By Amira Hashish
London Restaurant Festival is back for its fourteenth year this October, showcasing some of the most exciting talent behind London’s dynamic food scene. With a line-up of more than 50 carefully curated culinary events, the foodie feast will be serving up everything from gastronomic tours across the capital’s best restaurants to evenings with Britain’s esteemed critics. Here are some of the highlights…
Tasting Menus
Many of the city’s leading chefs will be taking part in the latest installment of the festival with a hand-picked timetable of Tasting Menus including a celebratory Indian banquet from Kricket and a feast from chefs Will and Jack at Fallow in St James’s Market. A new addition to this year’s programme is The Resy Hit List, where the city’s buzziest restaurants, curated by booking platform Resy, will offer a unique menu or dish for the duration of the festival.
Book here or head to Resy here.
Talk of the Town
These events serve up gastronomic experiences with bespoke menus as part of a restaurant takeover. Those taking part include Nancy Silverton’s Pizzeria Mozza and Oxeye at Embassy Gardens. Look out for the live jazz evening alongside a seasonal British four-course menu at the elegant Rotunda Bar and Lounge at Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square.
Book here.
Masterclasses
Why not learn as you sip? Masterclasses on the agenda range from an Italicus Spritz session to the best of Negronis at the Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane and a Spanish cookery class with Nieves Barragan of Sabor, paired with Estrella Galicia beer. Innis & Gunn’s independent range of beers will be sampled in a guided tasting at Light Bar in Shoreditch.
Book here.
Ultimate Gastronomic Weekend
Make a weekend of it with Saturday Kitchen regular Anna Haugh who is hosting guests at her restaurant Myrtle in Chelsea followed by a stay at Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square and a dinner at the hotel’s restaurant Mei Ume, which showcases traditional dishes from both Chinese and Japanese cuisines with a modern approach. Tickets have sold out but you can join the waitlist.
Book here.
Binge
This series at the Television Centre in White City returns for a second year, featuring a fun combination of food and TV viewings. Sit down to a modern Indian menu paired with Innis & Gunn beers at Kricket White City. Following the meal, watch The Jonathan Ross Show as it is filmed live at the BBC Studio Works.
Book here.
Restaurant-Hopping Tours
For those who are partial to a food and drink pairing across multiple restaurants, there is the option to explore Belgravia with Luigi Bosca wines, Covent Garden with Innis & Gunn beers and Chelsea with Martin Miller’s Gin cocktails.
Book here.
Platinum Perks
If you are an American Express Centurion or Platinum cardmember there are extra perks as part of the Festival within a Festival programme. The Platinum Card has access to a series of Chef-hosted new openings: Chantelle Nicholson’s Apricity in Mayfair, Carlo Scotto’s immersive dining experience at Amethyst and Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal. Meanwhile, Art à la Carte celebrates London’s best collaborations between artists, curators and restaurateurs, including Langan’s Brasserie, with walls covered in fine art. Seasonal Autumn Spotlights comprise a King’s Caviar Tasting in the William Kent Room at The Ritz and a Seafood School at The Sea, The Sea hosted by chef Leo Carreira.
American Express Cardmembers will also have the option to Discover Regent Street & St James’s, with specially curated experiences such as a one-off Supper Club in the Fortnum & Mason Crypt and a Gourmet Odyssey lunch at Maison François, Chutney Mary and Michelin-starred Wild Honey, paired with Gusbourne’s range of English sparkling wines.
Book here.
Centurion Experiences
Centurion Members hold the key to a selection of unforgettable experiences including the Omakase Tasting Menus dining face-to-face with the chefs at Endo at the Rotunda and Ginza St James. A Penthouse Supper Club will be hosted in a dramatic residence on London City Island with panoramic views whilst an intimate dinner is cooked and hosted by Tim Spedding, former chef of The Clove Club. The event features a sommelier-led tasting of Oregon wines. Discerning Centurion members can also join some of the nation’s most respected restaurant critics – Fay Maschler, Nigel Barden and William Sitwell – as they take guests to some of their favourite spots in town.
