Photo by Erin Nelson.
Guests wait in line to order at the Little London Kitchen, a food truck with a British menu and an authentic 1968 double-decker central London Leyland bus named “The Duchess.”
Drivers in downtown Birmingham may be caught off-guard if they see a large, red, double-decker English bus making its way to one of the city’s many breweries.
But if you follow the bus to its resting place for the night, you’ll find food from more than 4,000 miles away at the Little London Kitchen, owned by Matthew and Bea Morrissette.
The couple met each other in Manhattan and eventually married and moved to Birmingham. After coming here, they decided they wanted to bring the taste of London, where Bea is originally from, to Birmingham, Matthew’s hometown.
Eventually, the couple found a 1968 Leyland bus, an iconic English double-decker they call the Duchess. They had it transported from across the Atlantic Ocean to Canada via ferry, sent on a train down to Colorado and, from there, taken another 1,600 miles to Alabama.
“I can’t actually believe I own a bus,” Bea Morrissette said.
Matthew Morrissette said he and his father learned a lot about Leyland buses before he began driving it, reading an old manual and learning about the bus, which is completely original inside and out.
While the Duchess drives fine, he said it won’t go very far, which limits the Little London Kitchen mostly to the downtown area. The couple have owned the bus for two years and spent more than a year to get it to Alabama and fix it up to make it ready for business, Bea Morrissette said.
Patrons can order off the food truck that accompanies the bus before stepping onto the Duchess to enjoy a meal. The most popular items are fish and chips, beef (stewed brisket) pies and sausage rolls, Bea Morrissette said. A sample platter is also available, as well as veggie options, amongst other dishes.
The London street food scene is “huge,” she said, with different plates from around the world. The Little London Kitchen seeks to replicate that as well, she said, with plans to have specials from different places.
“Everything is from scratch,” Bea Morrissette said.
Photo by Erin Nelson.
The Duchess Sampler includes some of the authentic British fare at The Little London Kitchen.
The couple uses local produce, including that of a farming neighbor, and frequents the local farmers markets for ingredients to cook fresh daily. Like the rest of the restaurant, the idea of partnering with neighbors and farmers markets originates from London for the Morrissettes.
“Even though we’re not in London, that’s what London is about,” Bea Morrissette said.
Test kitchens provided the couple a chance to see which dishes would have the most success in the Birmingham area before opening in June, she said.
Little London Kitchen provides a chance to “bring talented people together to make food I miss,” Bea Morrissette said.
While she loves the “foodie” town of Birmingham, it is nice to have a sense of familiarity with the food, which is also served on buses in London.
“I was very much a London girl,” she said.
Despite missing some of the amenities and familiarity back home, she said she’s fallen in love with Birmingham. It provides the perfect mix of urban areas and being able to “get away quickly,” she said.
“We have a great section of what’s good about [cities],” she said. “... People make the time to help each other here.”
U.K. natives that now reside in Birmingham have also enjoyed the truck, visiting the Morrissettes and providing Bea with conversation and familiar banter.
However, they aren’t the only ones enjoying the food, Bea Morrissette said.
“It’s been surprisingly well-received,” she said. “[We’re] overwhelmed by how people are excited.”
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Ervin Harvey laughs as he tells owner Bea Morrissette his order.
As the new restaurant continues to gain momentum and customers, the Duchess more often finds herself at one of the many breweries in Birmingham, along with the couple’s Dalmatian, Tilly.
The partnership, Bea Morrissette said, has been helpful for breweries and the Little London Kitchen. The food served at the kitchen pairs well with beer, she said.
When they first started, Bea Morrissette said they’d call different breweries and see if they could bring the food truck and the Duchess over. Now, breweries are calling them and partnering with them on new craft beers or what to offer with the Little London Kitchen’s menu, and the partnership allows people to sit on the bus or at the brewery.
One day, Bea Morrissette said, the plan is for the Duchess to be in a pub, still serving food and still fitted with windows, but retired from her travels.
But for now, the idea of bringing a “little piece of London” to Birmingham has come to fruition, she said.
“It really feels like that’s happening,” she said. “And that’s nice.”
Find out more about the Little London Kitchen by visiting facebook.com/LittleLondonKitchen or littlelondon.kitchen.
