You might have noticed the recent rise in supper clubs across London, a trend I’m sure has something to do with the uncertain financial climate. Emerging chefs are looking for new ways to share their food beyond the traditional restaurant scene – an increasingly (and ironically) inhospitable space, with rising costs and shrinking margins.

In the summer of 2023, I launched a seasonal supper club with my housemate and collaborator, Virginia Malavasi. Our journey wasn’t a linear one, starting in the dark December of 2021 when I was stuck in London over Christmas; alone, miserable, riddled with Covid, and in need of something to look forward to. About to turn 29 and knowing I didn’t want a huge 30^th birthday, I set about planning an extravagant spring celebration with which to see out my twenties. I hired enough tables and benches to seat 36 of my family and friends, my mum scoured the charity shops of North Yorkshire for cutlery, water jugs and linen and we feasted on a comforting menu of focaccia, olives, spaghetti and meatballs – all washed down with gallons of wine and topped off with a selection of my favourite cakes. It was, to this day, one of the best nights of my life.

That night planted a seed which has since blossomed into ‘Suppers by Rosie & Virgi’, the seasonal series we run from our warehouse in Hackney. We had been hosting big birthdays, weddings and festive meals for a while, so we thought, why not make that more of an intentional, regular event? Not only do our skills complement one another – with me manning the kitchen and Virginia taking care of the styling and visuals – but the evenings bring us a huge amount of joy. Although neither of us has any desire to open a restaurant, we love hosting. Feeding and uniting people around a table is one of life’s great pleasures, each supper club  unique from the next, exuding a  beautiful sense of brevity.

Our suppers are a family affair: my sister Lily makes the prints for our posters, our friend Frida handles the digital design, we commission a resident artist to paint the tablecloths and our boyfriends, cousins and friends make up the front and back-of-house teams. We pay our team fairly and charge a reasonable price for the tickets. Supper clubs are rarely a money-making enterprise – and certainly aren’t in our case.

Stunning suppers are popping up all over the city. I have my eye on a few, not least AGÜITA SALA which I discovered after one of the founders came to our very first supper in 2023. I’d also love to try Teo Della Torre’s new Community Supper Club which sounds like a beautiful concept – to share food and build community. In a city like London that can feel inaccessible and unaffordable, it’s events like these that offer an alternative to the usual dining experience: a more inclusive and interesting way to treat yourself to a delicious plate of food.

Rosie & Virgi’s Suppers are published on www.suppersby.com