Book here.
For more details visit londonrestaurantfestival.com.
Sailing Collective Is Breaking the Yacht Mould
By Amira Hashish
Dreaming of a Caribbean sail where the cuisine is a match for the scenery or fancy gliding through the picture perfect islands of French Polynesia in style? The Sailing Collective specialises in global yacht adventures which hone in on bespoke experiences and off the beaten track adventures for individuals or groups. Founder Dayyan Armstrong tells us why his goal is to give guests a true trip of a lifetime…
What inspired the launch of the Sailing Collective?
The launch of the Sailing Collective in 2012 was inspired by our passion for sharing the wonderful aspects of sailing charters to an audience of wide-eyed travelers interested in experiencing nature and culture through this unique vantage point. When we started, we noticed that the other organisations either focused on partying or ‘do it yourself’ budget sailing trips. So we took our passion for adventure sailing and married it with our philosophy of hospitality. Our approach was unique in that we considered ourselves a travel company first and foremost and we use sailing charters as our platform to showcase world adventure to our audience. We then integrated an advanced culinary program focusing on regional provisioning and sourcing all our ingredients used aboard from the islands and coastal farmers along the way.
How does the concept work?
Sailing Collective Travel Co. is unique in the yacht charter industry. Along with being yacht brokers, we only use hand-selected captains and chefs who work directly with Sailing Collective to ensure each departure is unique and bespoke. With access to over 4000 yachts worldwide, we cherry pick the quality charter sailboats for our clients to ensure comfort and quality amenities aboard. An interested client will reach out to us directly about a private or group sailing charter.
Do you do individual and group voyages?
Yes, we provide both group journeys where guests can book a solo or double occupancy cabin aboard one of our scheduled departures. Our group journey schedule is posted on our website and interested travelers can book directly online. We also organise bespoke custom private charters for groups of friends of families. A client will contact us with an interest of a sailing holiday in the Mediterranean or the Caribbean, for example, and we work with them to match them with the right vessel at a price point that works with their budget. We then match them with a captain and chef team and we work with them to design the perfect itinerary.
Which kind of destinations do you cover and where do the sails start?
Since our start in 2012, we set out to bring as many travelers throughout the world as possible. Because of this, we now have more than 25 unique itineraries that we have created. The Sailing Collective operates our yacht charters all year long and choose itineraries based on the season. For example, during the summer we mainly focus on the Mediterranean with itineraries throughout Croatia, Aeolian Islands, Sardinia, Corsica, Turkey, Mallorca (the list goes on) and when the season ends, we pick up where we can voyage like French Polynesia, Thailand, and the entirety of the Caribbean. One of our mottos is ‘if there’s water, a coastline, and sailboats available, we’ll plan an itinerary there’. An itinerary typically starts and ends in the same locations. For example, in French Polynesia we depart from the island of Raiatea. We then circumnavigate the Leeward Islands exploring the islands or Huahine, Taha’a, Bora Bora, and then end back at the same marina on the island of Raiatea.
What do your itineraries include?
A typical day looks like this: we wake up anchored in a calm and secluded cove. Our chef prepares an outstanding breakfast and guests have coffee, tea, and their morning swim. We then lift anchor and sail for a couple hours where we will find another unique cove where we will anchor and explore. The captain might lead a snorkel or a beach adventure while the chef prepares yet another outstanding meal. If any other yacht is nearby, there is a look of envy when our chefs prepare their cuisine. After lunch, we might sail for a short while to our end destination. We may decide to spend the night at a marina where we’ll explore ashore and go to a unique restaurant that Sailing Collective has discovered during our voyages. The itinerary is curated, but we also allow for adventure. If a once in a lifetime experience presents itself to us, we will be the first to pivot and change tacks. This has lead to many life-long beautiful memories.
How long do your voyages tend to last?
Our voyages are typically one week long and often run from Saturday to Saturday. There is some room to customise the schedule by request.
In addition to the captain, what other team members are included?
Each departure has one captain and one chef aboard. Larger catamaran charters might have a first mate but typically our charters are lead by a captain and chef team.
