The London Restaurant Festival celebrates everything it is to be a foodie in a city. From 4-18 October food lovers can explore some of the capital's finest cooking, from its high-profile Michelin-starred restaurants to coveted neighbourhood bistros.
There will be a huge selection of events to get your teeth into - watch AA Gill and Janet Street Porter thrash it out, visit sumptuous food markets and even go on a gastronomic walking tour of the city where you stop off at various restaurants along the way.
However, the most exciting thing by far is the American Express 10-10-10 event where on October 10, 10 highly celebrated chefs cast aside their creative differences (have you ever heard a chef say a nice thing about another) to work in collaboration to prepare 10 exciting Sunday lunch menus.
As a treat we've got hold of the menu from the combined genius of Steven Smith of Freemasons Country Inn in Wiswell, and Matthew Foxon from Criterion in London so you can host your very own, very special Sunday lunch.
Lottie Designs
To start: Pugh's piglet - head to toe
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 ham hocks
1 pint of reserved
cooking liquor
3 leaves of gelatine (soaked in cold water then dissolved in liquor)
Chervil, parsley (chopped)
8 eggs
Breadcrumbs, flour
Method
Simmer the ham hocks in a large pan of unsalted water until the meat comes away from the bone (about 31/2 hours).
Pick the meat from the bone, discarding the fat whilst warm.
Mix the ham with the herbs and the liquor, place into a terrine mould, lined with Clingfilm and press with a weight in the fridge overnight.
Lightly poach 6 of the eggs, refresh in ice water, and roll the eggs in flour, then into the two remaining beaten eggs, then into the breadcrumbs.
To serve, slice the terrine into six portions, deep fry the eggs at 180 degrees C until golden brown, and serve with piccalilli.
Lottie Designs
Main course: Scallops with pork belly
Serves 6
Ingredients
12 scallops
500ml double cream
1 side of pork belly
Salt and pepper
2 sweet potatoes
Method
Preheat the oven to 140 degrees C.
Wash the pork belly and pat dry, season generously then barely cover with water in a large tray. Cover the tray with tin foil and bake for three hours. Allow to cool, then remove from the tray and press between two baking trays overnight. Slice into cubes.
Wrap the sweet potatoes in tin foil, bake in 160 degrees C oven for 1.5 hours.
Reduce the cream by half in a pan, blend the hot cream with the peeled potatoes and puree in a blender with salt and pepper until smooth.
Reheat the pork belly under the grill or in a medium hot oven.
Warm the puree in a pan.
In a hot pan, fry the scallops in a little oil until golden brown.
Flip over and cook for a further minute, add a knob of butter, lemon juice and seasoning.
Place a line of puree on the plate, then the warm pork belly and finally the scallops.
Garnish with chopped coriander and batons of apple.
Lottie Designs
Pudding: Lemon Tart
Serves: 4
Ingredients
210g sweet pastry
160g sugar
130ml double cream
5 eggs
2 lemons
Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Line a 20cm lightly buttered tart ring with the sweet pastry, chill.
Whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl until smooth, add the juice of the lemons followed by the double cream, whisking until smooth, reserve in the fridge.
Line the tart case with clingfilm, fill with baking beans and blind bake for 15 minutes, carefully remove the clingfilm, brush the case with a beaten egg and return the tart to the oven for a further 5 minutes (or until golden brown).
Lower the oven temperature to 100ºC. Fill the tart case with the lemon mixture and cook until the mixture is set but still slightly wobbly.
Leave to cool in the fridge then trim off the excess pastry with a sharp knife, gently remove the tart ring and divide into 8 portions.