Pub in the Park, the UK’s best food and music festival, curated by celebrity chef Tom Kerridge, is today launching its impressive menu offerings from the raft of talented chefs and restaurants taking part in the 2024 festival series. Pub in the Park this year will be hosted across the beautiful suburbs of Marlow, Chiswick, Reigate and St Albans.
As well as an iconic and stellar line up of musical acts, including amongst others, Busted, Sam Ryder, Van Morrison, Paloma Faith, Olly Murs, and McFly, the festival is renowned for its world class food and beverage offering. Pubs, restaurants, and chefs from across the UK will cook up a range of small plates inspired by their personal career journeys and restaurants. Alongside these dishes, each restaurant will also have specially designed child-friendly options too, to cater for little ones and families.
This year, as well as the classic food offering, each restaurant will introduce an elevated dish to their menu. The ‘Pub Special’ is a dish that brings something a little extra special to the table. Expect bold flavours and premium ingredients as the chefs create completely new dishes or rework house favourites.
Menu Highlights at Pub in the Park Marlow (16th – 19th May)
It wouldn’t be Tom’s festival without an appearance from his very own original Marlow-based pub, The Hand & Flowers. With Two Michelin Stars, guests to Pub in the Park can expect his famed elevated twists on pub classics such as Nduja Sausage Rolls with Spanish cheese and mashed potato and Crispy Goan Cauliflower with chopped sour greens. Tom’s Pub Classic is a highlight dish, Espelette Pepper Monkfish ‘A La Plancha’, served with pineapple salsa and soft tortilla.
As well, the wonderful Angela Hartnett will be bringing her restaurant Cafe Murano alongside her Book Club for the first time to Pub in the Park. Across the weekend, you’ll be able to catch Angela and other authors chatting about their books whilst trying tasters from their latest cookbooks. Just next to the book club you’ll be able to get your hands on some delicious Italian inspired dishes from Angela’s Cafe Murano restaurant including Lamb Bolognaise Panzotti, Tomato & Mozzarella Arancini with a spiced basil pesto mayonnaise and a gloriously rich Chicken Milanese served with cabbage slaw and nduja pasta.
The Abbey Inn by renowned chef Tommy Banks will be making its Pub in the Park debut this year, opening at Marlow and appearing at Chiswick and St Albans also. The venue, which is a nineteenth century, historic inn transformed into a cosy, relaxed country pub with rooms, will serve up a series of iconic plates including Lamb Kofta Flatbread with fermented turnip puree, herb dressing and pickled chillies, as well as a delicious Celeriac & Truffle Pie with chips and vegetarian gravy.
Travelling from North London to Marlow is The Bull and Last, a Top 50 Gastropub and local Highgate institution. This pub’s innovative feasts will include Char Grilled Aged Prime Rib of Beef, served with roast portobello mushroom, cep mushroom ketchup & gremolata vinaigrette as its Pub Special, alongside a Sticky Lamb Breast Roll, Rueben Fries topped with salt beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese & Russian dressing, and a seasonal Pea Orzo Risotto for kids.
Menu Highlights at Pub in the Park Chiswick (28th – 30th June)
At Chiswick, guests will flock to Jack Blumenthal’s Ginger Wings. Son of The Fat Duck’s famed Heston Blumenthal, Jack’s wings are award winning and will be served up from the high energy Wing Rave Stage. This attraction will allow visitors to combine his delicious wings with an epic DJ line up across the weekend. A highlight dish is Jack’s Pub Special, The Multi-Award Winning Same but Different Bao & London Caviar Dollop – fried chicken tenders with dressed slaw, lemongrass, ginger, caramel & panang curry mayo, served in a warm bao bun.
New to the lineup is renowned London barbeque restaurant, Temper which will be serving up Pork Belly Bite Tacos, Smoked Lamb Tacos and Coal Roasted Sweet Potato with salsa Macha, tahini dressing, peanuts and refreshing pomegranate.
The Orange from Belgravia will also make the short journey to Chiswick. The team will be serving up two mouth-watering pizzas, including its Pub Special topped with iberico pancetta, roasted pineapple, pickled red onion, gorgonzola and chilli. Alongside are Grilled Lamb Skewers with a mint and pistachio pesto, and Courgette Fritti with wild garlic aioli & nduja ketchup.
