House of Hops
Taste of London's not all about the food, y'know – there's drink, too, and one of the things we're most looking forward to is The House of Hops. It focuses on beer (no prizes for guessing that one), and celebrates the craft brewing revolution by offering up tasting sessions with beer sommeliers and master brewers, where you’ll be able to sample an extensive selection of the beers believed to be the UK's best. You’ll be able to nail the elusive art of food and beer matching, too, and having learned about homebrewing, you might even unearth your inner brewmaster.
Mr Fogg's safari camp
Binoculars at the ready: Mr Fogg's is bringing a taste of its namesake's African experiences to the festival with a safari camp filled with colonial-style maps, globes and even an extensive taxidermy collection. What's more, the bar will be serving up world-class cocktails such as the A'Frican Good Time – made with Don Julio Blanco tequila, fresh lime, pear purée and homemade lemon verbena tea syrup – and the Rum-bling Around the Serengeti, a heady concoction of Zacapa 23, coffee cream and camel milk. Creamy cocktails not your vibe? Mr Fogg's is also hosting a G&T bar.
DS Automobiles: Avant-Garde Theatre
Chefs and top-of-the-line cars might seem like an odd pairing, but they do have something in common at this particular pop-up from DS Automobiles: they combine French heritage with a pioneering approach. It makes sense, obviously, that all the chefs cooking at the tent are French – so you'll be able to watch Eric Chavot, Monica Galetti, Pierre Sang, Eric Lanlard and Pascal Aussignac will all be cooking up a storm, redefining and recreating classically inspired French dishes in a modern way. Oh, and you'll be able to get up close and personal with the new DS 3, DS 4 Crossback and, the company’s flagship model, the DS 5. Vroom.
Action Against Hunger’s five-star burger restaurant
This five-star pop-up will be dishing up different burgers from each of its five, er, five-star chefs (Raymond Blanc, Jason Atherton, Gizzi Erskine, Nieves Barragán Mohacho and Shaun Searley). That's a lot of stars. But there's even more reason to check out this particular tent, because the proceeds made from the pop-up will be going directly to Action Against Hunger to help support its worldwide programmes, which are committed to ending child hunger. The burgers themselves are still firmly under wraps (under buns?), but they’re soon to be announced on tasteoflondon.co.uk.
Celebrity Cruises Lawn Club
Need a break? Head to the grassy expanse at Celebrity Cruises' stand, which recreates the top deck of its luxury liners. You'll be able to unwind, glass of wine – chosen by brand ambassador Oz Clarke – in hand, while you nibble on some of the company's culinary delights, which have been created by its Michelin-starred vice president of culinary Cornelius Gallagher for three exclusive food and wine pairing sessions. We're signing up just to try the stand’s new wine bar, where there's a chance to try a flight of wild Alaskan salmon dishes and sample some of Celebrity Cruises wine selection – it's the largest and rarest at sea, dontcha know.
Entertaining at Home masterclass with Champagne Laurent-Perrier
Learning how to throw the perfect dinner party is a skill that takes years to develop, but this experience from Champagne Laurent-Perrier and The Grill at The Dorchester will set you on the right track. It'll be hosted by Daniel Brennan of Laurent-Perrier and The Grill's head chef Christophe Marleix, and you'll enjoy a one of the kind, interactive champagne experience, learning about the key characteristics of Laurent-Perrier and how to pair its champagnes with an array of classic dishes. Santé.
