A Viking longboat’s worth of Icelanders will be invading the capital this September. After two and a half decades of charming its way round more than 20 cities across the US, Canada, Germany and Japan, Taste of Iceland is arriving in London for the first time.
The three-day festival offers loads of opportunities to get better aquainted with the food and culture of the remote country who many Londoners mostly know through Sigur Rós and travel TikTok.
Vauxhall brasserie Darby’s is hosting nightly dinners where Iceland’s reigning Chef of the Year, Hinrik Örn Lárusson, joins forces with the restaurant’s own Robin Gill to build a multi-course menu around Icelandic lamb and seafood. There’s also a guided cocktail journey through Iceland’s wildest regions, featuring a mixologist and a storyteller-guide who will walk you through three destinations via three drinks. Comedy fans can catch Iceland’s biggest stand-up Ari Eldjárn breaking down the realities of Icelandic life, fresh from his Netflix special. And don’t miss an Iceland-themed exhibition from the World’s Worst Photographer, chosen from 127,000 entries, whose slightly blurry Iceland shots are somehow still better than anything on your camera roll.
Best bit? Almost all of it’s free. Just bring an appetite and low expectations for your own photography by comparison.