Meatopia is a weekend-long event that showcases chefs, meat, drink, music and a whole lot of fire. It is held in the Tobacco Dock in East London, a warehouse I have visited several times before in order to try out the latest food, drink and treats that are on offer around London. When I stumbled across Meatopia, I quickly purchased tickets (just before they had sold out), put the date in my diary and waited patiently for September to roll around.
Upon arriving at the event, the first thing I noticed was the smoke - there was a lot of it! However, it wasn't that horrible smoke that you dread clinging to your hair and clothes, but the glorious scent of the fresh, dry aged wood that was being used to run the smokers and grills. There was an inside and an outside area, both of which were full of chefs from London's most popular restaurants, including Patty&Bun, Duck and Waffle and Hawksmoor. There were also several bars where you could discover a new favourite gin or luxury whiskey and then sit and chill or dance to the live music!
It was wonderful to watch the chefs create their dishes from scratch before sampling some of their best dishes. As much of the food was also on display, it was a case of something tasty catching your eye (and nose) and then jumping into the queue to get your hands on it!
There were several demos throughout the day, all held at The Cutting Room, which was aptly named as the first demonstration we viewed was a butcher slicing into a cow to show us all where the different cuts of meat come from. It was really interesting and the way he portrayed it gave me a fresh outlook on food. The message was that the meat we eat deserves to be treated with respect, which means serving it at the highest standard possible - something I completely agree with.
After sampling some food at the demo, it was time to feast...
We paid for dishes by purchasing silver coins, or "meatbucks" as they were called. Whilst the dishes were fairly small, they were packed full of different flavours and it also meant we were able to sample a variety of food, without feeling too full.
As we ate more of the food next to the chefs who had just cooked it for us, it was a great opportunity to ask questions! If we liked a particular relish or way a meat was cooked, we could ask how it was created, something we really appreciated having the chance to do.
After having a suitable amount of gin, meat and music, we made our way to the exit.
If you are a big foodie or meat-eater, I would recommend checking Meatopia out. You can fill the day with trying new food, discovering the latest restaurants and chilling by the bar - what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon!?
Are there any similar food festivals you would recommend?
Hayley x