September Food News with Eat With Ellen

And just like that, summer appears to be over. The kids are going back to school, the heatwave is but a distant memory, and it’s back to routine, chilly mornings and making plans for Christmas (yes, I said it. Sorry not sorry).

Lucky for me, being a mum only of dogs means I haven’t had to squeeze my fun into six expensive weeks over summer and will be spending most of this month roadtripping round Europe in my campervan. However, I’m aware September can be a tough month as we try to get back into a bit of routine and the prospect of a long wait until the next break, so I’ve found you a few things that might perk you up and cure any autumn blues that are floating around.

As ever, if you follow any of my suggestions, make sure you tag @belleabouttown when you go and let me know of any of your own recommendations for September fun!

Terra Terra launches on Finchley Road

Did someone say secret cocktail terrace? Terra Terra opens this month on Finchley Road in north London. If you’re trying to reminisce over lovely summer fun, this Tuscan-inspired all-day restaurant and cafe might be the right place, with open bakery and tucked-away patio making it a possible choice for breakfast, lunch, dinner or cocktails.

Food ranges from baked goods for the commuter crowd to Italian-inspired lunches and dinners aimed at everyone from the after-work gang to families. The menu includes Chichettis, small plates and Terra Terra’s in-house pizzette and pasta dishes.

Terra Terra Walter Pintus, the award-winning mixologist behind bars including The Ritz and The Mandrake, has dreamt up a list of Italian cocktails with a twist alongside traditional serves like the 1860s Negroni. Sound like a nice way of dragging out summer just that little bit longer.

Terra Terra, 120 Finchley Rd, London NW3 5JB. Nearest station – Finchley Road

Bar takeovers at BAO Fitz

Looking for something a little bit different? Taiwanese favourite BAO Fitz is holding three bar takeovers on Thursdays this month, complete with special dishes and late night opening. Each guest’s takeover will see the bar serve a specially-crafted drink paired with a unique one-off bao.

BAO Takeovers The first starts on Thursday, September 5 with Copenhagen-based Empirical Spirits creating a bespoke cocktail paired with a Fried Chicken Bao served with Empirical Sauce.

The following week on September 12 will R?NIN, famous for their fish, seafood and Japanese spirits, will bring a taste of Hong Kong to BAO with a creation inspired by a Japanese whisky collection to be matched with a limited edition Shirako Tempura Bao.

BAO Takeovers Closing the series on Thursday, September 19 is New York’s Japanese-American bar Katana Kitten, serving KK -Panda Fizz’s, Toki Highballs and Sencha & Gin Tonics, teamed with BAO’s limited Mortadella Katsu Sando Bao.

Cocktails are £8-9 per drink – each limited cocktail and special pairing bao will be available on the menu for one week following its introduction. To celebrate the occasion, BAO Fitz will be open one hour later than usual with the last food orders being taken at 11pm. Reservations are advised.

31 Windmill St, Fitzrovia, London W1T 2JN. Nearest stations – Goodge Street, Tottenham Court Road

London Wing Fest

If you thought food festival season was over, think again. This weekend is London Wing Fest, the chance to find out who really does do the best wings. The festival takes place at London Stadium in the Olympic Park on Saturday and Sunday (September 7 & 8), featuring a fierce competition between 35 contestants to see who is crowned the King or Queen of the Wing. They’ll take part in a variety of categories from Best Buffalo Wing to Best Wild Wing.

Basically, once you’re in, you can buy wings for £1 then vote for your favourite using the Wing Fest app. There’s also the Frank’s RedHot Wing Eating Competition and Dr Sweetsmoke’s deadly Lava Wing Challenge if you really fancy a challenge, as well as cooking demonstrations, BBQ tips, fun shows and DJs, plus fairground attractions, roaming musicians, chainsaw carving and axe throwing. Fun, right? For more information and tickets visit here.

London Stadium, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London E20 2ST. Nearest stations – Stratford, Stratford International

Tower of London Food Festival

While we’re on the subject of festivals, how about the Tower of London food festival? It takes place from Friday, September 13 to Sunday, September 15, with demos from Emily Roux to Chris Bavin and Dr Rupy Aujla, as well as plenty of street food, ales and G&Ts and live entertainment at the bandstand.

There’s also kids’ entertainment like traditional and vintage games as well as a hands-on masterclass. Re-live the summer holidays for one more weekend folks! More info on the festival is here.

Tower of London, St Katharine’s & Wapping, London EC3N 4AB. Nearest station – Tower Hill

Ellen Manning

Ellen started as a news reporter on her local paper straight out of university, working her way up to become the chief reporter at national news agency the Press Association. There she spent six years gallivanting around the country - and the world - reporting on everything from troops in Afghanistan to the Olympics. After a stint writing telecoms news, she's now freelance and indulges in general wordsmithery for a variety of publications. Her real passion is food, whether it's talking about, thinking about, or eating it. She's got her own blog Eat with Ellen (www.eatwithellen.com) and you'll most likely find her dragging her husband on a food-filled mission, either at home or further afield. Ellen's on board as Belle's resident food expert, giving you a monthly lowdown on upcoming events and openings, trends, issues, and what's hot and what's not in the world of food.

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