Each month, we’ll revisit the dishes of At My Table, my dinner series, delve into my Tip of the Tongue interviews, get a taste of Making Art Edible where I translate artworks into food, and take a look at Limelight article exploring ingredients and their stories. So pull up a chair and let’s tuck in…

Even in the throes of a heatwave London bustles with life, as every crumb of pavement becomes a terrace and people cram on pub benches. What better way for me to celebrate than with the theme ‘London in Season’?

During this hectic, jostling time of year, finding ‘me-time’ is somewhat of a luxury. So, to counter the chaos of a London summer (or perhaps just my own summer chaos), ‘London in Season’ focuses on slowing down and appreciating the city around us.

This theme arose from a commission with STUDYO London, who asked me to interpret the city through the lens of food for an online publication and in-person event. London is a fever dream of food, mixing international cuisines in a glorious mismatch of identities and flavours. No one person can define the capital’s kaleidoscopic diversity, so my first act was to commission four inspirational chefs to each create dishes inspired by a neighbourhood of their choosing, which we then styled and shot.

Always keen to economise on my content, I used this opportunity to ask each chef what ‘London in Season’ meant to them for my ‘Tip of the Tongue’ interview series. Answers varied from Priya Verdi’s picky bits in the park, to Zana Millen’s reflections on family cookouts and Safiya Robinson’s celebration of London being the best city there is. Amelia Maslaveckas’ answer was the one I resonated with most: “It’s the busiest time of my life.”

In contrast, my ‘Limelight’ ingredient spotlight, Meet Mirabelle, a True Londoner explored how foraging for the mirabelle plum helped me slow down. I worked with the low ABV spirit BAJO to turn this fruit into a cocktail, fermenting these golden plums over four days before mixing them with bay, blossom cordial, and ice.

I even found a foraging companion, whom I write about in my accompanying ‘Limelight’ Substack article. There I was, a tall boy in short shorts and a cropped tank, reaching high into the boughs. And beside me, a middle-aged woman in her hijab, using a long stick to gently beat the fruits from the tree onto a tarpaulin on the floor. We silently acknowledged one another, then got on with our own business under the curious eyes of passers-by.

I thought this was my most ‘London’ moment of the month until a week later, when I had to postpone July’s ‘At My Table’, my monthly dinner series, due to people’s unavailability. I ambitiously tried to reschedule the dinner to no avail, before realising that it was time for my table to take a rest.

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So, in lieu of four fabulous creatives, I took the evening to myself to test an ice cream recipe for August’s ‘At My Table’. I poured a generous glass of my mirabelle champagne to accompany it, and enjoyed both on my terrace in the evening sun. All in all, a result.

The month closed with my STUDYO event on the 30th, which doubled as July’s edition of ‘Making Art Edible’, a series which translates creative ideas and artworks into food. The event took the form of a plating workshop. ‘A what?’ you say? I know, it’s niche. At these plating workshops, I create a space where people can experiment with fine-dining-style plating: I cook all the elements, they create the plates.

The event hosted 25 talented would-be-chefs (and some actual chefs, too), who all tried their hand at plating. The elements I’d created were inspired by Ridley Road, my area of choice, celebrating the cultural diversity and cuisine of the street, while also raising money for the Save Ridley Road campaign.

Did I slow down? Absolutely not. In fact, I completely failed my own brief, as by the last day of July I was completely maxed out. But you know what? I wouldn’t have had it any other way, because London comes into its own in summer, and I know I can never get tired of it.

As we roll into August, my SLICE OF LIFE column, along with LOST ART MEDIA, takes a well-deserved break before returning in September. But fear not, you can find me elsewhere: namely on a ‘digital detox’ in Spain (wish me luck), delivering a residency in France, and enjoying my birthday in Venice. All of which can probably be caught on my Instagram ;).

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Keen to find your own mirabelles? Just look up, and always pick from the tree. This seems obvious, but once, I greedily filled a bag from the floor, which I took to the kitchen I was working in. In my excitement, I mentioned they were windfalls, and my head chef very delicately suggested we dispose of them.

This is because humans aren’t the only ones who love these juicy fruits: the spot where I’d found the mirabelles was also home to a large colony of rats. They love it there, and I love that for them, but as jolly as they are, you wouldn’t want to share fruit with them.

Ok, that was dramatic. We’re not closing down or quitting the industry.

It’s just that like the rest of you, we need a (sort of) break once in a while, especially since our next print issue—due in September, and devoted to the complexities of modern British identity—is being put together painstakingly in our office. (We are still open for pr…

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Each month, we’ll revisit the dishes of At My Table, my d…

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The sun is shining.

Life is… good?

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This week’s feature is another art piece - as good as last week’s (we humbly believe).

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Enjoy!

Nina-Sophia Miralles, editorial director x

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A LOWDOWN or so ago, we promoted a Kickstarter for our upcoming print edition. We were raising money through pre-orders and donations for our forthcoming mag.

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Nina-Sophia Miralles, editorial director x

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I hope you really are readers.

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Happy reading,

Nina-Sophia Miralles, editorial director x

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The sun is shining and the weather’s wonderful…so far. Last week we celebrated the spring equinox with a curated tasting menu and a dazzling folklore documentary, as well as live music.

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