For your chance to try some of the most innovative cooking in London alongside superbly crafted beers, head to Galvin Café a Vin from 15 to 20 April.

Chef Jack Boast’s characterful cooking has been teamed with beers from London’s oldest family brewer, Fuller’s, cult craft brewer, The Kernel, and one of the nation’s newest, the Wild Beer Co from Somerset for the Galvin brothers first Beer Week.

During the week, each day the plat du jour will be matched with a specially chosen beer, with the week culminating in a Beer & Cider Dinner on Saturday 20 April, hosted by beer and food matcher extraordinaire, Mitch Adams. At the dinner, the beer matches will be flanked by a pair of ciders, beginning with Aspall’s sparkling Cuvée Chevallier as guests arrive, and closing with Once Upon a Tree’s delectable dessert cider, The Wonder.  

Head sommelier, Andrea Briccarello, came up with the idea having been involved in a 90-strong beer tasting I organised last year for Imbibe’s Beer & Cider Supplement. “I was surprised by the variety and the potential versatility they had to go with food,” he says. “From starter to dessert, beers were often more suitable than wines, from classic dishes like fish and chips, to more elaborate and spicy food.” For him, the week “will be a great opportunity to introduce some unusual beer and food combinations.”

Talented chef Jack’s favourite match is Tuesday’s dish: braised cuttlefish tagine with couscous and harissa, paired with Wild Beer Co’s Bliss. “The beer really balances the strong flavours in a way a wine never could,” he says.

You’ll know Mitch from our entertaining Cider vs Wine event back in February. He and I had the most enjoyable task of helping Andrea, Jack and their team choose the beers, and if you check out the menu you’ll see that Jack’s dishes certainly pack a punch.

No stranger to beer – “that’s what we drink at the end of the evening” – Jack said”‘Some of the matches that you think will work don’t quite, and then another that you may have not thought about blows it away. You have to keep your mind open.”

While Fuller’s is well known around the world, and The Kernel has built up a cult following since it opened its doors in late 2009, the Wild Beer Co has been in existence less than a year. “The Wild Beer Co adds a Wild 5th ingredient or process to their beers to give you a truly memorable drinking experience,” says co-founder Andrew Cooper. So the “extras” in Jack’s favourite match, Bliss? They are roasted apricots, wild yeast and a “secret blend of spices”. I predict the Galvin Beer Week ain’t gonna be dull on the flavour front.

With only 40 tickets available, don’t delay if you’d like to join us for the dinner on Saturday.

• Bookings for lunch or dinner during Beer Week can be made in the normal fashion, either online or by telephone.
• Tickets for Saturday’s dinner cost £40pp, including drinks. Numbers are limited to 40 and places must be reserved by calling 020 7299 0404 or emailing [email protected].
• Pescetarian alternatives are available for the meat courses at the Saturday dinner.