Pop ups and supper clubs / Monday Pasta Club
The beloved Instagram supper club bringing mouth-watering pasta to Bristol
On a recent Monday, diners pour into a cosily-lit farmhouse tucked away down a cobbled alleyway.
Dried flowers hang above long trestle tables decorated with candles, fresh spring daffodils and an illustrated menu of the evening’s four course pasta-themed feast.
There’s a buzz of excitement in the air as diners take their seats for the real-life incarnation of the Monday Pasta Club.
is needed now More than ever
Like many new businesses, 24-year-old Ed Barrow originally launched Monday Pasta Club to pass the time during the lockdown summer of 2020.
Since then, the chef and baker has posted a new pasta recipe on Instagram every Monday, from cavolo nero, basil and mascarpone mezzi rigatoni, to langoustine tagliatelle with dill and chilli butter.
View this post on Instagram
Ed’s focus on delicious comfort food oozing with luxurious flavours and the freshest ingredients has earned him a loyal fanbase of more than 75,000 followers, eagerly waiting for a new pasta dish to brighten up their Monday mornings.
The success of his Instagram has now allowed Ed to launch a supper club where diners travel into Bristol from far afield to experience the mouthwatering pasta dishes made by the man behind the Instagram.
Ed, who is originally from Cheddar, wasn’t always destined for the kitchen. After deferring his place to study law at Liverpool University at the last minute to travel, he then changed course dramatically, moving to Edinburgh to train as a chef in a six-month diploma which ignited his love for cooking professionally.
He moved back to Bristol last year where he began working as a baker at Ahh Toots on Christmas Steps before launching his first supper club in October.
Originally inviting family and friends, Ed has now expanded, with a weekly round of supper clubs locked in for every Monday in July at the Forge off Colston Street.
The response has been overwhelmingly positive, he says.
Ed has secured a weekly residency at the Forge in Colston Yard over the month of July – photo: Ed Barrow
“Supper clubs are becoming more popular now as they have a different vibe and feel to a restaurant. I think people enjoy more of a relaxed environment, with the big communal tables.
“People quite like that idea of sitting together and eating together. I think that makes it stand out compared to a restaurant.
“I think of it as a middle way between going out for a meal at a restaurant and having a nice dinner cooked at home because it’s like dinner being cooked at home on a much bigger scale with 30 people.
You get chatting with these people you don’t really know, especially when food is probably the thing a lot of
people have in common.”
There’s something to be said for the benefits of a pop-up, which are becoming increasingly popular in Bristol.
Close to the Forge is the Scrandit on Christmas Steps which hosts an ever changing series of pop-ups, as does Kask Kitchen on North Street. Look out too for regular collaborations in Tomo No Ramen in Old Market.
Pork shoulder or oyster mushroom ragu and papardelle were on the menu at a recent supper club – photo: The Monday Pasta Club
“Although supper clubs are more one-off sporadic events, it does have a beneficial financial gain in the sense that you’re not paying huge costs on rents and staffing,” Ed points out.
“It keeps everything at a minimum, which means I don’t need to be charging extortionate prices. “I want to be able to use good ingredients, but not have to charge super high costs that could put people off coming.”
Despite the benefits a temporary pop-up affords, Ed hopes to open a more permanent space in Bristol next year, but wants to build up a Bristol-focused brand first, working with small Bristol-based businesses.
Ed is hoping to also travel around the country with his pop-ups. “My Instagram following is all over the place, so I want to be able to cook for people in different places and travel and find some nice venues,” he says.
Ed has certainly satisfied his followers in Bristol. As this recent evening pop-up comes to an end, he cleans the last of the kitchen surfaces before taking a sip of wine and allowing himself a moment to pause and take it all in. “I’ve been able to do what I’m interested in and passionate about, and so far that’s going pretty well.”
To keep up to date with Ed’s supper clubs or to see more of his dishes, follow @themondaypastaclub.
This story was originally published in the May & June 2024 Bristol24/7 magazine
Main photo: Mia Vines Booth
Read next:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
