Discover Seasonal Delights at Old Queen Street Cafe: Celebrating British Food Fortnight
Autumn at Old Queen Street: British Food Fortnight 2026
There’s a point every year when the kitchen begins to look distinctly more autumnal and a glass of red suddenly feels like an extremely good idea.
This year, that change of season arrives just in time for British Food Fortnight, the annual celebration of British food, which runs from 26 September to 11 October 2026 and marks its 25th anniversary this year.
At Old Queen Street, cooking with the British seasons is already at the heart of how Executive Chef Elliot Spurdle and the kitchen approach the menu. So rather than inventing something special for the occasion, we thought we’d celebrate what we’re cooking now.
Autumn has arrived
The new menu leaves very little doubt about what time of year it is.
There’s Burrata & Hot Honey, with roasted Delica pumpkin, red wine figs and sage , creamy, sweet, sharp and probably the plate that best sums up the move into autumn.
Rabbit & Tarragon Terrine comes with toasted sourdough, pickled heritage carrot salad and purple carrot ketchup.
And Beetroot & Orange is served with hung yoghurt, toasted seeds, pickled blackberries and sorrel.
Seasonal cooking doesn’t need to be complicated. Sometimes it’s simply a case of putting the things that taste good now on the plate.
The return of proper autumn food
There are dishes you naturally start wanting once the evenings get cooler.
The Curried Lamb Pot Pie is one of them: slow-cooked lamb shoulder, potatoes and peas beneath a roti lid.
There’s Roast Cod with braised leeks, mussels, samphire and a cider and bacon cream sauce, and Grilled Bacon Chop with celeriac and apple remoulade, burnt apple ketchup, crispy onions and pink peppercorns.
For something plant-based, Glazed Butternut Squash comes with lentil ragout, cavolo nero, pumpkin seeds and orange and sage gremolata.
They’re generous dishes, but there’s still plenty of freshness running through them, which is exactly where we like an autumn menu to sit. These dishes are all on the current All Day menu.
Breakfast changes with the season too & THEN THERE’S PUDDING
Our porridge moves into the new season with poached heritage plums and cinnamon, alongside the familiar Eggs Royale, Salt Beef Benedict and full OQS Breakfast. There is something very reassuring about a bowl of hot porridge on a cooler Westminster morning.
And if your morning calls for something less virtuous, we’re not here to judge.
This autumn that means Pear & Blackberry Crumble, served warm with vanilla ice cream and tipsy blackberries. It’s difficult to imagine a more convincing argument for staying for dessert.
Why British Food Fortnight matters
British Food Fortnight has spent 25 years celebrating the food produced and served across Britain, bringing together farmers, producers, communities and hospitality businesses. For a restaurant, the point feels reassuringly straightforward.
Pay attention to what’s in season. Work with good ingredients. Let the time of year shape what people find on the menu.
Our Executive Chef Elliot Spurdle’s menus take their cues from the traditional London café, but they move with the British seasons, familiar enough to know what you’re ordering, with enough going on to make it worth leaving the house for.
British Food Fortnight gives us a useful excuse to talk about seasonal food. But really, autumn is doing a pretty good job of making the case for itself.