Top 7: Valentine’s Day Events in LondonBy Alicia Grimshaw
Whether you want to spend Valentine’s Day tucking into a fried chicken banquet, whispering sweet nothings into a wheel of cheese, or taking part in a dating experiment – we’ve discovered the best Valentine’s Day events happening in the capital. There’s no love greater than a love of chicken wings:
1. For Lingerie and Cocktails: Super Lyan
What: For an alternative (and cheeky) Valentine‘s Day date spot, or to avoid soppy romantic types all together, basement bar Super Lyan has partnered with boutique lingerie designer, and old University friend, Rosie von Boschan for a night of cocktails, nipple tassel making masterclasses, alongside a pop-up lingerie shop.
The Event: Rosie makes beautiful and intricately detailed erotic lingerie and costume pieces which are handcrafted in her London studio. Bejewelled and dripping in delicate beadwork, they are inspired by courtesans and enchantresses of bygone eras. Rosie will be exhibiting some of her couture items alongside affordable pieces available to buy, and those wishing to get hands on (so to speak) will be able to craft their own nipple tassels in a masterclass led by Rosie. The drinks, created by General Manager Maja Jaworska, have been inspired by the senses and arousal such as Taste, made with plantation pineapple, double pineapple and mint stinger, and Touch with Dewars 12, woodruff honey, applewood smoke and mead
Price: Walk-ins available, but for reservations visit the website. Nipple Tassel Making Masterclass £15-£20 per person
Where: 155 Hoxton Street, London, N1 6PJ
2. For a Dairy-Filled Dinner: KERB x The Cheese Wheel
What: On 14th and 15th February, KERBanist (and Instagram cheese phenomenon) Graham Bradbury will be getting behind the wheel at KERB Counter to cook you and your date a four course Cheese Wheel feast.
The Event: We’re not just talking about a cheese board here, we’re talking about your very own grana-padano wheel to dunk extra long (Lady and the Tramp “belle notte” style) fettucine limbs into and take home after, with toppings on the side, goat’s cheese mousse, arancini mozzarella balls, tiramisu cheesecake and Chapel Down bellinis. There will be cocktails, wines and beers at the bar throughout the night, and cheesy romantic tunes to keep the mood steamy.
Price: Standard couple tickets start at £66 and include a 3 course meal and bellini on arrival. There will be two sittings across two evenings (6.30pm and 9pm). Get them here.
Where: KERB Counter, Camden Lock Place, Camden Market, London NW1 8AF
3. For an Anti-Valentine’s Day Dinner: Veuve Clicquot x Granary Brasserie
What: Forget flowers, leave that chocolate selection box on the shelf and cancel that overpriced table for two, all romantic clichés are to be ditched in favour of the Anti-Valentine’s movement led by Veuve Clicquot.
The Event: The first tradition to tackle: the romantic dinner. Veuve Clicquot will also be storming into Granary Square Brasserie in King’s Cross on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th February to help everyone celebrate friendship in style. Those who reserve tables of three or more from 6pm on both evenings will receive a complimentary glass of Veuve Clicquot Rosé, before sitting back to enjoy dinner and a set from DJ Jez Pereira who’ll be hitting the decks from 6.30pm to 8.00pm. Finally, a Clicquot Piñata will hang from the ceiling for guests to smash for prizes. The group to break the piñata will not only receive a share of the sweet treats, tongue-in-cheek temp-tattoos and dare dice inside, but will also win a magnum of Veuve Clicquot Rosé to enjoy.
Price: To book, visit the website here or call 020 3940 1000.
4. For Flower Power: The Alfred Tennyson
What: Cubitt House has teamed up with Terrarium and indoor plant arrangement specialists, Jar & Fern for a terrarium workshop on Galentine’s Day (13th February).
The Event: Guests will be provided with everything they need to create their own terrarium, while the team at Jar & Fern will guide attendees through the process, resulting in a beautiful garden in a jar to be taken home with them. The kitchen team will be putting together nibbles like manouri and courgette fritters, Scotch olives and salt cod croquettes amongst other delicious bites.
Price: Tickets for the workshop cost £55 per person including the workshop, terrarium to take home including seasonal canapes and cocktails. Buy here.
