Get your grill on at Meatopia

The clock is counting down to Meatopia. After 10 successful years in New York, the celebration of barbecuing, smoking and grilling has finally come to London. Originally set up by respected food writer Josh Ozersky in 2003, The New York Times has described it as a “bacchanal of pork, beef, lamb, chicken, duck, turkey and quail”, and “a meat lover’s paradise”. The dishes, along with the chefs, are wonderfully varied and every single one is guaranteed to tickle even the meatiest of taste buds.

Due to take place on 7^th September 2013 at the Tobacco Dock in Wapping, this rare breed food event is set to become a serious fixture on the London food calendar, with chefs from either side of the pond such as St John’s Fergus Henderson, Gizzi Erskine and Neil Rankin representing the British, and Aaron Franklin of Franklin BBQ in Alabama, Tim Byres from SMOKE in Dallas and Seamus Mullen of Tertulia in New York all bringing their bespoke recipes from the USA. All of the renowned chefs and iconic restaurants will produce their dishes in handy tasting-sized portions so guests can try as many of them as possible as they graze, chat, drink and dance their way through the afternoon.

Strong attention is paid to provenance and with Richard Turner at its helm the meat will be in the safest hands in London. British reared and raised on independent farms and smallholdings by those who care about flavour and sustainability, it will be supplied by James George, MD of Turner & George, and supplier to many of London’s most successful restaurants. Plus there will of course be craft beer, aged spirits and a fine selection of pairing wines to wash it all down with.

Music is also at the heart of Meatopia: you can expect supercharged sets, jaw-dropping live performances, moody jams in dark corners, and dance-along smash hits from bands and DJs spanning the genres.

And if that isn’t enough, London’s coolest cabaret, circus, art installations, roaming performance, immersive activities and random acts of weirdness will surely add yet more colour, variety and spontaneity to the whole event. 

Jessica Spiro 

For further information about Meatopia or to book tickets visit the event’s website here.