May Guide: 10 Food and Drink Events in LondonBy Alicia Grimshaw
On the hunt for new culinary experiences in London? Look no further. From intimate supper clubs to charity dinners, bar takeovers, and collaborative culinary adventures, we’ve handpicked ten food and drink events taking place in the capital this month. Come hungry.
1. For a Condiment Celebration: The Hot Sauce Society Festival
What: The UK’s unparalleled celebration of heat, flavour, and community, the Hot Sauce Society Festival, is making a fiery return to Copeland Park this spring. On Saturday, May 11th, from 11am to 7pm, this chilli-packed event promises to deliver an even hotter experience than before.
The Lowdown: This year, the festival is set to welcome an impressive lineup of 43 independent hot sauce makers, offering a sizzling selection that surpasses last year’s count. Discover the bold flavours of Maame T’s Pepper Sauces, the innovative concoctions of SaucyBitch and Lazy Scientist, punchy Asian chilli oils from Yep Kitchen and Chilli Chans, the traditional heat of Heriot Hott, and the exotic zest of Little O’s Hot Sauce, to name just a few. Gipsy Hill Brewery will be offering its craft beers, while Cazcabel Tequila and Cut Rum will bring a selection of spirited cocktails.
Where: 133 Copeland Rd, London SE15 3SN
2. For a Chef Residency: Aaron Potter x Naughty Piglets
What: From Tuesday 30th April, Chef Aaron Potter, previously of Trinity in Clapham and Elystan Street in Chelsea, will take over the kitchen at Naughty Piglets for a six-week residency.
The Lowdown: Inspired by the warm, relaxed dining culture of the Mediterranean, Aaron has created a menu of modern European dishes featuring the likes of Wild garlic moules farci; Grilled sweetbreads with tzatziki and Cuttlefish rice – transporting guests from Brixton to the Mediterranean coast.
Where: 28 Brixton Water Ln, London SW2 1PE
Bookings for Aaron Potter’s Chef Residency at Naughty Piglets are now available here.
3. For a One-Off Event: Sera x Quality Chop House x Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill
What: On 17th May, Sera – the food community platform that hosts unique one-off events showing some of the globe’s greatest culinary talent – will present their event ‘The Magic Of… Surf and Turf with Quality Chop House and Bentley’s’. For one night only, culinary titans Richard Corrigan (Bentley’s, Daffodil Mulligan and Corrigan’s Mayfair) and Shaun Searley (Quality Chop House) will join forces to serve up the ultimate, multi-course surf and turf feast at Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill.
The Lowdown: Diners can enjoy four multi-dish courses, uniting Corrigan’s seafood expertise and Searley’s mastery of nose-to-tail cooking. The menu will showcase both the freshest seafood from the UK’s shores and the highest-grade breeds of Britain’s grass-fed fare, in dishes such as: oyster croque monsieur, sweetbread stuffed morels, beef chops, and crab thermidor.
Where: 11-15 Swallow St, London W1B 4DG
Bookings can be made here* – £95, including four multi-dish sharing courses and service. Arrival at 6:30pm, seating for dinner at 7pm.
*Available to Sera members, free sign-up here
4. For a Supperclub: akub
What: To celebrate the launch of chef Fadi Kattan’s debut cookbook Bethlehem – ahead of its publication date on 16th May – Fadi will throw a supper club at his Notting Hill restaurant, akub.
The Lowdown: Hosted by Fadi himself, the event will take place on Monday 13th Mayat his Notting Hill restaurant. Guests are invited to come and make their own hummus, which they can then enjoy alongside an abundant thawla (big spread of sharing plates) with some of Fadi’s Spring recipes from his book, such as the Aubergines roasted with tahinia.
Where: 27 Uxbridge St, London W8 7TQ
Tickets will be priced at £150 and can be purchased here, with 30% of ticket sales going directly to Anera, Medical Aid Palestine, and Amos Trust to raise vital funds for the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Plus, guests will also get to leave with a signed copy of Bethlehem.
5. For a Collaborative Menu: Hithe + Seek x James Sharp
What: Hithe + Seek is collaborating with MasterChef: The Professionals contestant and Co-Founder of Palette Dining and Hash Hut London, James Sharp, for a special menu available from Tuesday 7th May – Saturday 11th May. Celebrating bold and flavourful ingredients Hithe + Seek’s Head Chef Fabio De Paolis and James Sharp have combined their expertise to create a menu that includes punchy, flavour-filled dishes.
The Lowdown: Expect elevated Hash browns infused with brown butter and beef tartar; Seared Queen scallops and poached oysters, alongside Mini-Venison saddle wellington, and a dessert of ‘Chocolate marshmallow’ featuring coffee pasty, chocolate cremieux and sesame .
