What to See, Eat and Drink at Taste of London Festival 2018
There’s still time to enjoy all the foodie fun at the Taste of London Food Festival in Regent’s Park this summer.
It’s where the capital’s food lovers flock each year to try small plates from London’s top restaurants without the high price tag. This year’s line-up of restaurants at the 5-day event includes names such as Asia de Cuba, Barrafina, Hutong, Sartoria and Roka.
Over the weekend, there’s plenty going on at the festival from chef masterclasses, to live music and entertainment. Don’t go home without browsing the artisan producers’ market for unusual goodies to experiment with in cooking.
Whether you have a day or evening ticket, here are some of our favourite things to do at Taste of London Festival 2018.
1. Start With a Sipsmith Heavy Petal
Kick off your evening with floral tones by sipping a Heavy Petal cocktail from Sipsmith Distillery in Chiswick. It’s a summery combination of Sipsmith London Dry Gin, Fentimans Rose Lemonade and Fever Tree tonic topped with an edible flower. Pure Turkish Delight in a glass. While you’re at the Sipsmith stand, ask to taste their new Lemon Drizzle Gin. We think it’s the perfect gift for bakers. Give your lemon drizzle cakes extra zing by adding it to the icing mixture.
Discover: More Gin Tasting Experiences
2. Listen to Live Music at the Bandstand
Swing by the Hippeas stand for a taster bag of their organic chickpea puffs (Salt and Vinegar Vibes are scrummy). Find a deckchair and relax with your early evening drink to the tinkling of the ivories from various Piano Bar artists. You can even request a song of your own choice. On Friday and Saturday night, festival-goers can dance the night away with Hedkandi DJs and live saxophone.
3. Get Cooking in the Samsung Kitchen
Work up an appetite by creating delicious dishes at the Samsung Cookery School. Chefs from the School of Wok and The Avenue Cookery School will be providing their expert guidance throughout the festival. There are three classes in the afternoon and a further three in the evening.
Discover: More Cooking Experience Days
4. Eat Chips With Chocolate Sauce
Actually, they’re mole fries from Mexican restaurant Corazon which is located in London’s Soho. Mole is a traditional Mexican sauce that includes chilli and chocolate among other ingredients. With crumbled cheese, cream and sesame seeds, these fries are a really comforting dish to eat. The chocolate doesn’t dominate the flavour of the sauce. It’s more like a rich gravy.
Top Tip – At the weekends, Corazon offers London’s finest Mexican brunch, serving huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, and a selection of breakfast tacos.
Discover: More Chocolate Tasting Experiences in London
5. Feast on a Fish Taco
Try Corazon’s fish taco. It’s a delicious mouthful of beer battered haddock, shredded red cabbage and chipotle mayo.
The Red Lantern signature dish from Hutong is also sublime. Bite into crispy soft shell crab with Sichuan dried chill. Hutong specialises in Northern Chinese cuisine and opened on Level 33 of The Shard back in 2013.
6. Drink in The View of London’s BT Tower at Sunset
As the sun starts to set across London, hop aboard the Mortimer’s Orchard bus. Watch the sun set behind the BT Tower as you sink in to a bean bag on the upper deck and enjoy a refreshing class of cider. Mortimer’s Cider is a wonderfully balanced cider. It’s neither too sweet or too dry.
Mortimer’s Orchard stands on Marcle Ridge in Herefordshire, a site of many ancient battles. When you visit the famous cider county you can take the Weston’s Cider Tour at their cider mill in Much Marcle and see how it’s produced.
Discover: More Cider Tasting Experiences
7. Get a Tattoo From Pip & Nut
Pip & Nut make scrummy all natural nut butters. Spread them on your morning toast and top with banana slices, add a dollop to creamy natural yoghurt or to your daily breakfast smoothie. At Taste of London Festival this year, you can help spread the nut love by taking a selfie in a peanut-shaped chair or getting a temporary ‘Spread the Love’ tattoo.
8. Dine at The Modern Pantry
Kiwi chef, Anna Hansen, was co-founder of The Providores restaurant on London’s Marylebone High Street. She went on to open The Modern Pantry on St John’s Square in Clerkenwell back in 2008. Downstairs, it’s a cheerful cafe serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Upstairs, there’s a more formal restaurant spread across two light and elegant dining rooms which overlook the square.
Anna is known for her sublime fushion dishes and use of unusual ingredients. Don’t leave the festival without trying one of her signature dishes – chocolate liquorice mousse with blackcurrant jelly, cocoa & Urfa chilli wafer and cream. It’s a rich, decadent and utterly divine assault of the taste buds.
9. Have a Glass of English Fizz
Both Hush Heath Wine Estate in Kent and the Hambledon Vineyard have stands at this year’s Taste of London Festival. Try a glass of the award-winning Balfour Brut Rosé. It’s the flagship sparkling wine from Hush Heath. The 400-acre family-owned Tudor estate is in the heart of Kent. We recommend it as one of the top vineyards to visit in the UK. They also have two lovely pubs nearby – The Goudhurst Inn and The Tickled Trout.
Discover: The Best English Vineyard Tours and Wine Tasting Experiences
10. Hail a Cab Home
After a few hours of feasting and drinking, you’ll need to head home. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just hail the Sipsmith Gin cab and ride home in style? Maybe just one more cheeky G&T…
For details of Taste of London Festival which finishes on Sunday 17th June, visit the website: https://london.tastefestivals.com/
More: Discover Britain’s Best Food Festivals
Coming up:
Hampton Court Food Festival in August – Have a foodie day out over the August Bank Holiday weekend in the grounds of this Historic Royal Palace.
The Foodie Travel Guide
Sally is the founder and editor of The Foodie Travel Guide. She travels around the UK and beyond in search of the best foodie days out, tasting experiences and delicious places to stay. She loves a glass of English sparkling wine, afternoon tea with friends and escaping London for gastronomic adventures.
