London Food Events: May 2015 – 10 Foodie Things To Do This Month

Ben O' Norum
By Ben O' Norum Last edited 107 months ago
London Food Events: May 2015 – 10 Foodie Things To Do This Month

Eat here: the St Pancras clock tower (no. 7)

We’ve scoured through the month’s best foodie pop-ups, supper clubs, markets and more to come up with a list of 10 food events we recommend you try out during May.

Please note that space at some is very limited, so book fast to guarantee a spot.

1. Sip away at London’s first drinks market

What? Hackney Drinks Market
When? Saturday 2 May, midday-6pm
Where? Hackney
From the same stable as the Dalston Food Market comes this new monthly market at Hackney Downs Studios created to showcase the best of London’s new drinks producers. It will launch on Saturday 2 May and then run on the first Saturday of each month. For the inaugural session there will be a focus on east London producers, with around 30 stalls featuring distillers, brewers, coffee roasters and soft drink producers from the eastern half of the city — including brewers Five Points and Redchurch and distillers Butler's Gin and East London Liquor Company. East London-made charcuterie, biltong and pork scratchings will also feature along with local street food stalls. To celebrate the launch, the market will be distilling its own gin on-site, made from wild cherry blossom foraged from Hackney Marshes.
More information

2. Join the city’s biggest street food party

What? Street Feast #DalstonYard
When? Fridays and Saturdays, 5pm – midnight
Where? Dalston
This annual summertime foodie fest from Street Feast is back. Expect live music and party vibes alongside an impressive line-up of food stalls including lobster rolls from B.O.B.’s Lobster, barbecue from Smokestak and fused Indian street food from Rola Wala. Drinks options include the return of well-stocked gin bar Gin Store and an intriguing-sounding new addition in the form of a tequila treehouse. Expect live music and a bustling atmosphere — but do be prepared to queue for food.
More information
Also see: London’s best night markets for spring and summer

3. Enjoy Scottish scran at a whisky-fuelled houseparty

What? Dram & Smoke pop-up
When? Wednesdays- Saturdays, 7.30pm-midnight; until 16 May
Where? Hackney Wick
Scottish supperclub Dram & Smoke — which previously cooked up Scotch fare in a Vauxhall steelyard — is back. This time the venue is an industrial-looking former sofa factory in Hackney Wick, and the team have assembled a whisky barrel smoker to cook much of the food in. There’s also table tennis and a dedicated beer pong room, lending a houseparty vibe to proceedings. The supperclubs will run every Wednesday to Saturday night from 29 April until 16 May, and will include a welcome whisky cocktail and five courses for the £40 ticket price. The menu features a cullen skink mousse, potted duck with tattie scones, carve-at-the-table salt-baked lamb shoulder, and a lemon hot toddy tart. We’re expecting this one to sell quickly...
More information and tickets

4. Stumble into a secret garden

What? Jimmy’s Secret Garden pop-up
When? Daily, Monday-Thursday 5pm- midnight, Friday 5pm-1am, Saturday midday-1am, Sunday midday-7pm
Where? Clapham North
Regular pop-up host Jimmy Garcia (who ran The Lodge in Balham this winter) is behind this new pop-up dining experience in the upstairs area of The Clapham North pub. Set to run throughout spring and summer, the experience — which you’ll need a password to gain access to — is set in a vine-decked, summery garden-styled space and will feature the best of seasonal produce cooked on an indoor barbecue alongside botanical-themed cocktails. Sundays look set to be a particular highlight, with relaxed music, hangover-beating cocktails and slow-roast meats on the billing. Plus it’s all completely weatherproof.
More information

5. Feast on sustainable fish by the river

What? Fish For The Future supperclub
When? Wednesday 6 May and Thursday 7 May, from 7pm
Where? Hammersmith
A new supperclub built around sustainable fish launches this month at a rowing club near Hammersmith. As well as picturesque river views, a £35 ticket will get you a glass of fizz and oysters on arrival as well as canapés and a five-course seafood menu. Dishes include ceviche of pollock with wasabi and avocado, pickled cucumber and kohlrabi crisps; a crustacean bisque with sorrel-infused oil; cured Arctic char with a fennel, pea, radish and samphire salad; and a rosemary and almond panna cotta to finish. It is being laid on by chefs Jonty Franks, George Haslam and George Parkes — all of whom have worked in Michelin-starred restaurants — with the aim of educating diners about sustainable fish.
More information and tickets

