An artisan food producer running Hornsey Library's new cafe Chapter One speaks to Alice Cannet about good food and the challenge of running a successful business.

Sally Smallwood started her food business, Piece of Plenty, in 2004 making breakfast cereals, nuts and seed mixes.

She now sells her products to four outlets in London, including Budgens in Crouch End.

Sally and her sister, Vicki, ran a stall at Alexandra Palace's farmers market for four years but have since moved in different directions.

Sally, who opened Chapter One Café at the library in Haringey Park, three months ago, said: "It seemed appropriate: I was making food locally, it was fresh, it was supporting local people."

When asked how it all started, Sally said: "I come from a family who always cooked a lot. We have a very great respect for food and growing food. It's always been in the family."

"We get upset at the way parents don't have so much time these days to cook and we love the idea of being able to offer real food to people. We want to offer people real food experience, good, well-cooked, home-cooked food which is very difficult for people to achieve these days."

Food is not all time-consuming though and Sally likes to keep things simple: "I just love simple fresh food I don't think food needs to be complicated.

Sally, who was originally a designer said: "Food needs to look lovely because people buy with their eyes. And it has to taste good as well."

Since she started running Chapter One, the biggest problem, Sally says, has been advertising.

"It's very difficult because people don't know about it. And, being a small producer, I don't have a big budget for publicity."

"It is a fabulous location but it's a difficult one because I am not on a high street and not on a ground floor."

But she is optimistic and aware that she has attracted many followers throughout the years.

She admits modestly: "I have a very big following, particularly for the brown rice salad. We are little known in the area."

"People know me from the farmer's market, people know me from Budgens. People really respect what I am doing and they understand what I am doing."

She has been trying to bring in more people by building up her email address book, sending out information, giving out leaflets.

But word of mouth is still the best way, she added.

Piece of Plenty is now planning to collaborate with the art classes taking place in the library this summer.

“We hope to bring more people up there", Sally said.