“Watch and Learn!” How a Forest Gate food shop has shaped our community

For nearly 40 of Newham’s 60 years, Wenty’s Tropical Foods has been at the heart of Forest Gate’s evolving community.

When Wentworth, ‘Wenty’, Newland arrived in East London at the age of six, food from his native Jamaica or neighbouring islands was scarcely available. Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit from a young age, Wenty dedicated his working life to providing the local area with produce reminiscent of his Jamaican home. Starting with sugar cane, yam and plantain, he began selling fruit and veg from the back of his car, before establishing Wenty’s Tropical Foods in 1986.

When Wenty passed away in June 2024, over 2000 people came to say goodbye – a testimony to his impact, on the local community and beyond.

The shop and take-away on 21 Upton Lane continue to serve our borough – now led by Wenty’s daughters, Laverne and Bianca.

Together with Wenty’s family, we set out to document Wenty’s legacy and explore the significance of Wenty’s Tropical Foods over the past four decades – for Newham and beyond. 

Putting Wenty’s in the context of 60 years Newham and how our borough has evolved, we also invite the wider community, including customers and neighbouring residents to share their experiences of sourcing local produce and finding the ingredients they need. 

Where it all began

Immediate Theatre first met Wenty’s family in 2024, when gathering oral histories across the borough for Newham Archives.

Among our interviewees was Charmaine Tomlinson – the mother of Wenty’s oldest daughters shared memories of Wentworth Newland’s entrepreneurial beginnings.

Today, Charmaine is back at the shop to help her daughters.

When Charmaine and Wenty met in the early 1970s, both lived with their families in Tower Hamlets. 1980s Newham provided a space for building home and business.

Daughter Bianca was only 12 years old when Wenty’s Tropical Foods first opened its doors.

“Watch and Learn!”

Spending a morning at the shop, we understood what Bianca meant. Wenty’s was never simply a grocery store; it is a community hub and keeper of local knowledge.

A group of nursery children stopped by to learn about the different produce – we learned why UK-made hard dough bread is best from Birmingham, and got a masterclass in how to cut a jelly coconut …

Leading up to this year’s Newham Heritage Month, we want to find out more about Wenty Newland’s legacy and what his shop meant, and continues to mean, for our community.

Do you have a memory about Wenty’s to share or want to learn with us?

Join us at our event for Newham Heritage Month on Saturday, 13 September at Forest Lane Lodge or get in touch with our project team, via tiziana@immediate-theatre.com.