There's a constant stream of foodie events and pop ups happening in London, but not too many that will leave you with anything other than a full belly. Here are four upcoming events that aim to do a little bit more.
Urban Root Camp
These three day cooking camps for young people (aged 14-21) aim to spark a passion for food at the same time as teaching about provenance and teamwork, and sending the message that it's fun to cook and eat with other people. The students meet producers and pick up some serious skills from Moro trained chef Sylvain Jamois. Many of the ingredients will be harvested at the location of the camp, Stepney City Farm and lessons on meat will come from The Ginger Pig. An interesting opportunity for any young people who want to learn more about cooking and where their food comes from.
See the Urban Root Camp website for booking details.
The Black Cultural Archives Cafe
A new menu will soon be served Thursday-Saturday at the BCA Cafe in Brixton's Windrush Square. African inspired dishes have been devised by The Groundnut Collective (Duval Timothy, Jacob Fodio Todd and Folayemi Brown), three friends of mixed African and European heritage, who aim to make African food accessible and bring together flavours and tastes from across the community. The menu will include roti canai wraps and green soup — a blend of spinach, callaloo and okra. This is a great chance to explore the first national centre dedicated to the heritage of African and Caribbean people in Britain, followed by a good feed in the cafe.
The cafe at The Black Cultural Archives, from 17 September.* The opening date has been postponed until the 23 September due to bad weather conditions.
The Balham Food Festival
The Balham Food Festival returns at the end of September after a three year break. Local cafes, shops and restaurants are involved, plus plenty of local producers. There will also be a range of stalls, street foods, pop up restaurants and demos with chefs. The festival aims to celebrate local producers and highlight the diversity of food and drink available in the area following the regeneration of the town centre.
The festival runs from September 27 to 4 Oct. See website for details.
An Autumn Feast for Urban Food Fortnight
The London Kitchen Project has teamed up with chef Oliver Rowe on an Autumn Feast supper club, which aims to support and celebrate local London producers. They include Cultivate London — a social enterprise which trains unemployed young people in horticulture, and Organiclea — a community food project based in north east London. Oliver Rowe opened London’s first locally sourced restaurant, Konstam, with over 80% of the produce used being sourced from in and around London. All profits from the supper club will go back into funding community projects at the London Kitchen Project.
The supper club takes place on 25 September and are available to buy from Grub Club.
