I had been desperate to go to The Long Table http://thelongtable.net/, the pop up outdoor food night market in Dalston since hearing about from my friend Yas. I finally made time to go last Friday and it certainly lived up to the hype.

A collaboration between The Bootstrap Company http://www.bootstrapcompany.co.uk/ and The Loft Project http://www.theloftproject.co.uk/, the event brought together amazing names from the London street food scene and established restaurants favourites such as Nuno Mendes with the Loft Project, The Yum Buns, Hawksmoor, Moro and Big Apple Hot Dogs.

Me and him indoors had heard about the outrageous queues so got there early and didn’t have to queue for very long at all. We were greeted by a smell sensation and the very welcoming sight of a white marquee and two long tables twinkling with candles; very fitting for the week before Christmas.

We scoped out the offerings from St John, the London Fields Brewery, The Rotisserie Company, Yum Bun and Moro, finally deciding on a starter of ribs from The Ribman (£5 for a carton of ribs) and pizza from Homeslice(£3 per slice). Both were delicious. I am a big fan of The Ribman and it looked like he was doing a roaring trade on a cold winter’s night.

For mains him indoors decided on the pig’s head stew from St John (£5). The broth was lovely and light and the meat was so tender. I went for lamb flat bread (£5) from Exmouth Market favourite Moro. The lamb was pulled but still juicy and the veg used to fill was fresh and crunchy, all topped with hummus for a perfect texture.

What made the night even more perfect was the price. In total, including drinks, we spent £29. There was a great atmosphere and I would have loved to have gone with a gang of friends and spent the night eating my way around all the stalls. Here’s hoping The Long Table will be back in the summer for another stint, making more great food accessible and affordable.