A pop-up dinner of delicious and healthful Soviet gastronomy by London-based food collective Russian Revels.

Iconic, retro, underappreciated, loved and pined for in equal measures – Soviet cuisine is at best nostalgised over by those from the ‘Wild East’ and at worst dismissed as a utopic relic.

СССР (USSR in Russian) Cookbook by food historians and agent provocateurs of Moscow food scene Olga and Pavel Syutkin is a myth-debunking and salivating making exploration of the real story behind the Soviet gastronomy.

Is Soviet cuisine a logical continuation of the chic Russian gastronomy of 19th century or its own unique phenomenon?

Bold and visionary personalities, PR and branding of dishes at unprecedented scale, unashamed borrowing from ‘national’ cuisines – are what made the Soviet cuisine a true unique experiment.

We are throwing together a playful and thoughtful supper with recipes from and inspired by the book, accompanied by the stories from those involved in its creation.

‘Life has got better, comrades. Life has become more joyous’ (Stalin, as it happens, circa 1930s).