Exeter’s cult café The Exploding Bakery announce their Summer Series of chef takeovers, with a stellar line up of local and London chefs to host feast of seasonal celebrations this summer. Co-founders Tom Oxford and Oliver Coysh have invited some of their favourite restaurants, cooks and chefs to take to the pass for one night only, beginning with Owen Barratt of Monty’s Deli on 25th June (unfortunately this first event has been cancelled and will be rescheduled) ; Abby Lee of Mambow on 9th July; and Jane Baxter of Wild Artichokes on 20th August. Finally, Clare Lattin and Tom Hill of Duck Soup and Little Duck will round off the Summer Series in September with a special al fresco lunch in nearby Find & Foster’s idyllic apple orchard. 

Kicking things off on Friday 25th June with a menu of much-loved hits from Monty’s Deli in London, Owen will focus on Jewish soul food at its very best. Guests will begin with classic Chopped liver and Matzo, a type of unleavened flatbread, before moving on to Reuben sandwiches piled high with layers of homemade pastrami, salt beef, sauerkraut, melted Emmental, Russian dressing, and lashings of punchy Monty’s Deli mustard. On the side, there will be Schmaltz roast potatoes, chrain made with beets and horseradish, chopped salad, and of course mouth-puckering house pickles. Throughout the evening, low intervention wines will be poured in abundance, there will be beer by Harbour Brewing Co, along with celery soda and picklebacks made with the leftover pickle brine to really get the party started. Finally, dessert will be a collaboration between Monty’s Deli and The Exploding Bakery: an indulgent Ice cream brownie sandwich, made with The Exploding Bakery’s banging brownies and local Devonshire ice cream. Monty’s will have a selection of Pastrami, Salt Beef, Bagels and sauces available for purchase to take home with you. 

Next, Abby Lee of London’s Mambow will head to The Exploding Bakery on Friday 9th July for a Malaysian style supper club drawing on her favourite recipes from her childhood, with fresh herbs and punchy spices at the foundation of every dish. The menu will begin with a snack of Singgang, a dry fish curry paste traditionally served in Malaysia and Singapore and made fragrant with lemongrass, galangal, turmeric and coconut milk, served with crunchy cucumber on the side for dipping. Next, Abby will dish up a starter of Siew yuk, pieces of crispy pork belly to dip into a fiery ginger chilli sauce, along with Sambal hijau, a green sambal made with bird’s eye chillies and fresh lime leaves. For the main event, there will be Nasi ulam, a Malay dish of finely sliced herbs folded through rice and served with Assam prawn curry and a tangy Kerabu salad. To end on a sweet note, Abby and The Exploding Bakery will join forces to create a unique Devonshire coconut Ice cream brownie sandwich. To drink, there will be chilled natural wines and beers to refresh the palette. 

On Friday 20th August, South Devon chefs Jane Baxter and Sam Miller will cook their menu of the finest local produce sourced from around the south coast. Jane and Sam were the first chefs at the restaurant at Riverford Farm, Field Kitchen, before going on to launch their own project, Wild Artichokes in Kingsbridge. In line with the Italian tradition of cooking with the seasons, Jane and Sam will be cooking up a rustic four course Puglian feast. The proceedings will start with an Italian antipasto spread, then primi pasta for sharing, grilled meat and fish for the main course, ending with a traditional Italian dolce. 

In September Clare Lattin and Tom Hill of Duck Soup and Little Duck will host a special late summer harvest feast at Cider House, Find & Foster’s nearby apple orchard. As the apples are carefully picked for harvest, diners will gather beneath the trees for a Gascony-style lunch. Taking inspiration from the traditional French farmers lunches during harvest, trestle tables dressed in white will nestle amongst the apple trees, strewn with simple crockery and glass tumblers. A fitting appley aperitif to begin, followed by wine, bread, a harvest soup and roast chicken. Find & Foster, established by Polly and Matt Hilton, seeks to revive and conserve neglected traditional apple orchards in Devon and uses the resulting apples for their award-winning pétillant naturel and champagne method ciders. Co-founders Tom and Oliver say, “We’re looking forward to a summer of feasting with friends and family, and we’ve invited an incredible line-up of chefs from London and the South coast to help us do just that, joining us at The Exploding Bakery for the Summer Series. Each menu is made up of delicious signature dishes, from the legendary Reuben sandwiches from Owen at Monty’s Deli to Abby’s Malaysian-style feast. After a long winter, it’s the perfect time of year for a bit of celebration.”

Tickets for The Exploding Bakery’s Summer Series are on sale now from via their website and via Eventbrite links below. 

Summer Series Dates: 

Friday 25th June: Owen Barratt, Monty’s Deli (£25pp excl. drinks) – Buy Tickets – unfortunately this first event has been cancelled and will be rescheduled

Friday 9th July: Abby Lee, Mambow (£40pp excl. drinks) – Buy Tickets

Friday 20th August: Jane Baxter, Wild Artichokes (£TBC) 

September: Clare Lattin, Duck Soup/Little Duck x Find & Foster (£TBC) 

The Exploding Bakery Cafe, Central Station Buildings,  1B Queen St,  Exeter,  EX4 3SB 

explodingbakery.com | info@theexplodingbakery.com |

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter