Taste of London 2012 reviewed

I spent yesterday afternoon at Taste of London, the restaurant festival in Regents Park which runs through to Sunday.  For those not familiar with it, there are about 30 tents occupied by top London restaurants, each of which serves up a number of signature dishes (on paper plates!) for around £4-£7 per plate.  There are also a large number of niche food and drink retailers dotted around, a theatre doing cookery demos and other bits and pieces.

The link with this site is that BA is the main sponsor (and has been since the first year in 2007-ish) and puts up a big tent just for BAEC Gold and Silver members.  This is always impeccably run, and today was no exception. 

I had a ticket for the 12pm-4pm session, and was in the BA tent at about 12.03 (!) to avoid a downpour.  Champagne was freely served throughout the session, a wide selection of hot canapes were brought round at regular intervals, and there was a wine and cheese tasting of the products currently being served in J and F.  It really was an excellent spread.  I also met up with a number of Flyertalk posters and other BA regulars – if you go on the Saturday, they tend to take over the entire tent!

BA also sponsors a stand called Height Cuisine where some of the niche producers who supply in-flight cakes and ice cream were exhibiting.  There was also a tasting every hour (sign up as soon as you arrive or you won’t get in) – I was at the 2.30 Tea Tasting, where a man from Twinings let us all sample various teas, with each table of four also being given a full afternoon tea selection of sandwiches and cakes.

Taste of London can be an expensive day out with entry at £15+ depending on whatever discount code you use when you book, and then extra for all the restaurant stands.  However, as I proved today, you can have a very pleasant afternoon by sticking to BA freebies (although had I not had to leave at 3pm, I’m sure I would have got around to some of the restaurant stalls).

BA is very likely to continue its sponsorship next year, so if you have a Silver or Gold BAEC card (you can bring one guest per card into the BA tent with you) it is worth a visit.  50 / 50 chance it will chuck it down, though, based on my experience over the last five years.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

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Capital on Tap Pro Visa

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There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

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There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

American Express Business Platinum

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American Express Business Gold

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Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.