Taste of London 2017: The world’s best chefs come to Regent’s Park 14-18 June

The capital’s most classic food festival Taste of London is back this summer in Regents Park, 14^th – 18^th June, and bursting with brand new exclusive features for all food lovers to enjoy

Once again, Taste of London is set to transform Regent’s Park into a foodie wonderland this June with 40 of London’s most exciting restaurants, the world’s greatest chefs, brand new exclusive features, interactive masterclasses, delectable drinks and live entertainment for five days of gastronomical greatness.

The new Taste Residence: Fine dining with the world’s best chefs

This year, Taste of London is thrilled to welcome some of the world’s most respected chefs to the festival: Massimo Bottura chef patron of globally revered 3 Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana, who will send the team behind his second restaurant, Franceschetta58; rock star chef and the man who put Brazilian food on the map Alex Atala; and one of the UK’s hottest talents, Michelin-starred Ollie Dabbous of restaurant Dabbous. The line-up has been curated by the legendary Andrea Petrini, a formidable force in the world of fine dining and, as described by Time Magazine “culinary starmaker”, who gave us a no-filter interview on the global food scene.

All are set to appear at the brand new and exclusive feature The Taste Residence, a sit down fine-dining experience for groups of 20 – 24 guests. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, diners at The Taste Residence will enjoy a delicious four-course tasting menu, and get up close and personal with these culinary idols who will not only be cooking for them but actually serving them as well. Each one-hour dining session will be hosted by legendary maître d’ and patron of London’s Margot restaurant, Paolo di Tarso.

Inspirational chefs also appearing at Taste of London include two Michelin-starred The Hand & Flowers chef patron Tom Kerridge, the mastermind of two Michelin-starred, self-titled restaurant in Rock, Cornwall, Nathan Outlaw, talented connoisseur of spice Thomasina Miers, and highly acclaimed Italian chef Francesco Mazzei to name but a few. All will be showcasing their skills at the new look AEG Taste Theatre in association with Etihad Airways where the audience will be able to contribute to, and taste their favourite chef’s dish.

Feast on the capital’s finest food

Food enthusiasts are encouraged to taste their way around the festival, with a mouth-watering menu of more than 160 taster-sized portions of signature dishes on offer from 40 of London’s latest, greatest and most exciting restaurants. Brand new to the Taste of London programme and popping up for the first time in Regent’s Park are Neil Rankin’s BBQ sensation Temper, Turkish Meyhane, Yosma, with its modern twist on a traditional Turkish tavern, Soho-based Peruvian BBQ Señor Ceviche and Duck & Waffle Local, a new fast casual chef-curated restaurant concept brought to you by the people of Duck & Waffle. There will be fine Indian dining from Mayfair’s Jamavar, Nordic-French cuisine from Aster, seasonal European from Oldroyd, and serving up dishes with a unique twist on modern and classic French cuisine will be the beautiful French Brasserie, Les 110 de Taillevent.

Restaurants returning for another year of fantastic food include Taste favourites; Club Gascon, Roka, Sartoria, Cinnamon Club, Café Spice, Chai Wu, M Restaurants, Bubbledogs and Vanilla Black, with more restaurants to be announced in the coming weeks.

Further showcasing the best London has to offer, The Daily Special rotating restaurant spot this year sees Michelin-starred Portland (Wed 14^th June), showcasing modern European dining with robust flavours and excellent seasonal produce (all proceeds will go to Refugee Community Kitchen), yakitori experts Jidori (Thursday 15 June), popping in from their home in trendy Dalston, Soho institution Bao (Friday 16^th June), bringing its exceptional buns to Regent’s Park, seasonal and modern Indian cuisine served with precision from the masters at Kricket (Saturday 17^th June), and finally Perilla (Sunday 18^th June), where humble ingredients will be cooked to perfection.

Hone your skills and make new discoveries

The ever-popular cookery school AEG’s Take Taste Further allows guests to partner up and create their own gourmet food under the expert guidance of School of Wok’s Jeremy Pang.  Using the latest AEG Mastery Range appliances featuring innovative technology, designed to work in harmony with the most ambitious home chefs, guests will learn how to preserve the flavour and enhance the taste of food for mouth-watering results that a professional would be proud of. This year, Le Cordon Bleu will also be partnering with the AEG team to deliver Perfecting the Classics – a chance for consumers to advance their technique repertoire in exciting and inspiring masterclasses.

DS Automobiles will share its avant-garde spirit by serving pioneering dishes by up and coming chefs under the guidance of Pascal Aussignac from Michelin-starred Club Gascon. In keeping with DS Automobiles’ heritage of style, excellence and innovation, each dish will be refined with a forward-thinking ingredient to surprise and delight…perhaps even insects!

A great day out is not complete without your favourite tipples to wash down all the delicious food, and Taste of London will not disappoint with a superb line-up of the most delectable drinks from gorgeous bubbles, to craft beer, creative cocktails and mocktails, and some of the best tasting spirits to hit the market.

Laurent-Perrier will be back delivering a VIP experience to remember; launching their brand new La Cuvée Champagne exclusively at Taste of London and offering the chance to indulge in the ultimate champagne masterclass with a tasting of Laurent-Perrier’s entire range.

Whisky-lovers and foodies will rejoice at The Balvenie Craftsmen’s Dinner Masterclass, a chance to sample The Balvenie’s range of handcrafted single malts, paired with small batch cheeses and honey made by London producers and slow-fermented sourdough from a bakery in rural Suffolk.

Cocktail fans should head to the brand new Monkey Shoulder Whiskey Den (a whisky den like nothing you’ve seen before) where they can expect the unexpected with secret entrances, prizes, fun, frivolity and downright tasty cocktails!

Brewed and brought directly from their brewery in Plzeň, Czech Republic, to London’s Regents Park – Pilsner Urquell will once again deliver the ultimate taste experience with their freshest, unpasteurised Tank Beer. Under the watchful eye of the Pilsner Urquell Beer Master, guests will have the chance to roll up their sleeves by pouring each of the unique 3 Czech pours and take part in the ticketed Brewers & Makers sessions, a celebration of shared passion and craftsmanship

The House of Hops will also showcase a selection of the UK’s best craft beers and give visitors the chance to perfect the art of food and beer matching.

Taste welcomes illy to the festival this year. As well as sampling the Italian coffee roaster’s acclaimed classic blend and single-origin roasts, guests will be able to hone their barista skills at the brand’s world-famous University of Coffee.

Lose yourself in a round the world tour of culinary delights with Celebrity Cruises. Let your tastebuds be tantalised with regional delicacies from top travel destinations including historic Tuscany, majestic Japan and the sunny Galapagos Islands. The menus will be curated by the liner’s top chefs, each of whom hail from those regions, so you can savour the delights of local dishes alongside the finest wine collection you’ll find at sea!

Etihad Airways returns to the festival with their Taste the World initiative. A stand-out Taste of London chef will be selected by a panel of judges to represent London at Taste of Abu Dhabi in November where amongst an international line of top chefs they will compete to be crowned the 2017 Taste the World champion. The award will be presented to the chef who best epitomizes Etihad’s food philosophy.

Relax and enjoy

Festival goers will have the chance to explore and discover an array of over 200 artisan exhibitors and sample and shop a bounty of the UK’s best wine, cheese, charcuterie and more.

Sit back with a glass of wine and enjoy sing-a-long favourites from the bandstand piano as the sun goes down. If you love food and want to have a fantastic summer’s day out, eating, drinking and learning from the best, there is no place better than Taste of London!

The editorial unit

For further information about Taste of London and to buy tickets visit here.