Make a meal of May: London's unmissable food and drink events
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Even if you haven't gone 'cold turkey' for Meat Free May and are not even considering taking part in National Vegetarian week, you can still join in with the spirit of trying something new with these top food events around the capital...
Test Kitchen Tuesdays
'Test Kitchen Tuesday' is a blind tasting menu from the chefs at Craft in North Greenwich. Each week they are tasked with creating a completely original menu by head chef Stevie Parle - who you may recognise from this year's Master Chef. Passionate servers talk you through dishes made with ingredients that are not commonly available and they're so keen to listen to your feedback that they give you a pencil and paper on which to offer it.
A special meat-free menu will held on Tuesday 17th May in honour of National Vegetarian Week. You'll be hard pushed to find much fresher ingredients as Parle grows much of his produce in his kitchen garden at home and a plot outside the restaurant.
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Borough Talks
London's oldest food market, Borough Market, is launching their 'Borough Talks' series on Tuesday 10 May. Leading voices such as Michelin-starred chef Pierre Koffman will be sharing stories from his 50 years of working in the industry, critic Jay Rayner will be discussing how Britain has evolved from having a reputation for bad cooking to being one of the most innovative sources of great tasting food in the world, and food stylist/writer Olia Hercules will be examining what shapes our food choices. Last year was a sell-out season so book your tickets early.
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RAW Artisan Wine Fair
Over 160 producers from across the globe will be showcasing their wines at the UK's biggest organic and bio-dynamic wine fair at The Old Truman Brewery in Shoreditch on Sunday 15 - Monday 16 May. Wines without additives are defintely better for the planet and probably better for your health, but if that doesn't tempt you they are (almost) guaranteed to taste great, too...
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City of London Gin and cheese pairing
Gin and cheese sounds like a slightly weirder pairing than Gin and Juice but the City of London Gin guys have joined up with Neal's Yard Dairy and are certain it's going to be a hit. Decide for yourself either way at the John Salt Bar in Islington on Thursday 19 May or at The Owl and Pussycat in Shoreditch on Wednesday 25 May.
John Salt; The Owl and Pussycat
Martin Miller's Interactive Gin Quiz
If you're going to be drinking gin on a Monday (16th) or Tuesday (24th) you should probably give it an educational twist with a Gin Quiz, complete with cocktails, tastings and food at The Albion in the City or The Fentiman Arms in Oval...
The Albion; The Fentiman Arms