From Sunday February 1, what might just be London’s most beautiful dining room, Sessions Arts Club in Clerkenwell, will begin opening on Sundays for a weekly programme built around long lunches celebrating head chef Fenella Brereton’s romantic, seasonal cooking and occasional pop-ups by guest chefs.
The Clerkenwell institution’s new Sundays at Sessions will see its dramatic, Grade II-listed rooms open for slow afternoons stretching into early evening. Alongside a regular in-house Sunday lunch menu, the programme will feature sporadic one-off, ticketed events hosted by chefs and friends of the owner, artist Jonny Gent.
The first comes on Sunday February 8, with a one-day takeover from London-based cook and food writer Jago Rackham, who goes by Ecstasy Cookbook on Instagram. Known for expressive food that reworks tradition, Rackham’s residency comes ahead of the publication of his debut book To Entertain, due out this April.
For Rackham, the new series suits both his food and the setting. “Sunday lunches are really nice for me,” he tells Broadsheet. “They allow slow eating and a different pace – a more intimate time to settle in.” Being the first guest chef to host Sundays at Sessions felt like a natural fit. “I think it’s the most beautiful restaurant in London. There’s a romance to it that really suits the way I cook.”
Rackham’s menu will start with a blood orange, almond and ricotta salad followed by a trio of pies designed for sharing, including beef and prune; “fish pie with a langoustine poking out the top, like the Cornish stargazy”; and vegan mushroom and chestnut.
True to form, desserts will arrive via a theatrical trolley, and will include a pepper-laced trifle, chocolate torte and an extra-large St Agata cake – a traditional Italian creation shaped like a breast, which Rackham describes as “a bit ridiculous, but very joyful”.
Future guest collaborations will include The Great Roast, a one-day event with Trinity’s Adam Byatt on February 22.
Sundays at Sessions launches on Sunday February 1. Tickets to Rackham’s event the following week are £60 per person.
