Roe to host Too Many Critics charity event

Too Many Critics, the charity event established by Bill Knott and the late Charles Campion in support of Action Against Hunger, will return this year, set to take place on 16 June at Roe in Canary Wharf.
The line-up will see food critics Tom Parker Bowles (Mail on Sunday), Leonie Cooper (Time Out), David Ellis (The London Standard), Molly Codyre (Foodism), Kate Krader (Bloomberg), Hannah Twiggs (Independent) and Adam Hyman (CODE and The Good Food Guide) move away from their desks and into the kitchen for one night only, as they cook a four-course dinner for a room full of guests and a host of chefs-turned-judges, all to raise funds and awareness for Action Against Hunger.
Chefs including Ashley Palmer-Watts and Shaun Searley will take on the role of critic during the event, which is now in its 18th year. The 2025 event will take place at Roe, the latest restaurant from Will Murray, Jack Croft and James Robson, the trio behind Fallow St. James’s and FOWL.
Critics will be tasked with cooking signature dishes from both Roe and Fallow St. James’s, championing modest and underused British ingredients and showcasing the restaurants’ zero-waste philosophy.
About the event
The event will also feature a silent auction, which will go live on 2 June, offering exclusive prizes such as private dining experiences, wine tours and luxury stays. Highlights of the silent auction include dinners for two at the three-Michelin-starred Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms from Mark Birchall; Wildflowers restaurant in Belgravia; Hackney hotspot Sesta; and The Palmerston and Leftfield in Edinburgh.
A live auction will also take place in the evening, offering guests the opportunity to bid for highly sought-after prizes, including dinner for four cooked at home by chef Joe Laker of Counter 71, paired with a whisky flight by Ryan Sheehan from their sister bar, Lowcountry.
Last year’s event raised over £145,000 for Action Against Hunger, supporting their work providing treatment and care to millions of people suffering from life-threatening hunger in over 50 countries. This year’s edition aims to do the same.
Tickets are on sale now, priced at £250 per person and include a four-course meal with matching wines and a Taittinger Champagne reception with canapes.
Pictured: Critics and chefs at the 2024 Too Many Critics charity event at Darby's