2026 Interior Design Masters winner Lia Gold raises a negroni at her first dinner at Host in Leyton Midland. Photo: Jonni Knight.
“Being Scottish Italian, I always say that the Scots bring the party, the Italians the food, and I get to be the best of the two.” So states Lia Gold, the winner of the 2026 series of BBC’s Interior Design Masters, the hit BBC1 show presented by Alan Carr.
As well as the huge exposure the series has brought to her career — including its first prize, a homeware collection for Next — another offshoot is taking root right here in East London. Her first pop-up, back in July, at the longstanding Host opposite Leyton Midland station was such a hit that there’s a second later this month.
“Anyone is welcome to have a seat at the table as long as you don’t mind sharing,” she says. “And the menu is large plates because in Italy we don’t do small.”
As for her style of cooking, it’s “always inspired by my heritage, what I was lucky enough to eat growing up and still eat now,” she says. From “family favourites to Nonna’s secret recipes,” the seasonal menu changes each time, the focus always on “simple, non-fussy, delicious Italian food.”
So what can we expect later this month? Well, to start there’s antipasti aplenty: sea salt and rosemary focaccia, chargrilled courgette and butter bean salad, autumn panzanella and whipped ricotta topped with honey pistachios.
And of course there’s pasta. This time it’s orecchiette alla salsiccia, which Lia begins “by slowly frying off onion with a healthy dose of extra virgin olive oil,” she says, “then browning the salsiccia Toscana — Tuscan sausage — soaked in a little red wine and topped with passata to bubble away.”
If you’re the kind of person who swoons over a dessert trolley, these pop-ups are for you. Lia has a long history of selling her bakes, and the four dolci will include a moreish sounding blood orange and olive oil upside down cake, a mascarpone, marmalade and almond tart, lime and basil gelato — and the classic tiramisu. “You can’t have the secret recipe for it though because even I don’t know it,” she says, with a laugh. “I leave that one to mamma.”
Mamma is Lia’s resilient sous chef. “She supports me with the cooking, and we do most of the prep beforehand,” she says, “which is always really nice as we get to spend time together. I used to watch her cooking when I was younger, and now we get to do it together, although she still keeps a keen eye on everything.”
This month Mamma will be on plating duties — “the serving area is through the back of the store, but we still need to bring our own hobs” — so Lia can focus on hosting. But what does she love most about these evenings?
“Working my way around the tables, asking what they loved and hearing everyone laughing and chatting. At the last, three guests came solo, but left together to go to the pub to chat more — for me, that’s the beauty of supper clubs, bringing back human connection over a delicious sharing menu.”
And with that high profile telly win in full view, it’s not solely about the food. “It’s the tablescape, the florals, the name places and everything else that goes into it. I spend weeks creating a concept, and my interior design plays a huge role in the feel of the space. Before you’ve even sat down and tasted the menu, you should have an idea of what might be served through the tablescape and welcome drink. I love creating a moment of magic with the table, having creative freedom to create those pauses for people.”
This time you can also expect the presence of illustrator and artist Natalie Newsome, “who’ll be doing some live paintings,” Lia says. With the dinners being BYOB, you can even support Gravity Well Taproom in the arches or Swirl over on Tilbury Road too.
But that’s just the start of it. In today’s issue Lia spills the tea on her journey to the top on Interior Design Masters, what Alan Carr is really like, why she fell in love with cooking, and her tips on where she eats in Leyton and Leytonstone.
Will this now be a regular night in E10? “If the demand stays, I would host once a month here,” she says. “But let’s see.”
October 22nd 7pm-1030pm, Host of Leyton, 658 High Rd E10 6JP. Follow @liagoldinteriors @thisishost. Grab the last available tickets (£40) here. You can also join her events newsletters to hear of the next supperclub first here.
Welcome to Issue 101. Another must for the food-obsessed takes place on Sunday at South Leytonstone’s never-disappointing wine bar Le Regret, courtesy of chef Reuben Johnson, who cooks at Noble Rot by day. Promising a “long lunch of rotisserie chooks, duck sausages and other decadent accompaniments that pay homage to South-Western French cuisine,” in today’s issue he talks me through the menu in detail and his inspiration behind his Broche pop-up.
And now some thanks: last week’s special 100th issue starring Ravneet Gill proved a massive success, so thanks to everyone who upgraded, making it shoot up the Substack global charts not only to #24 in Food & Drink but also peaking at #19 in the Rising UK leaderboard.
Paid subscribers have access to the entire archive, with hundreds of frank restaurant reviews, interviews and food stories you won’t read about anywhere else. No other title writes in-depth about the swathe of East London from Stratford, the Olympic Park and Forest Gate to Leyton, Leytonstone and Walthamstow.
Other ways to support include hitting the heart button (for the all-important Substack algorithms), or sharing with friends for up to six months’ credit. And don’t forget you can listen to this newsletter like a podcast on the Substack app (press the play button top right).
In this issue for paid subscribers:
Interior Design Masters winner Lia Gold on the hit TV show, Alan Carr and more on how the Hosts supper clubs started, as well as her top Leyton and Leytonstone food tips
A first visit to Leytonstone’s low-key and spice-fuelled new grill cooking Pakistani, Punjabi and Afghan dishes
Noble Rot chef Reuben Johnson talks me through his unique Broche menu at Le Regret for one day only
Wood Street Bear’s Simon on why he throws a twice-annual beer festival with neighbours Clapton Craft
Side Portions: all the latest news, gossip and foodie titbits from across this swathe of East London
