Unmissable events in June and July

By The Artful Diner (@TheArtfulDiner)

It’s a quiet week in the office now that the long Jubilee weekend is over and most (sensible) people seem to have taken the rest of the week as holiday. A hot, lazy afternoon spent in Richmond Park two weeks ago now seems a distant memory as I type wrapped in three layers and my wool scarf, which I resurrected from the depths of my wardrobe this morning. (Either the office air-con system has broken or I am still recovering from being balanced in driving rain atop a fence in Battersea Park this Sunday to watch the Jubilee Pageant.)

So, to warm myself up I have decided to sort out my diary in June and July in good faith that summer will return. Luckily, there is so much going on in London that it would be impossible not to get excited. Here goes so far – I look forward to seeing you there with a glass of bubbly and sunglasses firmly in place!

June

On Monday 11 June I’m off to a party celebrating Skylon’s fifth birthday and the launch of a special menu by lovely executive chef Helena Puolakka (menu available until 16 June). I’m also going to make sure I book myself some tickets for this summer’s Southbank Centre Festival of the World (1 June – 9 September).

At the start of June the Royal Academy of Arts launched its Summer Exhibition 2012 – the world’s largest open submission contemporary art exhibition. It runs until 12 August and while I’m in Piccadilly I’ll go for dinner at Avenue, which has an offer of £19.50 for two courses with a glass of Prosecco or Pimm’s. (If you like Lebanese cuisine I also recently had a delicious lunch a ten-minute walk away at Beirut street food specialist Yalla Yalla in Green’s Court, Soho.)

At the end of this week it’s MINT Polo in the Park at the Hurlingham. The following weekend my friend Eddie, master butcher at Paternoster Chop House, is hosting a free butchery master class for Father’s Day and the next day I’ll pop in again for the launch of Paternoster’s summer terrace.

It’s a chance to get my hat on for Royal Ascot from 19-23 June, then a real Artful Diner highlight – Taste of London from 21-24 June. If you’re looking for fantastic British food, Tim Allen, head chef at Launceston Place will be there. Other big names from D&D include Dan Loftin from Kensington Place and Mickael Weiss of Coq D’Argent. The amazing David Chang of Momofuku fame is over from New York for Taste and will be cooking at St John for only two nights (22 and 23 June) – you have to act quick to snaffle a pair of those tickets.

July

The week after that it’s cream teas and champagne at Wimbledon, which runs from 25 June to 8 July. I’m also going along to my friend Martin Kroon’s supper club at Butler’s Wharf Chop House, which has a summer-long English Country Garden theme. Just down the road at Blueprint Café I’m off to the Beekeeper’s Dinner on 3 July with Steve Benbow of The London Honey Co – one of the food producers at my favourite market, Maltby Street.

Keeping it strictly British, the BAFTA exhibition of Ian Derry’s wonderful photography runs at Quaglino’s until 18 July and I’m going along to the free Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra performance of the ‘Best of British’ at Canada Square on 11 July – I’ll head for the Nyetimber Terrace at Plateau for some very English fizz. (Plateau is continuing the theme with its Best of British Festival.)

Then of course, the BBC Proms kick off on 13 July and, most important of all, I can’t wait for the Olympics – under starter’s orders on 27 July.

If I’ve missed anything important, feel free to let me know!