The Premier League wanted to introduce immersion into this event, to up the creativity and to do something different, whilst hosting their guests in a heritage venue. It was vital that a selection of global cuisine should be celebrated and presented in a unique way, and a reveal later in the evening, such as a cocktail lounge, all within the Cloisters space of Westminster Abbey.

Our brief wasn’t straightforward, but we relish in anything but the ordinary. To avoid the cliched “drinks reception and canapés” the Premier League wanted to celebrate different world cuisines more substantially, offering an authentic grab n’ go service before their group had a private tour of the Abbey. Our brief was to create a playful, flavourful and vibrant food offering that was equally sympathetic to the world we were working in, no easy feat considering this sensational Abbey is over 1000 years old. Yet, what we did was totally unexpected and celebrated.

To fulfil this brief our engineering and materials team took centre stage, alongside our creative departments. To elevate the food output, we presented a concept that turned the Cloister into a cobbled street with food trucks that were constructed and built to fit perfectly within the windows of the stained-glass exterior. Four trucks were constructed to represent different global street food: USA, Mexico, Shanghai and London.

Each truck was completely unique in size, style and what it served. For example, our Mexican City Food Truck was constructed from wood and paper mâché with a painted finish, adorned with acrylic resin eggshell aluminium panels. The structure was constructed to fit the contours of the Cloister exactly using a CLS framework with a protective rubber matting to ensure full safety to the floor and stone. The other trucks were made in a similar way, nuanced with applied details to suit their locations and the food that was being served, front-facing for easy replenishment.

It was important to work alongside our other partners to create a seamless food service. We provided various surfaces on each truck for food presentation, including shelving, bars, recesses and drawers. A range of edible delights were made and presented in a unique way, satisfying the brief to elevate the cuisine to an immersive level and ensuring we could offer more than canapés. On the Borough Market stand we served mini fish and chips, Yorkshire puddings with rare roast beef and horseradish cream, chorizo scotch eggs and ginger pig sausage rolls and on the Beijing Food Truck was served Szechuan style ramen noodles with minced chicken, Boa Bun pork belly and Peking style duck pancakes.

The installation was a riot of creativity and culinary mastery. It is worth mentioning that the whole setup was achieved within 45 minutes of the Abbey closing to the public and our first guests arriving. This was truly something to be proud of.

A reveal area was important to our client so we proposed a pop-up cocktail lounge that guests could experience after their tour of the Abbey. We brought in a range of interesting props and furniture and transformed an adjoining Cloister into a stylish seating area. A mixture of antiques, books, fabric and sculpture gave this space a unique and whimsical character as if a hidden space had been found in the grounds of Westminster Abbey.

For a pop of fun and something sweet, guests could help themselves to ice cream from a charming vendor or doughnuts, as well as requesting party cocktails throughout the evening. The selection of treats on offer was a riot of flavour and variation across a culinary world celebrated by the Premier League.

This case study is a great example of how it’s possible to innovate whilst remaining respectful of a Grade I listed venue, installing bespoke production and set design within a heritage space that requires the utmost delicate touch and care.