Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Kino: Award-winning cook to take over Leeds restaurant for exclusive event

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall will be appearing at the special event at Howard Assembly Room, in New Briggate, on September 4. 

Guests will be served an expertly designed meal using the best sustainably sourced and seasonal British produce, uniquely crafted for this event by the face of the River Cottage TV series and books and the top team of chefs at award-winning Kino. 

The meal will be introduced by Hugh himself, in conversation with fellow chef and restaurateur Jason Shaw.

Josh Whitehead, head chef at Kino, said: “Working on this series of events with such incredible chefs and writers is such an exciting experience for me. 

“I’ve been chatting to Hugh about the potential menu for his event, and a few of his food memories are weirdly similar to mine. 

“There are a couple of dishes on there that have come from my memories of watching River Cottage when I was young – and I’m not going to give too much away yet but the menu just sounds like one you just really want to eat.”

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This is the latest addition to a series of Food Experiences at Kino and the Howard Assembly Room, which sees well-known chefs and food writers from across the UK food scene discuss their inspirations, memorable food experiences and some of the unforgettable dishes they have encountered during their travels, while presenting a bespoke menu co-created with the chefs at Kino. It is a part of the city’s first ever Staycation Festival by the two independent businesses.

The first Food Experiences with chef Marco Pierre White was a huge successful. Next up, is food writer and journalist Bee Wilson on July 9, whose first full-length cookbook The Secret of Cooking: Recipes for an Easier Life in the Kitchen was published in 2023 and named a book of the year by both The Guardian and The Times.

On July 31, the Kino team will be joined by food writer and broadcaster Angela Clutton, author of Seasoning: How to Cook and Celebrate the Seasons which focuses not only on what we should eat during each season but also how – the key techniques that bring the best out of fruit and vegetables. 

Completing the line-up, Nigel Slater will be in conversation at Kino on August 10, with an evening session already sold out, and limited availability for a lunchtime event. 

Describing himself as a cook who writes, Nigel Slater’s award winning cookery books include Real Food, Appetite, Eat and The Kitchen Diaries. His best-selling memoir Toast was adapted for the stage and became a major BBC film. He’s been The Observer’s food writer for more than 30 years, and has presented plenty of BBC cookery programmes and documentaries, including Simple Suppers and Eating Together.

Staycation Festival continues at the Howard Assembly Room, where a series of film screenings due to play from July 3 to 7 will celebrate the spirit of travel with paired menus in Kino ahead of each film, from Greece to the Grand Canyon.