Borough Market will ignite appetites across London this September with Flame & Smoke, a brand-new after-hours celebration of the theatre and irresistible flavour of fire cooking. Taking place on Thursday 10 September, from 6.30pm to 9.30pm, the event will showcase the skills of Borough Market’s expert traders, chefs and restaurateurs.
Guests can feast on specially created small plates and soak up the atmosphere as a live DJ provides the evening’s soundtrack to the unique experience. At the heart of Flame & Smoke will be the central fire pit and demonstration stage, compered by Shauna Guinn of Hang Fire BBQ. A leading figure in British barbecue, Shauna has helped introduce UK audiences to the traditions of American barbecue through Hang Fire’s street food pop-ups, award-winning restaurant, her bestselling cookbook and BBC series Sam & Shauna’s Big Cook-Out.
Tickets are £7 (plus small booking fee) and will be available from Tuesday 11 August for Friends of Borough Market, the free-to-join Borough Market community, before going on general sale from Monday 17 August.
Throughout the evening, a selection of Borough Market’s traders and restaurants will serve dishes created especially for Flame & Smoke, while sharing the techniques behind each barbecued bite through live demonstrations and conversations with the people who work with the produce every day.
The menu will draw on the breadth of fire cooking traditions represented by the Market’s street food and produce traders, as well as restaurants. Moving beyond familiar barbecue staples, it will showcase the expertise and distinctive flavours of cuisines from Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Mediterranean and beyond. Traders will collaborate across the Market, drawing on one another’s produce to create original dishes, ensuring these traditional techniques are matched by exceptional-quality raw ingredients.
Throughout the night, familiar faces from Borough Market and special guests will take to the stage to share the skills behind successful fire cooking. Demonstrations will explore everything from managing heat and achieving the perfect sear to cooking slowly over smoke and using flame, charcoal and wood to bring out sweet, salty, spicy and smoky flavours.
Flame & Smoke will take over Borough Market’s Green Market, extending into the open-air space beside Southwark Cathedral. Food and drink traders will be set against this striking backdrop, creating a lively after-hours atmosphere as the DJ soundtrack carries through the evening.
Bethan Davies, Head of Communications and Marketing at Borough Market, said:
“Barbecuing in the UK is too often reduced to burnt sausages and burgers in the garden. Flame & Smoke is here to change that, showing just how exciting, skilful and versatile cooking over fire can be. Our traders draw on traditions from around the world to create bold flavours and make exceptional produce sing. This is barbecue, Borough Market style.”
Flame & Smoke follows the success of Borough Market’s Evening of Seafood and is part of its growing programme of after-hours events. These evenings offer new audiences the opportunity to discover the Market’s produce and people through food, demonstrations and direct access to expert traders.
Joining Friends of Borough Market is free at: boroughmarket.org.uk/friends-of-borough-market/
General tickets will be available at: boroughmarket.org.uk