Nose to Tail Fortnight: offally good food experiences in London

Nose to Tail Fortnight celebrates unloved and forgotten cuts of meat, from offal to pigs' trotters. Here are some of the best pop-ups and events being held.

 A woman orders offal from Menuts Rosa, an offal specialist in Barcelona's La Boqueria market.
A woman orders offal from Menuts Rosa, an offal specialist in Barcelona's La Boqueria market Credit: Photo: AFP/Getty Images

People tend to be rather squeamish about eating the more unusual parts of animals. However tasty the meat or careful the preparation, hearts, spleens and entrails are simply not what many diners associate with a good meal.

Yet sales of offal and other unloved cuts of meat have risen significantly in recent years. In a time of economic hardship, their cheapness is attractive, while high-profile chefs have become the cuts' champions. Heston Blumenthal, for one, regularly waxes lyrical about offal's delights: in 2010, he even served up brains and testicles to the Queen.

This week sees the return of Nose to Tail Fortnight, a campaign which aims to cut food waste by encouraging people to eat animals in their entirety. Here are four of the best events being held to mark it.

Heads, Shoulders, Veals and Toes, Veals and Toes

Whimsical pop-up restaurateurs Jamie Hazeel and Lalie Jacout certainly aren’t interested in broaching the subject of offal delicately. Their rather gory-sounding veal dining experience is themed around the concept of an operating theatre, where they promise to “surgically slice the most sumptuous morsels from nose to tail to re-Veal the best of the beast”.

Thankfully, if it all gets too much for you, you can head over to the bar for a stiff drink. Just be aware that medical-inspired cocktails and “bloody remedies” are what's chiefly on offer. Gulp.

June 14, 7.30pm, £38.50

Hill Street Chews

Shoreditch is known for its trendy and alternative pop-up gatherings, but this particular event is unusual even by East London standards. At a secret location, cooks Derek Seth Bates and Andrew Norman Gilhespy will be teaching guests how to butcher a pig – including the bits people woudn't normally think of eating. A pig roast follows, and you can even take a doggy bag home. Or should that be a piggy bag?

June 15, 12pm-4pm, £55

Asado: Neck to Knee

Chefs Angela Church and Will Robertson's monthly supper club Asado is always dedicated to a particular animal. To mark Nose to Tail Fortnight, they’re promising to take diners “on a tasty journey through the noble and delicious sheep". Seven sheepy courses will be served, each matched with a suitable wine.

June 12, 7pm; June 13, 7:15pm. £57.75

Turkish Nose-to-Tail night

Not all cultures are as revolted as offal by ours. Turkish cuisine features dishes made from every offcut imaginable, from kokoretsi (offal wrapped and roasted in intestines) to arnavut ciğeri, fried liver. For one night only, Fulham Broadway restaurant Best Mangal will be showcasing a range of these lesser-known dishes.

June 12, 8pm, £33

Nose to Tail Fortnight runs till June 14, organised by Grub Club in association with Ethical Eats and Slow Food London