Join us on Monday 12 June for a special evening with guest speaker and RSA Fellow Lord Mandelson and a menu designed and prepared by renowned chef Sabrina Gidda.
The event will begin with fizz or soft drinks on arrival for all guests, before moving to the historic Great Room for a meal.
Guest speaker: Lord Mandelson
Lord Mandelson is a former European Trade Commissioner and British First Secretary of State. As Trade Commissioner between 2004 and 2008, he negotiated trade agreements with many countries and led European negotiations in the WTO Doha World Trade Round.
Prior to this, he held a number of cabinet posts under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown including Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Northern Ireland Secretary and Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. He was Member of Parliament for Hartlepool in the UK from 1992 until 2004 and Director of Campaigns and Communications for the Labour Party between 1985 and 1990.
Lord Mandelson is Chairman of Global Counsel, a member of the International Advisory Committee of BlueVoyant, a cyber security company and member of the Group Holding Board of The Bank of London. He is President of the Great Britain China Centre and Governor and Member of the Council of Management at the Ditchley Foundation.
He is Chairman of the Design Museum in London and Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University.
Chef: Sabrina Gidda
Sabrina Gidda's early career began in Fashion PR & Marketing – before realising that her passion was in food and cooking. Having had no formal training, she began as a stagier at The Dorchester hotel, ran two successful gastro pubs before taking over The Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden. She then ran kitchens in numerous firms in The City as Executive Chef. Her eclectic journey to the kitchen was driven by dedication to her craft, unbounding ambition and the desire to work with food.
She twice competed in the prestigious Roux Scholarship competition in 2014/15, to the final six contestants nationally on both occasions – the only woman on both occasions.
She went on to open Bernardi’s Restaurant in Marylebone and was instrumental in their culinary accolades. It was here that Tatler Magazine awarded her ‘Rising Star’ in 2016 for her inventive, unrestricted approach to Italian cookery. Bernardi’s was mentioned in both Michelin Guide’s during her tenure, along as being noted as one of the best Italian Restaurant’s in London by both Conde Nast & Square Meal.
Throughout her journey Sabrina has regularly been asked to combine her love of writing and cooking – to contribute recipes to numerous magazines. Her approachable and innovative style of cooking – makes her recipes easy to follow, and most enjoyable to eat. Over the years Sabrina has contributed to various editorial publications along with appearing as a judge on Masterchef, and herself competing in Great British Menu – earning 10/10 on her fish dish from acclaimed Chef’s Paul Ainsworth and Daniel Clifford.
Sabrina was Executive Chef of AllBright – a women’s members club based in London & Los Angeles. Her work at the club has been instrumental in raising the profile of the hospitality offer – along with partnerships with BMW, Belu Water, Tiffany, Water Aid and Women for Women.
She continues to champion women in food, drink and hospitality – with her own consultancy. Her eclectic, global approach to cooking and creativity makes her a keen collaborator for brands seeking to land new food concepts.Her debut book ‘Modern South Asian Kitchen’ is published by Quadrille books on March 30th 2023.
Menu
Snacks
- Crispy corn tikki with tamarind sauce, chicken kebab with green chutney
Starter
- Spiced squash and broccoli salad, dukkah & coconut yoghurt
Main
- Halibut fish curry, spinach, crushed potatoes
Dessert
- Black cardamom custard tart
Wine
- Pinot Blanc ‘Les Natures’, Domaine Jean-Baptiste Adam, Alsace 2020 - Organic
- Pinot Noir ‘Sensas’, Languedoc, France 2021
Menu price includes wine or soft drinks.
Dietary requirements and allergies will be catered for. We cannot guarantee total absence of allergen traces.
Ticket information and policies
Places are open to everybody, within and beyond our Fellowship community. Numbers are limited and tickets must be booked in advance.
Tickets cost £100 each, or £90 per person for a table of ten. There will also be the option to make a donation to the RSA, to support our work to unite people and ideas to create social change – we would be grateful for any contribution.
Tickets are refundable up to 30 days before event. Tickets are non-transferable.
Please note that you will need to supply basic details, contact details and dietary requirements of those that you book tickets for.
If you have any questions, or need to inform us of access requirements or any reasonable adjustments you require, please email: house@rsa.org.uk
We offer a complimentary companion ticket for those who require an assistant to accompany them for accessibility reasons (this will be with basic refreshments offered). We offer 50% discounted tickets to companions should they themselves wish to participate in the full dinner experience. We can offer a range of different options and wish to be flexible according to the requirements and preferences of you and your companion, so please contact us at house@rsa.org.uk to discuss your needs.
Taking part in RSA in-person events
If you have any questions, or need to inform us of access requirements or any reasonable adjustments you require, please email: house@rsa.org.uk
Please note, we plan to have a photographer and videographer capturing the event. Content would be used by the RSA to publicise the event series or other future RSA activities. By booking to attend we will assume your consent to this unless you inform the organiser upon arrival that you do not wish to be included in photos or video.
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Please be aware that registrations will close at 11am GMT on Tuesday 6 June 2023.
