What events are coming up this April?

delicious. team

Written by the expert and completely food-obsessed team behind this website, our social channels and our monthly magazine.

Find more

Discover our pick of great events for food lovers across the country this April. Watch a foodie film, learn about edible insects, join a free community dinner or listen to your favourite food writers in conversation at The British Library….

See what’s coming up and use the links to tap through, find out more and book your place.

Plan ahead for the Yorkshire Dales Food & Drink Festival

Events across the country

Explore eating insects
Think you’ll have grubs on your dinner table one day? As part of its Meat The Future exhibition, The Food Museum in Stowmarket, Suffolk, is hosting an event with Nick Rousseau, founder of the UK Edible Insect Association, and insect food distributor Perez Ochieng on 27 April to talk about overcoming the ‘yuck factor’ around eating bugs. Learn about the history of insect-scoffing, the nutritional and agricultural benefits, and how insect-based products are currently regulated in the UK. The museum also runs free daily talks and tours. Tickets £18, available from The Food Museum.

Step out for a spring stroll
As you venture out on bracing walks, keep an eye out to for wild garlic…

Barnsdale gardens in Oakham, Rutland have something for every season, from the Woodland Walk to fragrant spring blossoms in the Japanese Garden (pictured) and, in summer, glorious blooms in the Rose Garden. You can buy plants at the shop and have a bite to eat too.

In Kent, amble along the stream around Kearsney Abbey and enjoy an ice cream or hot chocolate. It’s a great wild garlic spot in spring. For more seasonal stroll-spiration, browse the National Trust website.

Join The Newt’s garden membership
If walks and workshops are on your 2024 vision board, the Somerset hotel-estate The Newt has launched a one-year Garden Membership for its spectacular gardens, complete with farm shops, restaurants and museum, plus exclusive extras as well as online workshops and masterclasses. Membership goes beyond The Newt too: you also get unlimited free access to partner gardens across the UK, from Kew Gardens in London to the Eden Project and Trebah Gardens in Cornwall. What a gift – for yourself or a friend. Membership from £75, available from The Newt.

Take a trip to the pictures< >Cheese and pineapple, Tone? Director Matt Winn’s new darkly witty British comedy, The Trouble With Jessica, sees a dinner party go very, very wrong. The film takes a look at the farcical struggles of British middle-class life today, as Sarah (Shirley Henderson) and Tom (Alan Tudyk) have their evening gatecrashed by the troublesome Jessica (Indira Varma). Also starring Rufus Sewell and Olivia Williams. In cinemas from 5 April.

Plan some festival fun
Booking ahead for the summer? Head to Funkirk Farm, near Skipton in the Yorkshire Dales, for what’s billed as the UK’s biggest food and drink festival (with added music). The lineup includes Blue, Chesney Hawkes, Heather Small and Gok Wan alongside celebrity chefs including local boy James Martin. 19-21 July, weekend entry tickets from £68, day tickets £32, available from Yorkshire Dales Food & Drink Festival.>

Walk for hope
Snack stops are carefully built into the routes of the Pink Ribbon Walks launching this spring (baking opportunity ahoy…), courtesy of the charity Breast Cancer Now. On each walk, whether you choose the 10 or 20-mile option, you’ll be supporting the 55,000 people who are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK. Book either Hampton Court Palace & The Thames Path (April), Blenheim Palace & The Cotswolds (May) or Bakewell & The Peak District (June). Registration fee £20, sign up via Breast Cancer Now.

GROUND at Brighton Festival
GROUND is an interactive dining experience that uses local food to tell global stories about ingredients and their origins. Through performance and audio reality (plus a three-course meal), you’ll learn about ethical issues and cultural connections to food. The event takes place in the Earthship building, which featured on Grand Designs and is constructed from recycled materials. Tickets from £25 (running until Sunday 26 May), available from Brighton Festival.

Events in London

Enjoy a free dinner – with new friends
Kindred, a coworking space, restaurant and events venue in west London, has teamed up with food charity Nourish Hub to provide monthly community dinners. These meals are free of charge and the 100 guests can meet new people, eat delicious food and play games in the stunningly restored grade II-listed space. Making new friends is encouraged; phones are discouraged. Sounds good to us.

Stem and Stem’s bouquets and croquettes event

This restaurant-cum-florist hosts workshop evenings, with their bouquets and croquettes evening on the 26th April offering the chance to learn how to form a beautiful bouquet all while enjoying a glass of bubbly champagne, paired perfectly with their restaurant’s snacks. If you’re not free on the 26th, enjoy Stem and Stem’s restaurant where they serve great simple seafood (the oysters with caviar and dill oil are a highlight), and parmesan with balsamic vinegar. Pick up a bouquet of flowers after you eat! Tickets for the event are £75.

If I Had A… Pie and Mash Shop with Calum Franklin & Ivan Tisdall-Downes
London’s ‘King of Pies’ Calum Franklin and wild food chef Ivan Tisdall-Downes take over M.Manze Peckham, London’s longest-running pie and mash shop on Sunday 7th April. Pies on offer include: ox cheek and oyster; masala spiced dauphinois; and stargazey with chicken, leek and Scottish langoustine. The green and white tiled shop is a must-visit for lovers of classic Cockney cuisine and this event aims to highlight the importance of preserving iconic spaces in London, such as Manzes. Tickets are available to members of new social platform Sera, an events platform for lovers of new food and drink experiences, and it’s free to sign up here (£35 for this event).

Book for The British Library Food Season
The institution’s sell-out event series is back this May with some exciting talks and tastings (in person at the building in central London and online). Sign up now before they sell out, and join the likes of Ravinder Bhogal, Angela Hartnett, Ixta Belfrage, Andi Oliver, Dr Chris van Tulleken and many more as they discuss everything from food writing to farming in the digital age. Ticket prices vary, visit the British Library’s website.

Restaurant of the month

Pavyllon, London

The Immersive Menu at chef Yannick Alléno’s Pavyllon London – which was awarded its first Michelin star this year, shortly after opening – is four courses of perfectly balanced, intricate plates that will surprise and delight. Highlights included a cheese soufflé with a herby oil, think an airy and sophisticated cheese flan. Roasted duck magret, served with marinated daikon and the creamiest mash you’ve tried, is a highly memorable dish too. £85 for four courses.