London has seen a lot of pop-up foodie events in recent times and 2012 has been a vintage year. The quality has been incredibly strong, from Forza Win to God Save the Clam and Burnt Enz to the Chilli Stand Off. I haven’t been to one in the last year that I didn’t think was worth the hardship, emotional drain and danger of financial ruin. Which is why I’m extra pleased to see that Feast Anglia is seeing off 2012 with one of the most ambitious of ephemeral blow-outs I’ve seen to date. And here’s a secret: it ain’t even in London. All photos credited to Thomas Bowles.
Impeccable Tabor manners
A couple of weeks ago I was invited by James Tabor, linchpin of London’s pop-up scene and man behind Feast Anglia, to attend a run-through of his latest project, The Wine, The Feast and The Wardrobe. The event takes place in historic Kevington Hall, just 17 miles from London, in which James is overseeing an unorthodox restoration.
Push the gravy boat out this Christmas
For a two week spell in the run up to Christmas, Kevington Hall will become a portal to worlds previously unknown outside the realms of imagination. On weekends the typical clientele are local families with young children, but for one night only, on Friday 21 December, Feast Anglia is opening the wardrobe door exclusively to London foodies, for a night of food, high fantasy and Christmas frolicking.
Narnia awaits…
Tickets cost £63 and are available via the Feast Anglia website. The ticket price gets you a five course Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, three drinks and a street food ‘evacuation pack’ from Egg Boss.
Say cheese
A private bus will be leaving Giant Robot — just five minutes from Farringdon station — at 7pm sharp. Evacuees (hint, hint) are to receive their evacuation pack and a sustaining libation upon boarding, when festivities will commence with Mr. Tabor as master of ceremonies.
The bus will leave Kevington Hall for London at 1am, dropping revelers off at a series of central London points. Discounted taxis are available for those wishing to see the night through to daybreak, priced at £12 per head. For full details please visit the Feast Anglia website and if you have any questions please direct them to @FeastAnglia via Twitter.
All your Instagram friends will be well jel
Competition Time! [NOW CLOSED]
For your chance to win a street food hamper full of treats from the best producers and free drinks for two all evening (tickets must be bought separately), all you have to do is create an original scotch egg, which will be served on the evening as part of the street food evacuation pack. You can choose any ingredients you like, the only caveat being that you will have to be willing to consume the creation yourself! Mr Egg Boss Sean Lawson will be choosing a winner on Wednesday 12 December. Enter your scotch egg ideas in the comments box and go down in street food history!
Here’s some Sean made earlier
Chinese prawn toast scotch egg!!!!
The Hop-Scotch Egg: Crunchy hops in the breadcrumbs. Beer braised barley in the sausage. Perfect with pale ale.
I’ll go with a Southern/Cajun inspired Scotch egg: chicken egg with Andouille sausage around it, cased in deep fried cornbread batter.
Whiter Shade of Quail: White pudding, panko breadcrumbs and two quails eggs shaped to form one scotch egg-worthy whole
Smoked bavarian cheese and lambsmeat. Devilled egg. Is that possible?
Totally got to be a chilli pow ball! Spicy chilli surrounded by a cheesy fondue sauce. Nice!
The Green Eggs & Ham Scotch Egg. Egg surrounded by smoked ham encased in a sage breadcrumbs
Green Eggs & Ham Scotch Egg. Egg encased in a Wiltshire Ham and encased in sage breadcrumbs
Gotta be turkey , pork and bacon sausage wrapped around
A duck egg in a sage breadcrumb coating crimbo dinner done
#letsgetreadyforthequeensspeechwithyourpaperhaton
pork and apple sausage wrapped in roasted parsnip slivers then covered in breadcrumbs
What about a sweet scotch egg? I’m thinking a chocolate mini egg in the middle, surrounded by hazelnut marshmallow with a thin chocolate shell rolled in hazelnut dust. I would definitely eat that.
My favourite so far!
Could go for the “Turducken” of Scotch eggs: chicken egg surrounded by a layer of chicken, surrounded by a layer of turkey, wrapped in stuffing, and fried. American excess at its best.
How about a festive Christmas Egg. Turkey mince wrapped round egg, with sausage stuffing around turkey with a layer of cranberry sauce. This then covered in mash potato and then fried. A mini Christmas dinner in one!
I love sushi so – (similar to uramaki or californian roll) sticky rice and sesame seed outer, crispy crab inner with a tamagoyaki (sweet egg omelette) centre – serve it with wasabi. Then like a true ninja suck your testicals into your body and slice the egg in half with a shuriken – look menacingly into the camera as it crash zooms into your face.
This is brilliant. You will be required to perform this routine on camera if you win!
quails eggs covered with slightly glutenous brown rice dipped in egg yoke and rolled in sesame seeds ,deep fried and served with a choice of soy sauce , mirin or sweet chilli relish ,mmmmmmmmmmmm