Entry
£65
Dates
17 & 18 April 2026
Times
7–9.30pm
Location
Foyle rooms, Turner Contemporary
Æfenmete (eh-ven-meh-teh), Old English for 'evening meal' is a celebratory 10th-century banquet reimagined in the brutalist Foyle Rooms at Turner Contemporary.
Æfenmete (eh-ven-meh-teh), the Old English word for “evening meal,” is a celebratory 10th-century banquet reimagined for the brutalist Foyle Rooms at Turner Contemporary.
Taking place on 17 and 18 April 2026, this immersive eight-course medieval feast explores the historical “hungry gap” — the lean weeks before the spring harvest when winter stores ran low and communities relied on foraging, hunting, fishing and preserving food from the surrounding landscape.
Drawing on early medieval recipes, historical chronicles and archaeological evidence, Æfenmete brings the flavours of Anglo-Saxon England to life. Expect riddles, monastic herbs, medieval spice blends, wild vegetables, local shellfish, meads and ales, all inspired by the woodlands, marshes and shoreline of the Kent coast.
Guests will dine as the Margate sunset falls across the sea that first welcomed Anglo-Saxon settlers to Thanet in 449 AD, creating a unique blend of history, storytelling and seasonal dining.
Arrival is from 6:45pm.
Dietary information: Vegan substitutes are available throughout the menu.
The dishes contain nuts and cannot be made gluten-free.
Please let us know any dietary requirements when booking at checkout so we can prepare accordingly.
Louisa Mokadem – Chef and Multidisciplinary Artist
Louisa Mokadem is a chef and multidisciplinary artist whose work explores the role of skilled practice in human connection, survival and cultural memory.
Food is one of the most immediate expressions of human care. The ways we gather, cook, teach, forage and feast together reveal something fundamental about how people understand their communities and environments. Louisa’s work draws on vernacular history, folk traditions and traditional foodways, viewing them as living repositories of knowledge that connect past and present. Through cooking and shared meals, she seeks moments of communion with history in the everyday yet profound act of eating together.
Based in Thanet, Kent, Louisa’s current project is Æfenmete, an immersive Anglo-Saxon banquet inspired by the food, trade and material culture of early medieval England. Rooted in the landscape of Margate and the Isle of Thanet—the landing site of both the Anglo-Saxons and the arrival of Christianity in England—Æfenmete brings historical research into conversation with contemporary dining.
The project reflects Louisa’s multifaceted career spanning restaurant kitchens, music and traditional craft, combining historical storytelling, seasonal ingredients and performative dining. Through Æfenmete, she invites diners to step into a moment in time that feels both distant and familiar, offering a sense of continuity and shared heritage in an uncertain present.
