With just over two weeks to go until Meatopia opens for 2019, festival-goers can now feast their eyes on a full line-up of chefs from the UK and around the globe, alongside an impressive roster of live music headliners including Huey Morgan of Fun Lovin Criminals, Tom Findlay of Groove Armada and Olugbenga of Metronomy.
Meatopians will also be invited to tuck into live demos, talks and workshops at the Cutting Room stage, featuring Max Levy’s ‘The 7000 Mile Sausage’ and Amninder Sandhu’s ‘The DNA of Indian Fire Cooking’. TAPtopia makes a welcomed return this year with beers, ciders and craft cocktails curated by Melissa Cole and new to this year’s festival is The Cellar Table powered by Quandoo – an intimate dining experience offering guests the opportunity to meet and eat with their favourite chefs. Tickets for Saturday are already sold out but fear not as there are still tickets available for both Sunday and Friday.
Meatopia 2019 promises to be one of the hottest tickets in town, with more delicious dishes, drink, fire and music than you can shake a fork at. Some of the sought-after chefs appearing at Meatopia this year include:
Tom Brown of Cornerstone, who celebrated a double win at the National Restaurant Awards in 2018. Fans of Great British Menu will recognise him, as his dish ‘Poor Man’s Goose’ was the chosen main course at last year’s banquet. James Cochran of 12:51, whose Islington restaurant showcases his unique and refined way of cooking. In 2018 he was crowned the very first ‘Champion of Champions’ on the Great British Menu. Ramael Scully of Scully, Ottolenghi-alumni whose first restaurant has quickly gained praise and recognition. Nieves Barragan Mohacho of Sabor is the chef who led Soho’s Barrafina to Michelin-starred glory. She opened Sabor last year, which has already earned a star of its own for its authentic Basque-country cuisine. David Carter of Smokestak, who embarked on a barbequing pilgrimage from Texas to London before opening Smokestak in 2016, which now has a cult following for its flavourful, no-nonsense barbeque dishes. Ross Shonhan of Flesh & Buns, whose Japanese cuisine training with the likes of Nobu Matsuhisa lead him to open Bone Daddies and Flesh & Buns, and Will Bowlby of Kricket, whose reputation for his unique approach in marrying seasonal British ingredients with authentic Indian flavours has made Kricket a London favourite.
It’s not all about London though, chefs from up and down the country will be attending, as well as international chefs flying over from around the world, many of whom are cooking in the UK for the first time!
MUSIC LINE UP
It’s not all about the delicious dishes of course. Evening headliners include Metronomy’s Olugbenga, Orbital’s DJ Phil Hartnel, BBC 6 Music favourite and Fun Lovin’ Criminal Huey Morgan and Groove Armada’s Tom Findlay, whose ‘Sunday Service’ has become a Meatopia tradition. To add to the headliners, a cornucopia of singers, brass bands and other live performers and DJs will be on-site to serve up more music.
THE CELLAR TABLE BY QUANDOO
Powered by global restaurant booking platform Quandoo and new for 2019 is The Cellar Table, an opportunity to sit down as part of an intimate 16-seater table and experience a dish from the festival, cooked especially for you by the chef themselves, all alongside a specially paired wine. It’s an unmissable opportunity to gain some insights with the culinary genius behind the dish. Tickets cost £13.50 each, with bookings available with the likes of Ant Power & Dave Bone of Pilgrim, Max Levy of Sausage Commitment, James Cochran of 12:51 and Karan Gokani of Hoppers to name just a few. Bookings can be made through the Meatopia website.
TAPTOPIA
Melissa Cole’s hop-happening collection of the finest beer-makers, craft-cocktail creators and cider brewers in the land will be returning under the title ‘TAPtopia’. A glorious amalgamation of all kinds of beverage connoisseurs will be on hand throughout the weekend, including Big Hug Brewery, Redchurch Brewery, Fourpure Brewing Co, Neptune Brewery, Cornish Orchards, Two Tribes, Yeastie Boys, Big Drop Brewing Co, 40FT Brewery, Longflint Drinks and Mondo Brewing Co.
THE CUTTING ROOM
Also making a triumphant return this year is The Cutting Room stage hosted by Christian Stevenson AKA DJ BBQ on the Saturday and Barra Fitzgibbon on Sunday, featuring live demos and discussions on all things fire and flavour. This year’s line-up includes sessions from Lord Logs himself, Mark Parr, Tom Brown and Meatopia UK Founder Richard H Turner (Saturday) alongside Tom Hill to discuss the saviour of the great British dairy cow. Sunday’s line-up boasts Amninder Sandhu, Samantha Evans and Atlanta guest chef Bryan Furman.
BE WARNED: Saturday is now sold out, with Friday and Sunday tickets selling fast!
Friday 30th August 2019 – 5 to 11pm – The Late Shift
Saturday 31st August 2019 – 11:30am to 10pm SOLD OUT
Sunday 1st September 2019 – 11:30am to 7pm
For more information on Meatopia 2019 and to book tickets visit:
