Our best chefs are giving up their secrets

London is bursting with just-opened restaurants right now. But sometimes we don’t feel like blagging our way around yet another no-reservations policy, or having power lunchers eavesdrop on our heart-to-hearts.

Luckily for us, DIY cooking just got gourmet. The scene’s top chefs are publishing cookbooks, there are restaurant masterclasses to help us up our game, and Michelin-quality delivery services for when we need to fake it.

Now we’re not saying that staying in is the new going out – but sometimes it feels good to lock the doors and eat lobster.

MAKE IT
After lessons in how to cook Ovaltine kulfi with caramelised banana at Spice Market's new series of culinary classes, we’ll be ready for any dinner party. There are also advanced masterclasses at Benares, and Claridge’s does regular sessions on British standards like puds and pies. Easy, right?

FAKE IT
Sometimes we wish Le Gavroche did takeaway. But until then, the next best thing is Real Food Delivered Daily, from ex-Nobu and Hibiscus chef Natalie Brawley. Dishes like poached swordfish are made from farm-fresh, organic ingredients, and delivered straight to your door.

RECREATE IT
We’ll have to wait until spring for Russell Norman’s Polpo book (and we’re already dreaming about homemade zucchini fries) but there are lots of great gourmet cookbooks to explore in the meantime. We already love Moro East and can’t wait for Hawksmoor at Home, which will divulge the secret of the steakhouse’s amazing kimchi burgers.

INFO
Spice Market Monthly classes start 24 Sept, £80
Benares Next advanced masterclass 25 Sept, £350
Claridges British pudding masterclass 17 Sept, £200; Grouse pie masterclass 8 Oct, £165
Real Food Delivered Daily £35 per day

Hawksmoor at Home Published 13 Oct, £25
Polpo Published 10 May 2012, £25

Artist-designed watches and collectable toys

Swatch has teamed up with Kidrobot, an art-driven toy and lifestyle brand, to create the KIDROBOT FOR SWATCH COLLECTION, a collection of eight watches, each accompanied by a collectable Dunny.  A Dunny is Kidrobot’s iconic bunny-like vinyl toy, a customizable canvas for artists from widely varying backgrounds. Eight artists have contributed to the new collection, each with a characteristic design.

Meet artist MAD on Wednesday 24th August FROM 5PM at the Swatch Store, One New Change, EC4M 9AG.

The collection goes on sale in stores nationwide from 1 September 2011.

Bombay Sapphire and Rebel Dining Society

For the second instalment of the Bombay Sapphire Imagination Series, the Rebel Dining Society chaps and Bombay Sapphire took over the whole of Shoreditch Studio's last Thursday – and it tasted pretty darn special. Combining their culinary talents (along with Lily Vanilli’s to-die-for Bakewell Tarts) with plenty of imagination, guests were guided through a rollercoaster of micro-experiences (from the phoenix’s cinema to a ballerina peep-show, flying in a pilot’s cockpit to tasting some literally explosive bubbles), and all while feasting on the RDS boys’ finest and lush Bombay Sapphire cocktails, including classics like an Aviation and Pegu Club, the Ultimate Mediterranean Gin and Tonic, and the electric-blue Lemon and Almond Haze.

To everyone that could join us, thank you for the amazing company! Stay tuned for the latest on the next installment of the Bombay Sapphire Imagination Series by checking-in at facebook.com/bombaysapphire for more upcoming Infused with Imagination events and collaborations.

Click here to check out the photos…

DRINK – traditional Swedish blend coffee and cookies. Aug 24-26, Soho Square W1D

EAT – at Frank’s Café, with The Clove Club and The Young Turks. Aug 23-24, Peckham Multi-story Car Park, 95a Rye Lane, E15 4ST

HEAR – The Horrors' frontman Faris Badwan as he joins the girlband Cat’s Eyes. 22 Aug, Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, London, NW1 8EH

SMOKE – premium cigars and Plantation Rum at Orrery's tasting sesh. Aug 23, Orrery, 55 Marylebone High St, W1U 5RB