Do you offer bespoke experiences?
Each Sailing Collective experience is bespoke. We have a saying for captains at the Sailing Collective, ‘we don’t follow our own itineraries’. This allows us to listen to our guests and curate an experience for them on the spot. Our captains share experiences with each other and if one of the team members has an incredible experience at a restaurant or a hike for example, we’ll adapt. Our goal is always for guests to have the most unique week of their lives.
Visit sailingcollective.com
Art & Design Events to See This October
By Anya Cooklin-Lofting
As the days get shorter and cooler, it’s time to retreat into the warm, inviting lobbies of London’s finest venues, museums and galleries to get your autumnal cultural fix. Whether you enjoy a solo skulk around the National Portrait Gallery with a podcast, a rollicking family visit to the Natural History Museum or a romantic stroll through the towering halls of the V&A, ’tis the season to wrap up warm and soak up the cultural delights that the capital has to offer.
Luckily, October is a time of great cultural importance, especially for the world of art and design, and alongside the programme of annual events that fall in October, including Decorex, Frieze Art Fair and the Goldsmiths’ Fair, there are a number of fantastic exhibitions to add to your ‘must-see’ list. So, this month, I’ll be rounding up some events for your cultural calendar, from decadent decorative arts events to eye-opening exhibitions and beyond.
Goldsmiths’ Fair
A bustling, glimmering celebration of all that glitters, Goldsmiths’ Fair is an annual selling and exhibition event that highlights some of the leading names in jewellery design today. The site of the current Hall, which is just northeast of St Paul’s Cathedral, has been home to the Goldmsiths’ Company since 1339 where two previous Halls once stood. The Hall’s Assay Office is where the hallmarking of fine jewellery began over 700 years ago, and where the painstaking task is carried out to this day. This year, the fair is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an integrated exhibition, 40 at 40, which showcases the work of 40 makers, each of whom is represented by an outstanding piece created after 1983.
Week 2, 4th – 9th October 2022, The Goldsmiths’ Hall
Frieze London, Frieze Masters and Frieze Sculpture
One of the most prestigious and lucrative art programmes in the world, Frieze takes place annually amongst the gently landscaped parkland of Regent’s Park. The many globally renowned galleries that show their collections at Freize’s purpose-built pavilions attract over 60,000 visitors across collectors, gallerists, fellow artists and of course, the general public. For contemporary art, get yourself a ticket to Frieze London, and for artwork produced before 2000 and antiquities, head to Frieze Masters. For a free-of-charge meander around Frieze Sculpture, head to the south end of the park’s Broadwalk.
Throughout October 2022, Regents Park
PAD London
Each October, PAD London takes over the leafy Mayfair square to showcase exquisite 20th-century and contemporary design from some of the world’s most sought-after galleries and designers. Amongst the design names to know taking part this year are Rose Uniacke, Galerie Scene Ouverte, Spazio Nobile, Sarah Myerscough Gallery, David Gill Gallery, Gallery FUMI and Carpenters Workshop Gallery.
10th-16th October 2022, Berkeley Square
Decorex
For the latest in interior design, Decorex is the very best place to seek out new trends, meet makers and gather inspiration for your next home decoration project. Set against the backdrop of the soaring Victorian halls of Olympia London, international design studios and makers gather to network, and meet new clients and customers. It’s a riot of colour, pattern and inspiration, especially if you attend a few of the interior design talks held throughout the week on topics from collecting design pieces to making a happy home.
9th-12th October 2022, Kensington Olympia
StART Art Fair
For emerging artists with fresh, booming voices and innovative approaches to their media, the StART Art Fair is a one-stop-shop. Harti, Illuminati Neon, Tommy Fiendish and a number of international fresh faces will be exhibiting, bringing punchy, political and thought-provoking art to the prestigious venue. Visitors will also have the opportunity to review the entries to the inaugural StART Martin Miller’s Gin Emerging Art Prize, where entrants were invited to create works to respond to the theme, transformation.
12th-16th October 2022, Saatchi Gallery