Eat... and be happy

From posh picnics to cool cakes and classes, summertime is filled with gorgeous, gastronomic goings-on. Sophie Farrah rounds up the very best

A feast fit for a king!

For three days over the Bank Holiday weekend, Hampton Court Palace is hosting BBC Good Food’s FEAST. Discover artisan producers, family fun and live music as well as street food and pop-up bars. This year also boasts an impressive line-up of chefs; Michelin-starred Michel Roux Jr will be alongside his daughter Emily Roux, MasterChef judge John Torode will also be there as well Lisa Faulkner, Antonio Carluccio and José Pizarro. 

Aug 26–28. Adults £18.40, cons £14.80, kids £9.20; bbcgoodfoodshow.com/feast-palace

Foraged food at Kew

Kew Gardens is already brimming with cafés but this summer sees the unveiling of its newest venture – The Botanical – where you can enjoy fresh ingredients that have been grown at Kew. This new table-service spot overlooks the central pond with beautiful views of the iconic Palm House and has been decorated with a selection of intriguing artefacts as a nod to the historic building’s former use as a museum. Serving brunch, lunch and afternoon tea all of the menus have been developed with the help of Kew's horticultural experts and feature herbs, plants and edible flowers from within the garden walls, such as Hand-Picked Kew Wild Garlic and Nettle Soup, and the Botanical Garden Salad with heritage radish, elderflower and lime dressing. There are also local craft beers on offer and a rather tempting wine menu, too…

Advance booking of tables is recommended – call (020) 8332 5155. For more information, visit: kew.org/kew-gardens/plan-your-visit-to-kew-gardens

Seriously cool cake kits

Got a kid’s party coming up but worried that your cake might look more Jackson Pollock than Mary Berry? Fear not, online company Craft and Crumb is here to save the day. Owners Kate and Louise live in Hampton and Surrey respectively, and together they design and create brilliant cake kits that contain everything you need to bake and decorate a truly stunning celebration cake at home. There’s a host of fun, stylish designs to choose from, such as their Rainbow Unicorn cake, magical Under the Sea creation or – for understated summer elegance – opt for one of their pretty Bunting cakes. Each kit includes decorations, step-by-step instructions, disposable cake pans, board and organic cake mix. Genius. 

Prices start from £24.00 craftandcrumb.com

Go retro

Local care organisation FiSH works to combat loneliness and social isolation in older and vulnerable people in Barnes, Mortlake and East Sheen, and their events calendar is filled with foodie jaunts. This month there’s a trip to the Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking, which includes a tour and the opportunity to have lunch there. FiSH also organises regular cream tea quizzes and lunch outings to some of Richmond’s pubs and their weekly Retro Café provides an opportunity for people with memory loss or dementia to meet in a friendly environment and enjoy afternoon tea. Rumour has it that thanks to FiSH’s Befriending Manager Liz there is a healthy supply of homemade scones and tea in vintage china cups. 

Denbies trip Aug 23, £12.00 + lunch. The Retro Café, St Michael’s Community Centre, Barnes, Monday afternoons; fishhelp.org.uk

Celebrating salad

Ham House and Garden is celebrating more than 300 years of the English salad this summer with a very special leafy dish. Visitors to the Kitchen Garden will learn all about the 35 different leaves, flowers, buds, roots and shoots that would have made up what is known as the ‘Grand Salad’ – a dining showstopper that dates as far back as the 17th century! There will be demonstrations of how to make the dish, as well as the opportunity to taste all the ingredients. There’s also a salad trail which shows off the new kitchen garden plot, whilst children can have a go at creating their own grand salad displays. 

Aug 8-10 & 12-13, 1pm (30mins). nationaltrust.org.uk/ham-house-and-garden

Man with a pan

Calling all mature chaps who fancy channelling their inner Jamie Oliver – Man with a Pan is a fun and friendly cookery club set up by Age UK Richmond. Gents aged 50+ will be shown how to whip up healthy and delicious meals with confidence whilst learning about nutrition and the importance of a good diet. All the recipes taught provide big portions so there’s plenty of leftovers to freeze and enjoy later and friendly tutor Mary is also on hand to dish out some useful budget advice when it comes to food shopping too. The class prepares, cooks and eats together as a group, so the enjoyable, social aspect of the club ends up being just as significant as the cooking!

Man with a Pan takes place at Cambridge Park Bowls Club in East Twickenham on Wednesdays 1-3pm, and East Sheen Baptist Church on Mondays 11am – 1pm. £3 per session. All newcomers welcome but booking is essential; contact Sue Hollins on (020) 8744 1965 or visit: ageuk.org.uk/richmonduponthames

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