What better setting for a summer food festival than the splendid Regent's Park, with its pretty gardens, secluded woodlands and beautiful lake.
Forty of London's top restaurants will be attending the
Taste of London Food Festival in June, giving you the chance to get your salivating chops around some of the best food available in the capital, if not the whole of the UK.
Establishments include
Le Gavroche,
Scott's,
Benares, and
Petrus - among many others. Chefs working at these kinds of places continue to push culinary creativity to a whole new level. Are you sure your taste buds can handle it?
If you're the type of person who wants to impress a loved one or visiting friends with a dazzling dish or two but you always seem to fall back on the same tired old numbers (shepherd's pie; tomato and cream pasta; beans on toast), then head along to the AEG Taste Theatre.
Chefs at the pinnacle of their game will inspire you with new ideas, and will be happy to share some (but possibly not all) of their favourite tips and tricks about how to make to-die-for dishes.
For starters, chef
Tom Aikens will be appearing. There'll be a main of
Heston Blumenthal with an
Antony Worrall Thompson sauce to spice things up a bit.
The main will come complete with a side serving of
Gary Rhodes.
For dessert you can expect a large helping of
Ben Tish, or, if you prefer,
Anna Hansen.
To see the full list of chefs appearing at the AEG Taste Theatre, click
here.
Anyone who likes a tipple will be pleased to know that this year's festival features a section called
Wine Tasting Tables. Wine experts will dazzle you with their knowledge of all things grape, while you sit back, relax, and sip a few samples along the way.
A brand new feature at this year's Taste of London Food Festival is
Taste of Jamaica. Try great Jamaican food and buy up supplies from exhibitors too. Look out for chef
Martin Blunos giving a Jamaican food demo at the Taste of Jamaica Theatre.
Another feature making its first appearance at this year's festival is
The Secret Garden, promising special food and drink experiences that your taste buds never thought possible – be warned though, tickets for this section don't come cheap.
More than 200 food and drink producers will be at the festival tempting you with their products, so be sure to take along a full wallet and empty backpack.
It's probable that the biggest challenge the festival will present you with, besides finding room in your tummy for all the delicious food on offer, will be deciding which ticket type to purchase. For detailed information, click
here. Be aware that all tickets are cheaper if bought in advance.