6. Dine on a tube train

What? The Underground Supperclub
When? 14, 15, 16 May and 11, 12, 13 June
Where? Walthamstow
This unique dining event sees chef Alex Cooper — previously of Mayfair’s Sketch restaurant — serve up dinner on a decommissioned 1967 Victoria Line train at Walthamstow Pumphouse Transport Museum. Understandably, this is an opportunity which is irresistible to Londoners, and the latest dates have sold out between us writing this and the article going live. We’re keeping it in our round-up however, as your best chance of getting tickets is to plonk your details on the waiting list and to sign-up for alerts when future dates are announced.
More information and tickets

7. Dine in St Pancras clock tower

What? UNA - One Table Experience supperclub
When? Various dates until 26 May
Where? King’s Cross
Following a successful run around two years ago, the UNA supperclub is once again offering the opportunity to dine at the top of the iconic clock tower in St Pancras. Argentinian chef Martin Milesi will cook up a series of seven-course dinners for just twelve guests a time in the tower, washed down with a selection of wines from Argentina. The menu features slow-cooked pork with black beans and mint guacamole; beef with blue potatoes; a selection of Argentine cheeses and a banana, Ecuadorian chocolate and sweet dry pesto pudding, but let’s face it — the best bit is the location. Tickets are selling fast with several dates already sold out, so get in fast.
More information and tickets

8. Discover how well tea goes with cheese

What? Tea Adventures with Whittington's Tea Emporium
When? 5 May, 28 May and ongoing
Where? various locations
Whittington’s Tea Emporium founder Kyle Whittington hosts regular tea pairing events, showcasing the diverse flavours and styles of tea and how it matches with food. Along with tasting the pairings, there’ll be the opportunity to learn how different teas are made, how to pair teas and tips for making tea at home. This month he will be pairing tea with Asian dishes at The Noodle House in Soho on 5 May and offering a tea and cheese tasting at Notting Hill’s La Cave à Fromage on 28 May.
More information and tickets

9. Cook and eat the 128th Meridian east

What? Latitudinal cuisine BYO supperclub
When? Friday 8 May, from 8pm
Where? Bethnal Green
This clever and quirky supperclub idea is focusing its attentions on the cuisines of all the countries which fall on the 128th Meridian east line — that’s Australia, China, Indonesia, both Koreas, Russia and Japan. How it works is simple. Everyone brings a dish (enough to feed four, preferably homemade) from the specified countries; everyone brings whatever booze they fancy; everyone shares and everyone helps clear up. Tickets are free, but places must be booked.
More information

10. Take a trip down the Silk Road

What? A trip down the Silk Road supperlcub
When? Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 May
Where? An undisclosed location in north London
This two-night supperclub will take guests on an exploration of traditional Chinese cuisine, from west to east China across five courses. The migrating menu will take in lesser-known regional variations along the way and include smacked cucumbers, liang pi noodle salad and red braised pork. Tickets costs £27.50.
More information and tickets

Also consider...

Beehive Place A five-course tasting menu from top chefs for £35, in an old hay loft in Brixton. Various dates throughout May.

Cutter & Squidge pop-up shop Until June sweet-toothed Cutter & Squidge — who have created the biskie, a cross between a biscuit, a cookie and a cake — will be running a pop-up shop on Brewer Street serving these tempting treats along with jams, infusions, cakes, caramels and more.

Mazi Mas restaurant at Oval House Theatre An initiative which creates employment for aspiring women food entrepreneurs from migrant and refugee communities — the menu served here will vary depending on the chef of the day, with Senegalese, Peruvian, Filipino, Brazilian and Ethiopian nights on the cards. Throughout May.

Street Feast’s #Model Market Dalston Yard’s south London sibling, serving up street food, booze and good times in a disused 1950s market on Lewisham High Street. Throughout May.

Last Updated 28 April 2015