The Art of Dining pop up company’s latest project was due to be held at the Old School Rooms in Clapton, Hackney from July 22nd into August, but organisers today confirmed to Cost Sector Catering magazine the event had been called off.
The pop up gained a lot of exposure on social media and aimed to create ‘a classic school dinners experience’.
But talks with the venue over arrangements for the event have ‘broken down over various issues’, say organisers, and it has had to be pulled.
The menu was pitched as ‘school dinners with a fine dining twist’. It featured a packed lunch of confit pork belly focaccia with pickled veg and plum sauce with coriander apple salad. A walnut and pomegranate braised lamb Shepherd’s pie with wilted spinach, pine nuts and anchovy was also on the menu.
The well-publicised event had generated some opposition and had been called ‘idiotic’ by a Reclaim Hackney campaign, which was launched to shut down the event. It pointed out that over 40 per cent of children are on free school meals in the borough.
However, organisers had since told the Hackney Citizen that The Art of Dining had plans to work with LACA’s National School Meals Week promotion in the future.
Speaking to the Hackney Citizen, co-founder and head chef Ellen Parr, said: “We will be working with National School Meals week in the future, and we are pleased that lots of positive discussions have already come out of this.”
She also revealed that £5 from every ticket sold was due to be donated to The Magic Breakfast charity, which serves free breakfasts to thousands of children every day.
Organisers said they hoped to be able to find another venue to host the event in the future.