Looking for quirky Christmas party ideas? London's Sutton House is taken over by The Art of Dining, allowing you to host the Christmas banquet of your dreams this December. Combining art, experimental gourmet food and an authentic sixteenth century setting they can provide a truly immersive dining experience for you and up to 50 of your guests.
Pitching camp in the National Trust, built in 1535 and rumoured to have been frequented by Henry VIII himself, chef Ellen Parr and set designer Alice Hodge will take your guests through a Tudor, experience themed around the Vanitas art movement of the sixteenth century.
For those that don’t know already, Vanitas was a genre of still life painting that celebrated the transience of life through symbolic subject matters such as skulls, decaying fruit and hourglasses. In keeping with this, Alice Hodge (an experienced art designer who has worked on everything from weddings to theatre productions) will be embellishing the exquisitely laid out banquet with a spectacular centerpiece using skulls, burning candles, soap bubbles, decaying flowers and more.
As for the food, Ellen Parr, (who has worked in Moro and Rochelle’s canteen) is sure to bring out the Middle Eastern and Spanish influences that shape her cooking. She has recently traveled around South East Asia and India researching cooking methods and a dish that has already been announced is a Vietnamese style roasted quail with a sweet and spicy rub.
The cost is £100 a head, which gets you a five-course dinner, a cocktail on arrival, wine with your meal, bespoke crackers, a treasure hunt and, in all, evening of extraordinary entertainment.
You can book Vanitas
Pitching camp in the National Trust, built in 1535 and rumoured to have been frequented by Henry VIII himself, chef Ellen Parr and set designer Alice Hodge will take your guests through a Tudor, experience themed around the Vanitas art movement of the sixteenth century.
For those that don’t know already, Vanitas was a genre of still life painting that celebrated the transience of life through symbolic subject matters such as skulls, decaying fruit and hourglasses. In keeping with this, Alice Hodge (an experienced art designer who has worked on everything from weddings to theatre productions) will be embellishing the exquisitely laid out banquet with a spectacular centerpiece using skulls, burning candles, soap bubbles, decaying flowers and more.
As for the food, Ellen Parr, (who has worked in Moro and Rochelle’s canteen) is sure to bring out the Middle Eastern and Spanish influences that shape her cooking. She has recently traveled around South East Asia and India researching cooking methods and a dish that has already been announced is a Vietnamese style roasted quail with a sweet and spicy rub.
The cost is £100 a head, which gets you a five-course dinner, a cocktail on arrival, wine with your meal, bespoke crackers, a treasure hunt and, in all, evening of extraordinary entertainment.
You can book Vanitas
What | The Art of Dining: Vanitas |
Where | Sutton House, 2-4 Homerton High St, Hackney, E9 6JQ | MAP |
Nearest tube | Mile End (underground) |
When |
08 Dec 14 – 10 Dec 14, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM 12 Dec 14 – 13 Dec 14, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM 15 Dec 14 – 18 Dec 14, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM |
Price | £45 |
Website | Click here for more information |