Chefs Ben Spalding and Ernst Van Zyl collaborate in latest #AllGunsBlazing event

Chefs Ben Spalding and Ernst Van Zyl, previously of John Salt in Islington and current chef-owner of The Lord Clyde in Cheshire respectively, are to collaborate on two supper club events, as part of the #AllGunsBlazing series.

Set for 31 August and 1 September, the 10-course dinner evenings will take place at 4th Floor Studios in East London, as the latest in the series from Spalding. Each chef will create four separate dishes, with the remaining two courses – one savoury, one sweet ‒ to be created by the chefs together.

There will also be a range of wines, and cocktails using ingredients such as cloudberries, feijoa, messmor, sea buckthorn and banana passion fruit.

Each ticket will cost £107 per person, and are available to buy through global restaurant reservation app Velocity.

#AllGunsBlazing is a series of events created by Spalding, which sees the chef join with one other chef each time. It kicked off with Paul Foster at the end of May, followed by Graham Garrett of West House in Kent at the end of June.

Michael Wignall from Gidleigh Park is scheduled for the end of August, while Mikael Svensson of Restaurant Kontrast in Oslo is expected for the beginning of October. Chef Adam Simmonds is set to finish off the series, with two evenings at the beginning of September.

Commenting on the event, Spalding said: “#AllGunsBlazing dinners are about a special chef willing to come out of the comfort zone of their kitchen or environment to work with me to provide a great dining experience and introduce their cooking to an audience that is maybe not familiar with this food or restaurant.”

Spalding’s career to date has included training at The Ledbury, Per Se, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, The Fat Duck, L’Enclume, Roganic, Aqua Shard, and Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons. He is also behind the food-with-music Small Plate Sessions, which he manages alongside his other hospitality consulting work such as helping with restaurant openings and events.