Christabel Beeson’s love of design, entertaining and combining the unexpected with the delicious has led her to create some of the most unique dining experiences in London. After stints at Noma in Copenhagen and the River Café in London, Beeson was inspired to start her own event company, Christabel’s, in 2013. She specialises in orchestrating food and drink workshops, such as Christabel’s Cocktail Party, where guests can play with their food to their heart’s content. A favourite activity amongst guests at her Edible Playgrounds workshop is creating sandcastles out of quinoa. Beeson sometimes brings along Ruby, a 1980s ambulance, which she gutted and turned into a stylish camper, doubling as a bar and hotel for the night.
Christabel Beeson
This Thursday she’ll be hosting Cocktails ‘n’ Crack, a pop-up with a three-course dinner featuring alcohol-filled syringes to inject into your drinks. “It’s fun and interactive,” explains Beeson, “People love being able to actually play with their food.”
Beeson's pop-ups feature interactive elements including alcohol-filled syringes to inject into cocktails.
The “hostess with the mostest” fills us in on where she likes to grab a bite when she’s not the one in the kitchen and how she’s spending this week.
I’m really excited to go to Wimbledon to watch the tennis. I’m a big fan, and we hosted a load of Wimbledon Wonderland parties in the past where we combine Alice in Wonderland with Wimbledon. We have edible tennis balls and a barbecue lunch inspired by the tournament.
Dock Kitchen (Portobello Docks, 342-344 Ladbroke Grove, W10 5BU)
My favourite restaurant is the Dock Kitchen in Notting Hill. It’s just fresh, delicious and different. They always surprise me with their combinations; it’s never the same and it’s just so well presented that I find it a real inspiration. The menu changes all of the time but my favourite dishes at the moment are the pistachio and cucumber soup and the fried sage leaves. And to drink, the Mexican Penicillin cocktail is the best.
69 Colebrooke Row (69 Colebrooke Row, N1 8AA)
For a great date, I’ll be headed to 69 Colebrooke Row. You are greeted with a Prairie Oyster, their twist on a Bloody Mary, in which clarified tomato juice is reformed to resemble an egg yolk. It’s an award winning cocktail bar so you know the cocktails are incredible, and you kind of feel like you’re in New York. I couldn’t pick a favourite drink from here, I love them all!
Imarni Nails (Boxpark Shoreditch, Unit 32 Bethnal Green Rd, E1 6GY)
I go to Imarni Nails just by BOXPARK for my manicures. They do really cool nail art and they’re really creative. I always make sure to get gels. Right now my nails are painted in red glitter.
Towpath Cafe (36 De Beauvoir Crescent, N1 5SB)
The Towpath Cafe is my favourite lunch spot. It’s amazingly delicious and they always use fresh, seasonal ingredients. It’s unusual and a bit of a secret. The setting on the canal is so beautiful; if it’s sunny I don’t think there’s anywhere better to be.