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Food & Drink

Moveable Feast: A Conversation with Jack Ponting and Isabella Fernandes

5 min read

The next-gen London supper club with feasting, friendship and great food at its heart

Founded by chef Jack Ponting with his partner Isabella Fernandes, along with a couple of their best friends, The Bridge Club was originally born out of post-lockdown to bring London’s hungry chefs together. Now open to the public as a social dining experience, TBC welcomes diners with decadent cuisine, hearty portions (‘come hungry!’) and a communal approach to elevated dining.

We joined Jack and Isabella at their November supper club, themed around ‘Salacious Indulgence’ with a feast of twice-baked soufflés, beef tongue and potato pie - and trotters a la Koffman (an iconic dish of stuffed pig’s trotters, beloved by chefs). Drawing from Jack’s lifelong love of classic British and European food, they talk us through their philosophy for dining and for life – from cooking nostalgic childhood breakfast favourites, to reading vintage train dining car menus, and celebrating the intimacy and community created by sharing food with strangers.

Why did you decide to start The Bridge Club?

Jack: Just after lockdown, I’d been catching up with chef friends, seeing them all individually, and it was costing me a lot of money each time. Eventually I got frustrated and said they could all come to me and I would cook. We did that for about a year, then we were encouraged that the food was great and we should share it with other people.

And how did you end up working on it together?

Isabella: We’re a couple, we met on a dating app during COVID. Our first few dates were socially distanced walks! Jack had talked about this supper club. And I'm a graphic designer, so I ended up designing the branding and menus to bring it to life. But even before meeting Jack, I always loved thinking about food, cooking food.  

Jack: One of the first conversations we ever had was about food.

“One of the first conversations we ever had was about food.”

What's the significance of the name, The Bridge Club?

Jack: My surname is Ponting, which is derived from Pont, the French for bridge. We wanted it to sound like it had been around for forever, something timeless and established.  

Isabella: And it needed to symbolise a communal feel, a coming together, as well.


"The way we serve food is communal – and that's deliberate."

When putting on a supper club, how do you create a sense of community between strangers

Jack: The way we serve food is communal – and that's deliberate. It's more achievable when I'm alone, and it's often been just me in the kitchen for most of these events. And we want it to feel quite indulgent and decadent, and a good way to do that is to make large piles of food to share.  

That in itself feeds into the feeling of togetherness, because even if you're sitting next to people you don't know, you need to get comfortable with them real quick because you're about to share a plate of food together. That has helped a lot.


“Even if you're sitting next to people you don't know, you need to get comfortable with them real quick because you're about to share a plate of food together.”

As The Bridge Club is run by you two and your close friends, it must feel like quite a family affair.

Jack: Definitely. There are four of us, including our friends Jack and Stuart. We used to do an event once a year for another friend at his house, and just worked really well together. Jack and Stuart are two of the most charismatic and friendly people I've ever met, so we wanted them in the front of house.

Your focus is primarily British and European food. How did you come to the decision to focus on these classic cuisines?

Jack: I grew up eating and loving those things. It’s since changed, but at that time a lot of ‘the classics’ weren’t on London restaurant menus anymore. That's the building blocks of a lot of British food and European food. And I love eating it, so I just wanted to see more of it.  

A lot of British food, done well, is kind of hidden from people – it's only available in very pricey places, fine dining restaurants, or private members’ clubs. It seemed a shame there wasn't something more accessible to celebrate our native cuisine.  

Isabella: And there's more to British cuisine than just a roast dinner. It's so much more than that (though of course we love a good roast dinner!)


"A lot of British food, done well, is kind of hidden from people... It seemed a shame there wasn't something more accessible to celebrate our native cuisine."


Of course – but you’re after something a little more unexpected?

Jack: I really like looking at the history of food. We recently did a dish from an Orient Express menu – Stuffed Calves Liver with Chive and Parmesan Crust. I just came across it because I'm a weird nerd who reads old train menus. Innovation is great, and I do apply modern thought to what I do – but it's worth looking backwards for inspiration too.

It must be fun to draw inspiration from the past, for dishes that people might not have tried before.

Jack: Yeah, absolutely. The first dish on the first menu was Jellied Eggs – soft boiled eggs set in ham aspic with spam and some onions and chives and herbs. It was delicious. That's a real classic French dish, but you just don't see it on menus anymore. I was like, ‘I'm going to do this, because it'll be fun’.

I've noticed that a lot of diners use the word ‘feast’ to describe the Bridge Club experience. Does that reflect the experience that you are looking to create?

Jack: Absolutely. We want it to feel like you're at your grandma's house on a Sunday and you have to be rolled out because you've eaten too much. As two people who love hosting people and cooking, we’d be mortified if someone didn't have enough of something. We serve hearty portions – and I think that's really an understatement. No one goes home hungry.


“We want it to feel like you're at your grandma's house on a Sunday and you have to be rolled out because you've eaten too much.”


Your suppers are often loosely themed. How do you choose them?

Jack: Often the themes are based on the season. We recently did one in October where the theme was ‘Preservation’, typical of harvest time. In November it was ‘Decadence’, because it's my version of Christmas and New Years Eve rolled into one. In spring last year, I did one based around lamb. Almost every course was lamb, except for dessert – although actually, I did put lamb fat in the dessert! Generally I look at the season, or I pick a particular process I'm interested in and go from there.

And what inspires your special events?

Jack: They're usually just celebrations of things I love or that I loved as a kid. I used to love going to greasy spoon cafes with my dad on the weekends when I was a kid to eat breakfast, and then typically going to my nan’s house, where she’d make us a second breakfast.  

Isabella: At our brunch event, Jack served Kedgeree and Corned Beef Hash. And Jack's Corned Beef Hash is delicious – of all the things he's cooked for me, Corned Beef Hash is still one of my favourites. And he's like, ‘but it's so simple!’ But it's just delicious, what can I say?

What’s been your favourite menu so far?

Jack: I think the first end-of-year one we did – the ‘Decadence’ one. It's the last one of the year, so it's over the top and very rich. I gave myself so much work to do for that one, that the night before I called two chef friends and said, ‘I've bitten off more than I can chew, can you both come and help me tomorrow?’ They did, thankfully.  

Isabella: That was the Salt Baked Chicken and Oysters, and the Chocolate Mousse? Oh yeah, that menu was banging.

If you need to sub in friends to help you with it, that's a promising sign that you’re in for some decadence.

Jack: Yeah, those two friends are two of the best chefs in London as well, so it's really helpful.

Final question – when's the next supper club event?

Isabella: The next event is March 31st. It’s called Springtide Obsession. The menu's all written, it will be at the Jolly Gardeners in Vauxhall, as always – we’re serving Braised Lamb with Battered Haggis and Mint Jelly, with Moules Frites to start and Eve’s Pudding after. Maybe see you there!

Book tickets here and find out more @the.bridgeclub

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