The Birmingham Post’s Long Lunch Lobby is gathering momentum, with local businesses, top restaurateurs and even MPs backing our campaign to bring back the long business lunch.
Tom Watson, MP for West Bromwich East, has voiced his support for the scheme. He told The Post: “The Long Lunch campaign is such a clever initiative. We must practise what the campaign preaches in the summer recess.”
The lobby aims to encourage local businesses to resurrect the practice of mixing business with good food, launching the initiative at a special Long Lunch at next week’s Taste of Birmingham festival.
A special area has been reserved for Long Lunch ticket holders on the July 11 afternoon session, where they will be able to network and enjoy fine food and drink from the region’s top restaurants, including Opus, Simpsons, Hotel du Vin and Lasan.
Andreas Antona, chef patron of Michelin-starred Simpsons in Edgbaston, said: “I’m all for bringing back the long lunch; in the old days it was a way of life for businesses to do business. Sometimes it’s nice to let your hair down and relax, and over the last 50 years most important business has been done over the lunch table – or on the golf course.”
Alex Bishop, a partner at Shoosmiths and chair of Birmingham Future, said: “We like to support local initiatives and value the opportunity to spend quality time with our clients, so this event is a good match for us. Combining the best restaurants in Birmingham with the chance to network in an informal environment is a very tempting proposition for any business – it may well revive the concept of the long lunch!”
Taste of Birmingham, now in its third year, will showcase signature dishes from over a dozen top restaurants, including a quartet of chefs from Birmingham’s twin city, Lyon.
Celebrity chefs Antony Worrall Thompson and Aldo Zilli will be on hand to give demonstrations, there will also be a Producers’ Market, Taste Wine masterclasses, Lavazza Aroma Zone and a chance to show off your own culinary skills in the BBQ cook-offs.
Tickets for the Long Lunch are available from 0871 230 5581.
www.channel4.com/taste
