Chloe-Rose Crabtree

‘A mole really doesn’t have that many ingredients,’ says Karla Zazueta as she counts the chiles, spices and nuts to blitz for a mole colorado. ‘Only eighteen, and most of them you can find in your cupboard!’ Moles are as central to Mexican cuisine as curries are to Indian and Malaysian cooking – yet they’re still rare to find on a Mexican menu in London. Zazueta, a Mexican food educator and author, is one of many chefs in the capital who wants to expand the understanding of Mexican cuisine beyond the taco – at a time when our appetite for them feels bigger than ever.  Photograph: Laura GallantZazueta’s mole Over the last five years there’s been an explosion of taco spots popping up in London, each claiming to be more authentic than the last. In Dalston, basement taqueria Corrochio’s has recently expanded to street level, in a venue about four times the size of the previous. Not far up the road, Sonora Taquería opened their first bricks-and-mortar restaurant after the popularity of their stall in Netil Market. Earlier this year, Trejo’s Tacos arrived in Notting Hill, before CDMX opened up in Soho, to the delight of TikTok food blogger masses. Then, there’s Fonda, the new place from Kol chef Santiago Lastra, on track to open in October. That’s not to mention the growing popularity of places like El Pastor, Breddos Tacos and Zapote. Partially thanks to the popularity of shows like Netflix’s Taco Chronicles and increased tourism to Mexico, London has never been hungrier for