Where: The Alfred Tennyson, 10 Motcomb Street, London SW1X 8LA
5. For a Gals Supper Club: Three Girls Cook
What: Three Girls Cook are heading to Brother Marcus for a Valentine’s Day special supper club on the 14th February. The trio of MasterChef 2017 finalists, Alison, Giovanna and Lorna are hosting a night especially for all those who prefer fries over guys. The girls will be dishing up a sharing feast fit for queens, turning the so called term of endearment, chicks, well and truly on its head, as each course uses the humble chicken as inspiration.
The Event: After a well-deserved welcome glass of bubbly, provided by Vino Beano, guests will sit down to a three-course sharing supper. For starters, answering the age-old question of what came first the chicken or the egg will be the girl’s take on the beloved Scotch egg. Drawing on the classic breakfast dish of kedgeree, a smooth smoked haddock mousse will be wrapped around the soft boiled egg and served with a punchy curried mayonnaise. For the main event, a whole chicken will be boned out and packed full of TGC’s signature stuffing mix, with a whole host of fresh and zingy salad platters and sauces to mix and match. Salads include roast pumpkin, tahini yoghurt, nori and almond crumb and pickled cucumber and black sesame. To finish off the evening, a nest-like dessert of crispy baked angel hair pastry with a floral rose scented and white chocolate panna cotta nestled underneath brings things to a close.
Price: £44 per person. Tickets here.
Where: 9 Chestnut Grove, London SW12 8JA
6. For a Fried Feast: Prince of Peckham x Morley’s
What: Two iconic South London institutions are coming together in the name of love. And poultry. For one meat-filled night only, you and your bae can feast on an array of wings, soul food and a sweet apple and blueberry pie thanks to the Morley’s Prince of Peckham Valentine’s Dinner.
The Event: Prince Of Peckham has teamed up with south London chicken champions Morley’s to create an exclusive four course menu created in collaboration with White Men Can’t Jerk. The special menu for Valentine’s Day specifically will kick off with ‘Bae’, a warming cocktail to give romance a kick start with Wray & Nephew overproof, Luxardo, passionfruit, pineapple juice, fresh lime and fiery ginger beer. Next up, ‘Wings of Love’, a sharing plate of Morley’s spicy original chicken wings with a selection of sauces including WMCJ Homemade Buffalo sauce, blue cheese dip, jerk BBQ and the WMCJ Signature Wing Ting Glaze. And the romance continues with Morley’s special fried chicken served with a rich and creamy mashed potato, sweetcorn and 24 hour chicken gravy. There’s homemade apple and blueberry pie served with freshly whipped cream for pud.
Price: Tickets are priced at £27.50, available here.
Where: 1 Clayton Rd, London SE15 5JA
7. For a Romanic Experiment: Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen
What: If you really want to throw caution this Valentine’s Day take part in London’s first dating social experiment based on Mandy Len Catron’s Modern Love essay, To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This.
The Event: The essay explored how intimacy between two strangers can be accelerated by having them ask each other a specific series of personal questions. The 36 questions in the study are broken up into three sets, with each set intended to be more probing than the previous one. In the age of swipe right, join Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen for an event focused on who you are and not just what you look like. Apply here to be matched with a stranger, ask 36 questions over a drink at Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen, and see if you fall in love.
Price: Free. Sign up here
Where: 100-106 Leonard St, London EC2A 4RH
One for luck…
For Free Cocktails: Bobby Fitzpatrick
What: Valentine’s Day (Wednesday 14th Feb) naturally makes us reflect back on our first loves: to reminisce about the frilly carnations that were left in school lockers, the heart shaped notes scribbled into exercise books and tentative handholding at the school disco. For those feeling nostalgic, 1970s bar Bobby Fitzpatrick in West Hampstead will be giving away a free Alison Mahoney cocktail (aptly named after Bobby’s first love) to anyone that brings a picture of their first love or childhood sweetheart to the bar.
The Event: Downstairs in the lounge, Bobby Fitzpatrick will also be hosting a ‘Meet The Ambassador’ night from 7pm which offers a chance to the meet the Angostura ambassador and to try the delicious range of rums. With free entry, a free glass of rum punch upon arrival and a menu of Angostura cocktails to try, including an Angostura Old Fashioned (Angostura 1919, demerara, bitters – £10), the evening will be a fun boozy date for couples and friends alike.
Price: Free entry
Where: 273 West End Ln, London NW6 1QS
