An evening with Ed Balls

'An evening with'... returns in July with Ed Balls, a former Cabinet Minister, broadcaster, and podcaster. 
Spend the evening in RSA's iconic Great Room enjoying a three-course menu designed specifically for this event by Chef Jose Pizarro, followed by a conversation with our CEO, Andy Haldane, and Ed Balls. They will discuss Ed Balls' career, background, and open up to our guests for any burning questions. 

'An Evening with Ed Balls' will be a date for your diary, as he has become a household favourite from appearing on ITV's flagship breakfast show, Good Morning Britain, to hosting the chart-topping podcast 'Political Currency' alongside former Chancellor George Osbourne.

What's included:

• Welcome drinks and canapes in The Benjamin Franklin Room 
• A three-course meal from award-winning chef Jose Pizarro 
• Conversation with Ed Balls + Andy Haldane 
  An opportunity to meet friends of the RSA

About Ed Balls

Ed's latest BBC series, ‘Inside the Care Crisis with Ed Balls’ was broadcast on BBC 2 in November 2021. Ed previously presented the BBC TV series ‘Travels in Trumpland: with Ed Balls’ which was broadcast in July 2018 and a second series ‘Travels in Euroland with Ed Balls’ aired on BBC 2 in January 2020. He presented the BBC TV series ‘What Britain Buys And Sells In A Day’, which broadcast in October 2019, and has appeared regularly on BBC’s The One Show, Radio 2, Radio 3 and Radio 4. Ed was part of the core ITN Election night team in 2017 and 2019 and appeared weekly on Channel 4’s The Andrew Neil Show.

Ed, a former Member of Parliament, was UK Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer 2011-2015 and served in the UK Cabinet as Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 2007-2010. He was the UK Minister for Financial Services 2006-2007 and the Chief Economic Adviser to the UK Treasury 1999-2004 during which time he was Chair of the IMFC Deputies and UK G20 Deputy. While Shadow Chancellor he was co-Chair with Larry Summers of the Center for American Progress Inclusive Prosperity Commission.

About Jose Pizarro 

Dentistry or food? Yes, believe it or not, Spanish chef, José Pizarro considered both career paths, but thankfully his love of food was just too strong and he had no choice but to leave his passion for dentistry at the kitchen door.

Originally from a beautiful, rural village near Cáceres, Extremadura, José has lived in London for almost 25 years, and is often described as The Godfather of Spanish cuisine in the UK. In his early career, he trained in the top restaurants in Spain, before becoming head chef at a Michelin star restaurant.

José Pizarro began his career at Gaudi, moving to Eyre Brothers in Shoreditch before becoming the Executive Chef at Brindisa. In 2011, he opened his first restaurant José on Bermondsey Street, offering simple and traditional tapas. His restaurants now include José Pizarro at the Royal Academy, José Pizarro Broadgate, Pizarro, and José Pizarro The Swan Inn, while he has also published a line of regional Spanish cookbooks and is a regular face on our TV screens. Earlier this year, José opened his first restaurant outside the UK: José by Pizarro, at the Conrad Hilton in Abu Dhabi.

 MENU: 

Snacks:

Jamon Iberico 100% 5J acorn fed

Pan con tomate: toasted bread, garlic, Catalan tomatoes, EVOO

Boquerones en vinagre: pickled white anchovies, garlic, parsley 

Starter:

Ensalada remolacha con ajo blanco: beetroot salad, almond sauce, orange, radicchio

Main:

Canelon de carillera con setas: ox cheek cannelloni with confit seasonal mushrooms

Dessert

Tarta de queso Vasca, fresas: basque cheesecake with strawberries 

Ticket Information and Policies 

Tickets cost £100 each, or £90 per person for a table of ten. A percentage of the ticket price counts as a donation to the RS, to support our work to unite people and ideas to create social change.
Attendance is open to everyone, within and beyond our Fellowship Community. Numbers are limited and tickets must be booked in advance.

Please note, you will need to provide contact details and dietary requirements for those who wish to book tickets. 

Tickets are refundable up to 30 days before the event. Tickets are non-transferable. 

Ticket purchases for this event close at 11am on Monday 15 July. 

Taking part in RSA on-person events

We offer a complimentary companion ticket for those who require an assistant to accompany them for accessibility reasons, this will be with basic refreshments offered. We offer 50% discounted tickets to companions should they wish to participate in the full dining experience. We can offer flexibility according to the requirements and preferences of you and your companion, so please contact us at house@rsa.org.uk to discuss your needs.

A photographer will be taking photos during the evening for future promotions and social media. Content would be used by the RSA to publicise the event series or other future RSA activities. By booking to attend we will assume your consent to this unless you inform us otherwise.

By registering or being registered for the event you consent to receiving communications about this event, both before and after.

The information you provide when registering yourself and others for an event will be retained by the RSA and will be used to record attendance at the event. To understand more about how the RSA users your data, please see our Privacy Policy.