The festival, which hopes to celebrate the best of the capital’s cooking, this year boasts more than 50 happenings  including tastings and restaurant tours  spread out across the entire of October.

Among the biggest names to take part are Emily and Michel Roux, representing Emily’s restaurant Caractère, Russell Norman  the one-time Polpo man making a grand comeback with Trattoria Brutto — and Tom Aikens with Muse. Other big names on the bill include Nieves Barragan at Soho’s acclaimed Sabor and Anne-Sophie Pic’s La Dame de Pic; the two Michelin star restaurant by Tower Hill is laying on a special menu for festival attendees, as will Richard Corrigan’s Daffodil Mulligan, hit barbecue restaurant Smokestak and Indian restaurant group Kricket, who will be plating up a “greatest hits” menu of the dishes that made the chain’s name.