The Nutcracker Noir arrives in Shoreditch this festive season with a distinctly immersive twist, shaped by the creative vision of chef and experiential designer Jenny McNeill. As founder of Feast + Fable, McNeill blends culinary craft with narrative world-building, transforming Tchaikovsky’s classic into a sensory journey of flavour, emotion and theatrical energy. Her menu mirrors Clara’s path through identity, memory and transformation—each course becoming a scene, a character and a feeling. We caught up with Jenny McNeill to learn how she brings this multi-layered world to life.
The Nutcracker Noir reimagines a Christmas classic through food, theatre, and storytelling. What first drew you to translating The Nutcracker — a ballet — into a dining experience?
The Nutcracker has always been about wonder – I used to read a version to my daughter when she was tiny – so we were chomping at the bit to take the emotions the story elicits and translate them into food. From anticipation to nostalgia to comfort, our menu matches the rise and fall of the music, script and characters as they find their way through Richard Crawford’s reimagining of The Nutcracker.
You’ve said the menu mirrors Clara’s journey through identity and transformation. How do you begin designing dishes that tell an emotional story rather than just serving as a meal?
As with the initial inspiration, we always begin with emotion, not ingredients. What are Clara and the other main characters feeling at specific points in the story – fear, joy, loss, discovery? From there, we explore how texture, temperature, flavour, scent and even the physical act of eating can mirror that state. For example, when owner of Club Noir invites everyone to enjoy the main course, he’s pulling on feelings of togetherness and joint experience.
The opening course, Brick Lane Butter & Sourdough, roots the experience in East London. How important was it for you to weave Shoreditch’s local identity into this reimagined festive tale?
We’re extremely lucky to have the mighty Protein Studios behind this production. The venue, and Shoreditch itself, has its own pulse – creative, chameleon-like, fast moving – and we wanted to honour that. Starting with Brick Lane Butter & Sourdough anchors the story in the real world before the show begins. Plus, it gave me a very good reason to bring the flavours of Brick Lane into our first course, which is divine!
Your background includes immersive dining icons like Gingerline and The Grand Expedition. How does The Nutcracker Noir push that format further — both creatively and sensorially?
Our work has always blurred boundaries between kitchen, stage, and story and The Nutcracker Noir continues to push forward by being super ambitious. From a multi-room entrance experience before you’ve even get to your seat to casting leading performers from the West End, it’s pushing the boat out and then some. The scale of the dining room is bigger than before, the show is longer and ends in a massive party. All in all, guests will be turned 360 degrees in Club Noir, and will leave reeling when they exit!
Each course carries symbolic meaning — from nostalgia in Burnt Ends ‘n’ Grits to memory in La Recette Perdue. How do you balance narrative depth with the technical demands of running a luxury dinner service?
It’s a delicate dance. The creative side wants to push boundaries; the operational side has to make sure the dishes are consistently excellent every night. We bridge that gap through discipline and rigorous food design. Every symbolic element – from nostalgia to transformation – is embedded in dishes that are tested time and time again for consistency and deliver-ability. It’s about creating an experience that feels effortless, even when it’s anything but.
Sustainability and reducing food waste are key to your ethos at Feast + Fable. How have you brought that mindfulness into a production as elaborate and theatrical as this one?
The events industry as a whole is collectively trying to do better. As we capture details of our diners at the ticket sale level, we can ensure our food planning and prep mitigates against food waste. We don’t have to guess who is coming through the door. We also integrate sustainability into the food design process. Ingredients are seasonal, anything out of season is used pickled or preserved. We work with lesser used cuts of meat or sustainable fish sources such as Chalk Stream Trout – a product with low environmental impact and high welfare standard.
Collaboration seems central to The Nutcracker Noir — working with performers, producers, and even wine curators. How do you keep the menu creatively aligned with the wider narrative world of the show?
Feast + Fable thrives on collaboration. The story only comes alive when the actors, musicians, producers, and kitchen working seamlessly in tandem. As a creative team we held story workshops where the menu evolved alongside choreography and script, so each element fed the others, no element having hierarchy over others.
What do you hope guests walk away with — beyond the taste of Champagne and cheesecake — when they step out of The Nutcracker Noir and back into Shoreditch’s winter night?
We hope guests leave not just full and happy, but also moved. Reminded that wonder isn’t something we outgrow. The Nutcracker Noir is about identity, courage, and the beauty of stepping into the unknown. When people walk back into a cold Shoreditch night, we want them to have big smiles on faces, be singing away or toe tapping on the tube, and be leaning over to friends to say, “remember when that happened?!”