DINING THROUGH THE DECADES SUPPER CLUB AT NESSA SOHO

Do you remember kippers for breakfast, bubble-and-squeak on a Monday, fish and chips on a Friday, or the warming mess of a school-dinner sponge pudding coated in thick custard?

Since these childhood memories, British food has undergone nothing short of a revolution. Starting in the 1950s, a new era of British cuisine was born, with both the first British supermarket and the first American-style fast food restaurant opening their doors.

Nessa’s ‘Dining Through the Decades’ supper club series will explore the most delicious and nostalgic dishes in each decade of British food history since. Each month, we revisit a decade through a signature Dish of the Decade on the menu, alongside a supper club in our restaurant where we uncover more food history fun, hosted by some of the most knowledgeable people in the food industry.

SUPPER CLUB SERIES

Our Supper Club series moves through the decades – each one a nod to the flavours, sounds and spirit of its time. If you can’t join us for the 50s, we continue with the 60s in May, followed by 70s in June and 80s in July. Sign up to our newsletter and we’ll keep you in the know.

60S WITH RAMSBURY GIN

We lean into a softer side of the 1960s. A gin parlour spirit, where conversation lingers and the table fills with ease. Our Feasting Menu is served alongside a guided gin tasting experience by Ramsbury Distillary. Includes cocktails that echo the decade’s charm -a soft mint laced classic the ‘Grasshopper’ and a ‘Freezer Martini’.

70S WITH MUSEUM OF BRANDS

We welcome the Museum of Brands to mark the launch of Brand Britain. A look at how British culture has been shaped through the objects, brands and everyday rituals that define it. The Nessa dining room plays host to a small pop-up from the exhibition, alongside our Supper Club menu, and drinks inspired by the decade – Harvey Wallbanger and White Russian.

80S PRIDE SUPPER CLUB

The 80s were all about bold self-expression, big personalities, and a culture that didn’t shy away from standing out. At Nessa our 80s supper club gets a Pride-inspired update, with nostalgic dishes reimagined through bold flavours and playful touches. The experience is complemented by cocktails including a refreshing Bramble and a velvety Espresso Martini.

50S SUPPER CLUB

The series opens in post-war Britain, a decade defined by resilience and resourcefulness. Our first supper club was held on Monday 23rd March, hosted by food historian Dr Eleanor Barnett, a shared experience of the Nessa Feasting Menu. At the heart of the evening was our take on the 1950s Dish of the Decade: Woolton Pie taking centre stage. Named after Frederick Marquis, the Minister of Food during the Second World War, the pie was first devised at London’s Savoy using root vegetables encased in pastry or mashed potato to conserve flour.

We poured two cocktails made in collaboration with Ramsbury Gin . The Pink Lady, reportedly favoured in the 1950s Hollywood circles and Gloom Chaser, a classic with pre-war roots is a cheerful aperitif meant to brighten spirits and shake off melancholy.

60S SUPPER CLUB

We step into the spirit of the 1960s – a time for dinner parties, bold ideas and a new kind of British table.

In true gin parlour spirit, the evening begins with Ramsbury Distillary’s Global Brand Ambassador, Mikul Kalyan, who will guide guests through the colourful story of Gin in Britain, before hosting an intimate tasting of Ramsbury Spirits.

Guests will gather around our Feasting Menu, served for sharing and paired with cocktails that echo the decade’s charm – from the soft, mint-laced classic Grasshopper to a Freezer Martini with a little polish and poise.

At the centre of the table is our Dish of the Decade: Beef Wellington. A dish with real occasion to it, it speaks to that shift in British cooking, when familiar comforts began to share space with a more dressed-up, dinner party style of eating.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Some dishes never really leave us. The ones from childhood that still get talked about years later. Sunday roasts, school puddings, family favourites that everyone remembers slightly differently. For our Dining Through the Decades Supper Club series, we’d love to hear yours.

Share your favourite childhood food memories with us on Instagram. A story, a photo, even an old recipe card if you have one or just comment on our giveaway post. Tag @nessasoho and use #britishfoodmemories

Who knows, your story could inspire a dish for one of our Supper Clubs. We will also invite the winner to join us at the supper clubs. We’re all ears.

Trifle at Nessa Soho, a rhubarb trifle served for the supper club in London

THE 1960s

‘Meat and two veg’ was the staple meal for most in 1950s Britain. Food was simple, hardy and nourishing in a decade still defined by the shortages of the Second World War. Rationing continued right up until 1954, so that home cooks were used to being thrifty in the kitchen.

With the arrival of a new decade – the 1960s – Britain had finally broken free from wartime austerity. Forty per cent of the population were under 25 years old, and this new generation of young people had an explosive, hopeful appetite for bold colours, patterns, and tastes!

Influenced by French cuisine, dishes like Boeuf à la Bourguignon or duck à l’orange brought a hint of sophistication to restaurant menus, and surf and turf came over from American steakhouses. Whereas previously, fish and chips was the only takeaway on the menu, in the 1960s Chinese and Indian takeaway became more popular with the youth. This was the age of Vesta Beef Curry and Chicken Chow Mein, the first ready-meals, which were marketed by Batchelors from 1961 as a convenient way to access ‘exotic’ foreign flavours. With this, eating could become more informal, perhaps in front of the TV, which from 1967 was broadcast in colour.

British classics like Sunday roast, shepherd’s pie, and sausage and mash were still on the menu for most. Supermarkets were enacting a slow revolution on British food, but most continued to shop each day. Milk was delivered to your door, and the ‘pop man’ came too, dishing out fizzy Corona pop in reusable bottles.