Dining Through The Decades at Number Sixteen

Introducing our new supper club series at Number Sixteen hotel in South Kensington – Dining Through The Decades.

Hosted by charismatic Food Historian and Author Eleanor Barnett, along with our Executive Chef Joe Fox, travel back in time and experience defining culinary traditions informed by centuries past. Delivered with a touch of humour, the relaxed dinners will be hosted in our Orangery overlooking the hotel’s leafy private garden.

Each event promises a delicious four-course dinner, inspired by three distinct periods in history, all accompanied by a selection of drinks. From Nesselrode Cream, a forgotten chestnut pudding from the Victorian era, to the iconic Devilled Eggs and Classic Prawn Cocktail of the 70s. Gather friends and family, and dine through the decades with us.

• £85 per person including;

• A welcome drink and canapés

• A four-course menu, inspired by the era, accompanied by two glasses of paired wine

• 6:30pm-9pm

Thursday 19th September – The Victorians

Our inaugural supper club will start with the Victorians, a particularly fitting era for Number Sixteen given its origin as a series of Victorian townhouses. Enjoy a smattering of street food classics, such as Smoked eel and soda bread, household favourites, such as Pea soup with bacon and herbs, and the opulent Fillet of turbot with wilted coastal greens and oyster sauce.

A fascinating period of time, Eleanor will speak of the class divides which influenced Victorian food, as well as the growth of the British Empire which brought about exciting new dishes and ingredients.

Thursday 14th November – The 40s

Due to a limited supply of ingredients, the 40s was actually one of the most inventive culinary eras and saw some interesting and inviting creations, which we’ll discover at this supper club. Enjoy a host of these ‘Wartime recipes’ and reflect on how our attitudes to food have changed since then. Start with some Mock fish cakes, aka tasty potato fritters, before digging into comforting Woolton pie and Lamb faggots. Dessert is a take on bread and butter pudding with damson sauce.

Please note that the menu is simply inspired by the ingenious recipes of this time. Rest assured Joe’s delicious dishes will pay homage to the era rather than being a truly authentic take on rationed food…

Thursday 20th March – The 70s

Concluding our series will be the iconic 70s, a very distinct era of British cookery with the rise of fridges, freezers and canned food. Britain was truly in their post-war era and it was all about having fun with wacky and colourful dishes.

Expect some nostalgic favourites such as Compressed pineapple and cheddar, Devilled eggs and the Classic prawn cocktail. The dinner will finish with show stopping ‘Orange en surprise’ and Pink blancmange with green jelly.

ABOUT ELEANOR BARNETT

Eleanor Barnett is a cultural historian of food with a PhD from the University of Cambridge. Her first book, Leftovers: A History of Food and Preservation came out in 2024, exploring the topical issue of wasting food from a historical lens that moves from the medieval era to the present day and beyond!. As @historyeats on Instagram, Eleanor posts daily food history facts, stories, and art to a wonderful international community of 38,000 people. She is a regular contributor to public-facing media, including TV, podcasts, and radio, and writes the monthly food history column and cookery video! for BBC History Magazine.