Soho Food Feast | London’s Most Gourmet School Fête Returns
It’s hard to leave a food festival without feeling a teeny bit guilty…
…normally because you’ve just dedicated a whole day to stuffing your face with as much food as possible. But at Soho Food Feast the gluttony is all in aid of a very respectable cause: raising funds for Soho Parish Primary, so that they can continue to support and finance new students.
To answer your immediate questions: 1) yes, apparently there are schools in Soho. And 2) no, this isn’t your typical school fête. Because Soho Food Feast invites over 30 of Soho’s finest restaurants (and a few from further afield) to sling snack-sized versions of their signature dishes, with all proceeds going straight to the school.
The fête was founded 12 years ago by a group of school parents including Margot Henderson (owner-operator of the wonderful Rochelle Canteen), and is returning this summer over the weekend of 8th & 9th June. As is the custom, it’ll be setting up in St Anne’s Churchyard Gardens on Wardour Street, and the lineup of restaurants pitching in is a good’un. It seems like the organisers have just grabbed a handful of names out of a bag containing all of London’s best restaurants. Naturally Rochelle Canteen will be there, and over the course of the weekend they’ll be joined by Dishoom, Koya, 10 Greek Street, Kricket, Caravel, Gunpowder, Andrew Edmunds, Bar Crispin and more.
There will, of course, also be plenty of drink on hand to chase it all down with, from cocktails to beer and wine (as well as non- alcoholic options for those abstaining).
Aside from all the grub on offer, there’ll also be cooking demos, live music, and a raffle draw with fancy prizes like a stay at the Ham Yard Hotel and a £200 voucher to splash at Brasserie Zédel. And the kids get their fair share of entertainment too, via face-painting, arts and crafts, and the return of the prestigious vegetable sculpture-making competition.
Finally you can be proud of them for playing with their food.
NOTE: Soho Food Feast takes place over 8th & 9th June. Tickets cost £15 (free for children under 16) and you can then get the food tokens upon entry. Purchase tickets here.
ALSO NOTE: The food does tend to run out (in the past by 3-4pm), so it’s better to arrive early than fashionably late if you want to snag the popular stuff.
St Anne’s Gardens | Wardour Street, W1D 6QZ
After-party? Head down to one of these great Soho pubs