Starting a supper club was as much an antidote to the intensity of lockdown as it was an excuse to get friends together around a table to share food. It’s evolved into something with real teeth, with the collective now hosting events and putting on spreads for brands like JOAN and Youswim.   

The food Hands serves up isn’t exactly rewriting the recipe book: it’s classic, subtle in its decadence – but always inviting. “We all love Italian food a lot, so there’s definitely a lot of homemade pasta like pici cacio e pepe, focaccia and dishes like bagna càuda, maritozzi buns and tiramisu for pudding. We also love classic British dishes like jelly, prawn cocktail and sticky toffee pudding. Then there’s inspiration from French and Nordic cooking, definitely,” Charlotte says.   

Other sources of inspiration include classic English 80s and 90s cookbooks (think Delia Smith and Nigella Lawson), and their favourite restaurants like St. JOHN and Sessions Arts Club. Even establishments like London’s iconic River Cafe, known as the place where many celebrated chefs have earned their stripes, influenced Hands’s menu with the group recreating its famous Chocolate Nemesis Cake for events.   

A seasonal approach to eating and showcasing the benefits of regenerative agriculture is another important part of this supper club. “Before we started Hands, the four of us went to Flourish farm for a week in Cambridgeshire to understand how a regenerative farm works. They service some of the best London restaurants with their incredible produce,” Charlotte says.    

“So we buy from places like Flourish, Natoora, the General Store in Peckham and Panzer’s deli. We prepare food a few weeks in advance based on what’s seasonal and then shop the day of or before. We make most dishes fresh on the day.” 

A typical Hands supper club experience goes like this: a three-course meal with homemade bread, a cocktail to start and a few bottles of wine to finish. “We love a vodka martini with a lemon twist, so it has become the unofficial Hands cocktail. So we start with a martini and then move on to natural wine, pairing it with the food,” Charlotte explains. Once forks are down, it’s time for dancing: “What’s a supper club without a boogie at the end?”  

The idea of hosting our own supper club has put a twinkle in our eye, so we asked Charlotte to share tips on how to nail a memorable evening around the table with friends.