London’s best pop-ups

If a trip to Hampton Court has been on your to-do list, why not time your visit to coincide with this foodie extravaganza? Over the August Bank Holiday weekend entrance tickets to Henry VIII’s former gaff give you access to more than 150 speciality food stalls, so you can feast like like a Tudor king in the palace's gorgeous green spaces. There's also pop-up bars, kids’ activities, and an array of local musicians taking to the bandstand to soundtrack your culinary adventure. 

Its been nine long years since Brick Lane last hosted its Curry Festival, but E1’s curry houses are once again coming together for this free festival taking over Brick Lane and nearby streets this September, with the aim of reestablishing this East End neighbourhood as the curry capital of the UK. The main event is on Sunday 21, when visitors can expect street food stalls and chef demonstrations outside the stretch of Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani restaurants on the corner of Brick Lane and Hanbury Street, alongside a host of family-friendly fun including DJs, stilt walkers, magicians and live graffiti presentations, plus some opportunities to get stuck in at henna and bangla dancing workshops. You can also get 20% off your bill at a host of participating restaurants all weekend by reserving a free ticket here.  Very tasty indeed.

Forget the same old, same old. The annual Future Of Food Festival, hosted by the culinary hotspots of Regent Street and St James’s, has got events galore that are all about the newest, most exciting, and most sustainable bits of the restaurant industry. Join panel talks with industry experts to get some insight into where food is heading in the coming years, tuck into some unique dining experiences and meet some of the most innovative chefs, restaurateurs and suppliers in the country. This year, there’ll be exclusive dining experiences from chefs including Alex Dilling and Rafael Cagali, an 11-course seafood fiesta at Bentley’s Ocean’s Eleven, masterclasses from sustainable booze brands including Sapling Spirits, and On-Street Feasts where you can dine outdoors, enjoying dishes from four different restaurants at the same time. Across the whole of September, the area will be a treasure trove of promotions, with select restaurants offering discounts, while the Discovery Zone will take you on a journey via taste, smell and touch to find out what the future of food is.

If you’re a carnivore with a big appetite for BBQ, Meatopia has your name written all over it. The boozy food fest is a veritable utopia for meat lovers, with 50 chefs invited down over four days to cook up a storm. This year's highlights include Andrew Clarke of renowned live fire restaurant Acme Fire Cult, rave-reviewed Manchester spot Stow's chef Jamie Pickles, and Michelin-starred dining concept HUMO. Book your tickets here, but be warned – they don’t include food, and the queues here can be lengthy, so it’s best to arrive early with your ‘meatbuck’ tokens at the ready.

There’ll be burgers on burgers on burgers at Walthamstow’s Signature Brew this September. We’re not exaggerating – the brewery is hosting the first ever Burger Fest UK, which will be London’s first burger festival in more than five years.  Arrive ravenous. Each ticket holder will be summoned upon to vote for which burger they think should be named the People’s Champion, so it’s only right that you taste test as many as you possibly can. Each trader will serve up an OG classic burger and a more creative (read: absolutely filthy) chef’s special. Contenders will come from the likes of Strip Club Street Food, originators of the controversial Biscoff burger; 7Bone, inventors of the wotsit-topped Donny J Trump burger; and Baggio Burger, creators of Italian inspired burgers like the Zola, which is stuffed with beef, gorgonzola, mozzeralla, parmesan, fig jam and rocket. There’ll be an array of craft beers and cocktails to help you wash things down.