hive when she bought a house in Chingford. Depending on the season, she harvests approximately 300 pounds of honey, and as such is able to maintain the quality of the local honey that she sells. This untreated, raw, unpasteurised honey is sold locally or at markets in London.