If you’ve visited Roundwood, you’ll probably have stopped off at the Roundwood Stores, the little shop, bakery and cafe that has established itself as the beating heart of the local community since opening in 2021. Simon Pratt and his partner, Monique McQuaid, live locally and wanted somewhere handy to pick up a loaf of sourdough and decent coffee, and perhaps a few organic veg, so they created it themselves. Pratt’s parents, Donald and Hilary, founded Avoca, and Simon was involved on the food side until some time after the family sold to Aramark. Roundwood Stores reminds me of the original Avoca, where a sense of generosity was woven into the fabric of the business.
The Hamas-Israel war has passed 100 days and shows little sign of ceasing. And now Houthis are targeting ships in the Red Sea, Iran is launching airstrikes in Iraq and conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is escalating. Is the region edging closer to war?