Menu Highlights at Pub in the Park Reigate (12th – 14th July)
Alongside Ginger Wings and Little Viet Kitchen – which is offering up a variety of fresh and seasonal Vietnamese dishes – guests can also pay a visit to Hangfire BBQ Smokehouse which will be cooking up a menu on the open fires of the firepit stage at the Reigate festival. Utilising technical and historical BBQ techniques, the expert chefs will be firing up a series of impressive dishes including a rich and tender Smoked Beef Open Sandwich. Served in a charcoal bun, this Pub Special combines smoked beef chuck with ginger and garlic sauerkraut and a Catalina dressing.
Just a short half an hour drive from Reigate, you’ll find locally loved, The Kentish Hare, which is also making an appearance at Pub in the Park Reigate. The Two Rosette pub will be getting creative with twists on pub classics including a Thai Style Sea Bass Fillet served on a bed of noodles, a Hot Diggity Dog with merguez sausage, cool ranch dressing, slaw, and crispy onions, and an indulgent Street Corn, topped with sweet chilli glaze, vegetarian cheese, vegan quinoa crusted cauliflower bites and Peruvian green sauce.
Riwaz by Atul Kochhar will bring his classic style of upmarket Indian and Indo Chinese dishes to Pub in the Park Reigate. Expect dishes such as the famous Tangra Prawn – a fried king prawn topped with crispy garlic and house special sauce – it’s a highly addictive Indo Chinese dish from Northern India where this is relished as a snack.
Highlights at Pub in the Park St Albans (6th – 8th September)
A favourite addition for Londoners visiting St Albans this year is Sticky Mango, a pan-Asian restaurant with central locations in London’s Waterloo and Tower Bridge. Those who enjoy Asian cuisine can feast on dishes such as a Tempura Soft Shell Crab Steam Bun served with Asian slaw and spicy mayonnaise, Thai Spiced Cauliflower, or a Lamb Massaman Curry. Ideal for little ones are the Malaysian Chicken Curry Puffs served with coriander and cumin yoghurt and pickles.
Another local favourite will take pride of place at St Albans this year, which is Thompson St Albans. This Three AA Rosette restaurant is head up by Head Chef Phil Thompson, and will craft innovations on its fine dining classics. The Pub Special is a mouth-watering Lobster Dog served with spiced tomato salsa, compressed lettuce & spicy lobster mayo. Other dishes include Korean Fried Chicken, Sticky Baby Back Pork Ribs and Posh Cheese Chips & Gravy.
Visitors should also head to Collision Course, a brand new restaurant concept by Sabrina Gidda and Thom Bateman which is making its debut at this year’s Pub in the Park, before heading on a tour of the UK. Standout dishes include Ultimate Masala Ox Cheek Mac & Cheese, served with dill pickles, wild garlic & beef fat crumb and a Spicy Pork Sando with citrus slaw, pink pickles & mango hot sauce.
Other Festival Highlights
Also new for 2024 across all locations is the Pitmasters Bar Ticket which also includes a British Afghan BBQ Feast, served up by Cue Point. Each ticket includes a robust Cue Point Platter including dishes such as a Jalapeño Brisket BBQ Glaze Slice, Oak Smoked Tamarind Chicken Wings with spring onion and pickled chili garnish, a ¼ Afghan Naan, Triple Cooked Potatoes and more, with saucy dips to accompany. Ideal for non-meat eaters is the Cue Point Vegan Platter which includes tasty alternatives including, Sweet Corn Ribs tossed in aromatic rub, Borani Kadoo (an oak smoked Afghan squash steak) and Burnt Chilli and Sumac Hispi Cabbage.
For BBQ and entertainment lovers, DJ BBQ is bringing the heat and an incredible performance to Marlow and Reigate. The cooking demo itself is a family friendly stage show, served up alongside foods cooked over the open firepits. Bringing food, fun and energy to his live cooking appearances, he’ll be serving up a melt in the mouth 21 hour Smoked Pulled Pork, served with loaded chips and pickles, alongside his DJBBQ Piggy Back Sliders and a punchy Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower slider with celeriac remoulade.
Many chefs and restaurant talent will feature across multiple festival dates and guests are encouraged to check the full menu line up online. The brainchild of Tom Kerridge, Pub in the Park celebrates everything there is to love about the glorious British pub; delicious food, award-winning chefs, epic live music, delicious drinks but above all else a fantastic time with friends and family.
Tickets are on sale now at tickets.pubintheparkuk.com
