This London Restaurant Charity Auction Is Out of This World

Alex Whyte and Damiano Fiamma of Tutto Wines are holding the restaurant auction to end nearly all restaurant auctions on 7 November at The Laughing Heart.

Following the news that the Hackney restaurant will hold a fundraising dinner hosted by Tutto for the people of Toucari Bay, Dominica — recently devastated by Hurricane Maria — Tutto announced on 1 November that the auction will be open to the public:

As the dinner sold out in a matter of hours and I have been completely overwhelmed by both the generosity of the friends from near and far who have donated to what is now a frankly ridiculous purse of prizes and the number of people who want to help out, in the aim of raising as much money as possible for the people of the village, I have decided to open up some of the prizes to be sold at auction to the many people who couldn’t make the dinner.

This is no ordinary sold-out dinner: Laughing Heart chef Tom Anglesea will be joined by Anna Tobias (The River Café, Rochelle Canteen), Tim Spedding (The Clove Club, P Franco, Coombeshead Farm), William Gleave (Garagistes, P Franco) and James Henry (Au Passage, Bones) to cook six courses, with wine naturally coming from Whyte and Fiamma at Tutto. All proceeds will go to Toucari Bay. Those attending the dinner will be entered into an exclusive draw, with prizes from the likes of 40 Maltby St, XU, Duck Soup, Noble Rot, Ottolenghi, and Primeur.

So far, pretty remarkable. What comes next is perhaps the auction list to end all auction lists on London’s food scene. Just a taster of the lots on offer to bidders across the city and beyond includes:

• Two nights’ accommodation with breakfast and dinner for two people at the Auberge de Chassignoles in Chassignoles, France
• Dinner for two, with wine and a room above the restaurant at Bar Brutal in Barcelona
• Dinner for two up to £150 at Lyle’s
• Dinner for two, with wine at P.Franco
• Lunch or dinner for two up to £130 at Westerns Laundry
• Sunday lunch for four people, with wine at Brawn.

Those are just the restaurant experiences. Two bottles — in individual lots — of Overnoy-Houillon’s Arbois-Pupillin Poulsard 2015 are available to bid on, a remarkable example of the potential of this grape from the Jura region of France, alongside nine other single-bottle lots, including “the world’s best cider”: Cidrerie du Vulcain’s Cidre De Fer 2014.

Those wishing to bid on this incredible auction and support the fundraising effort should email alex@tuttowines.com with a maximum offer for given lot(s) before 5pm on Monday 6 November. Bids received will be checked against those made at the dinner Tuesday 7 November, and any high email bids will of course win.

This incredibly generous auction is a wonderful example of the best of the London food scene: people pulling together to put their incredible work to good use.