Where: 60 Upper Thames St., London EC4V 3AD
Bookings can be made here. £55 per person.
Photo credit: David Robson
6. For a Bar Takeover: Present Company x Silverleaf
What: On Tuesday 14th May Present Company, the Liverpool-based bar, will be taking over Silverleaf, Pan Pacific London for a one-night, exclusive takeover.
The Lowdown: The guest bartenders will carefully curate two new and exciting serves using Sipsmith Gin – a classic London dry style gin with strong juniper notes – as well as a classic Sipsmith martini. The perfect opportunity to celebrate the range of talent in the UK’s hospitality and sample a selection of tantalising and unique Sipsmith cocktails.
Where: 3rd Floor, Devonshire House, 3 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 4JX
Bookings here
7. For a Birthday Bash: Cavita
What: Cavita will be hosting a birthday bash to celebrate its second anniversary on Friday 24th May, from 7pm until late at the restaurant in Marylebone.
The Lowdown: This year’s celebration promises to be an unmissable evening with an incredible roster of culinary maestros cooking alongside Adriana Cavita: Vivek Singh, the innovative force behind London’s Cinnamon Collection; Daniel Watkins, the live fire aficionado and co-founder of Acme Fire Cult; and Melissa Thompson, the multi-talented BBC Good Food Magazine columnist. Each of the chefs will take on one course of the menu, with Adriana kicking off and rounding out the meal.
Where: 56 Wigmore St, Marylebone, London
Tickets for this one-off experience to celebrate Cavita’s second anniversary are £70 and are now on sale here.
8. For a Colombian Supper Club: Viajante87 x Alquimico x Celele
What: On Sunday 19th May, cocktail bar Viajante87 will bring an unmissable Supper Club to London with two award-winning hospitality icons – Celele and Alquímico. For one night only, experience a range of dishes from the globally admired restaurant Celele, which placed at No. 16 in Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023, which is known for its groundbreaking fusion of Colombian-Caribbean cuisines. Drinks will be from the world-renowned gem of Cartagena, Alquímico, No. 9 in The World’s 50 Best Bars of 2023.
The Lowdown: Chef Jamie Rodríguez Camacho is known for his extensive research, spending over twelve years travelling throughout Colombia in search of its gastronomic culture and biodiversity, in order to share its importance with the world and inspire his contemporary cuisine dishes. The supper club will feature four incredible courses with ingredients which will bring Colombia and its Caribbean coast to life in the capital. The dinner will run from 6:30pm to 8:30pm and will be followed by a full takeover of the bar from Alquímico, which is currently No. 9 in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2023 list.
Where: Basement 87 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3JZ
Reservations are required and can be made here.
9. For a Charity Dinner: Theo Randall at The InterContinental
What: Experience Italian cooking at its best with The Italian Job at Theo Randall at The InterContinental as three world-renowned chefs – Theo Randall, Francesco Mazzei and Jacob Kenedy – join forces for an unforgettable four-course charity dinner.
The Lowdown: Taking place on Wednesday 22nd May from 6:30pm, experience a gastronomic trip across Italy with dishes created by each chef, all to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity). Each course will be paired with a range of regional Italian wines.
Where: Number 1, Park Lane, W1J 7QY
The four-course dinner with matched wines is priced at £150pp with all profits being donated to GOSH Charity, along with all proceeds from a grand charity auction. Buy here.
10. For a Mango-Based Menu: Jamavar
What: This May, Jamavar, the Michelin-starred Indian restaurant from Samyukta Nair welcomes back the eagerly awaited Alphonso mango season. Culinary Director Surender Mohan will usher in the onset of Indian summer to Mayfair’s Mount Street with a special tasting menu and seasonally styled terrace, in ode to the king of fruits: the Alphonso mango.
The Lowdown: A symbol of sunshine, the Alphonso mango has earned itself a hallowed spot on the culinary calendar each May. To celebrate, Surender has created a joyful menu of signature Chandni Chowk Ki Aloo Tikki, a potato tikki served with spiced white peas, sun dried mango, yoghurt, tamarind, and raw mango chutney. Main dishes include south-Indian recipes from the Nair family archives such as the Meen Manga Kuttinad, featuring halibut and raw mango cooked with fenugreek and Kerala spiced coconut milk. Conclude Jamavar’s mango-inspired culinary journey with the delectable Mango Delice: a harmonious blend of Alphonso mango salsa, crispy filo nest, pistachio cream and a mango sorbet.
Where: Jamavar, 8 Mount Street, London, W1K 3NF
