Celebrating London’s Hospitality Industry: Why London is such a great city for beer & food
What the hospitality industry is going through at the moment, is such a sad state of affairs, to say the least.
To see places that were once thriving hubs for communities become a shell of their former self is difficult for all of us to see.
Whilst COVID-19 may be the cause, it’s clear that regulations and policies have been the nail in the coffin for many businesses, that have given no choice but to either close or make massive cuts and losses.
We have and will continue to support the hospitality industry, which is made up of so many great friends of ours. And with London Craft Beer Festival coming up, we thought it would be a great time to speak to some of our friends about what makes London such a great city for beer and food, and remind ourselves why we love our city…where it all started!
Josh Katz: Executive Chef/Owner of Berber & Q
London’s multiculturalism is what sets it apart from other cities when it comes to our hospitality and beer. We have such a diverse range of influence, technique and ideas, from all over the world, which really drives the creativity, energy and ultimately quality of final product.
There aren’t many cities across the world in which you can eat such outstanding Sri Lankan, Persian and Japanese cuisine all within a stone’s throw from each other. Of course, we have a thriving pub culture too, which is part of the city’s cultural fabric, and this only elevates local craftsmanship as well as demand for better beer.
Sam McMeekin, Co-Founder & Director at The Gipsy Hill Brewing Company
Pre-COVID, London must be one of the most exciting places to eat and drink out in the world.
There is a fervent level of interest in water and drinker interest in 1) quality – ingredients quality and provenance; 2) integrity – in the cooking (& brewing) process, as well as trends like farm to fork, nose to tail, organic, fermented, blended, pure pasture…the list goes on; 3) simplicity – gone are the short cuts, the cheat sheets and clever tricks.
Simple things done well is what we all want. It’s a kickback against the onslaught of “convenience at the cost of quality” (albeit that we all still want highly convenient!).
It’s a great place to be a producer, because the game is simple – be as good as you can be! He/she who obsesses the most, wins. That’s wonderful, as these efforts will compound and spur on ever higher levels of innovation and exciting offerings.
Our challenge in the “new normal” is to make sure this pace doesn’t slow and continue to deliver it in a way that’s safe and still exciting.
Tom Delcourt AKA Beer_Farts
For me, London as a city is such a great mix of cultures, backgrounds and tastes that it becomes this amazing melting pot.
Put all of this together with a top London boozer serving some of the best German pilsners, UK pales or Belgian sours (and hopefully some decent vegan grub too), then you’re in a for a great time.
Robyn Simms, Co-founder of Square Root Soda
London is such an amazing melting pot of so many different cultures and you can taste that everywhere you go.
From breakfast to lunch to midafternoon pick me ups to dinner to midnight snacks, you’re never far away from something delicious, whatever you’re craving.
There’s a million different things to eat and a million different ways to do it – fancy restaurants, neighbourhood spots, pubs, markets, giant food halls – we’ve got it all!
George Rice, Founder of Serious Pig
EVERYTHING!! The rich tapestry of everything. It’s the ultimate cauldron, or rather a crucible.
Melting everything together and producing things to eat and drink that are much greater than the sum of their parts. It’s the best city on earth. Seriously!
Snita Pandoria, Editor at Her Favourite Food & Travel
London’s food scene is one of the most diverse and this is what makes it so special.
I love how easy it is to find a range of cuisines, from Malaysian food to Ethiopian food, there is something for everyone. Restaurants, food trucks and pop-ups offer a variety which is hard to match in other cities.’
John Longbottom, Head of Marketing at Signature Brew
London and beer are inseparable.
From the pubs and music venues, to the breweries who supply them, for hundreds of years they’ve been the beating heart of the city’s social scene.
There’s a rich history and celebration of beer here that’s unparalleled in any other city in the world.
Although we were fortunate enough to keep brewing a little during lockdown, it was heartbreaking to see so many of our friends’ breweries standing silent and the pubs and venues of London closed.
We can’t wait to see everyone again at LCBF, it’s going to be like a family reunion for London’s beer scene.
So there you have it! Some great reasons why London is such a great city for food and beer! We’re so happy to be able to showcase the amazing food vendors and breweries of London at London Craft Beer Festival and we can’t wait to see you in November!
If you haven’t got your tickets yet, head to londoncraftbeerfestival.co.uk/tickets
Your safety at our festival is our priority.
You can read our Covid-19 policy on our website.