Two enemies collide and so does their cuisine. Step into a candlelit air raid shelter and raise a glass of martini to Noël Coward who kept London in high spirits, listen to the music that won the war and commemorate the end of the bombing of London for 57 consecutive nights.

A martini in honour of Noel Coward who kept the spirit up.

Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!

Churchill’s favourite, Stilton Pear and Walnut salad served with ice-cold German Riesling.

Britain declares war on Germany.September , 1939

Pea puree pancakes

London has been brought almost to its knees. “Your indefatigable, courageous attacks on the head of the British Empire, the city of London with its eight and a half million inhabitants, have reduced the British plutocracy to fear and terror” Hermann Goering, Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe.

Pigeon breast with red wine gravy “There were strange, unforgettable sights. Flocks of city pigeons flew all night, bemused by the strange light in the sky. “

served with sautéed Greens Green leaves make rosy cheeks a raw whitstable oyster with a glass of champagne Britain’s darkest hour turns into Britain’s finest hour.

Beetroot Cake on a bed of Black Forest Gateau.The Ministry of Food’s leaflet No. 40 “use the sweetness of beetroot to make a nice sweet pudding with very little sugar”. Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.

for bookings please visit:

http://fullhouse.squarespace.com/blitzspirit/

A culinary adventure in memory of London’s most notorious slum.
March 29 and 30

Take your tastebuds on a gastrogeographical journey to explore one of the most fascinating corners of Shoreditch.  Part art, part archaeology, part gastronomic feast, on the ruins of the most infamous of all of London’s slums.
Broken Biscuits? evokes the ghosts of the children who populated these dark streets, living cheek by jowl with the donkeys, cows, geese and rabbits kept for sustenance or trade.
The past will be brought to life by food. Your map is a menu. Six courses guide you through time and place in the Old Nichol.

Begin your tour by collecting your map and bag of broken savoury biscuits from the Owl and Pussycat on Redchurch Street.
Shops discounted much of their bakery produce for hungry locals, and large bags of broken biscuits could be bought for a halfpenny.
In the windows of Leila’s, an elaborate and fantastical display of cakes and biscuits.  Dare you ask for one?
“Regardless of the shopkeepers’ real line of business, many shops had sweet foodstuffs – confectionary, small open tarts, sugar butties, a suet and plum pudding called Baby’s Head – on display in the windows to tempt children in… in some instances [with] the sinister purpose of luring [them] in with a view to encouraging them to pilfer for the shopkeeper, who would fence the stolen goods.” (The Blackest Streets, Sarah Wise)
Zubrówka Vodka in the Arnold Circus bandstand, served with blinis, smoked salmon and sour cream.
The mound at Arnold Circus was built on the demolition rubble of the Old Nichol. Let’s raise a glass to the slum that inspired the October Revolution!
We reach a secret doorway and enter. A feast awaits us.
Hare pâté and pigeon terrine studded with juniper berries and served with St. John’s Rye Bread and green parsley liquor, served with a frosted glass of Jensen’s Bermondsey gin.
Pigeons, songbirds, white mice, parrots and rabbits were kept in the cellars and sold in the bird and animal market at Club Row.
Shot of watercress soup.
The area was originally built on watercress fields.
Venison stew marinated for 7 days, accompanied by buttered Savoy cabbage, carrots and potatoes.
Every 7 days the Duke of Bedford would send two deer to the Old Nichol mission to be made into venison stew for free children’s dinners.
Spotted Dick ice cream with Oloroso soaked sultanas, served with a glass of Oloroso sherry.
The menu is paired with spirits and wines matched by Stefan Batfield at The City Beverage Company.
Meat supplied by Theobald’s.

The tales of the Broken Biscuits? will be told for 2 nights only.
6 courses paired with wine and spirits, recommended donation £45. Seats are limited. Contact caroline.hobkinson@hotmail.co.uk to make a reservation. Proceeds from Broken Biscuits? will be donated to Art Against Knives. www.artagainstknives.com

See you there!