An award-winning Basque cookery school lands in London

Mimo opens its first UK outpost in Borough Market

Mimo, the award-winning Basque cookery school and gourmet food shop, is opening its first UK outpost in Southwark on Thursday April 4, adding yet more flavour to the bustling food scene at Borough Market. Mimo was founded by former financier Jon Warren and his wife Nicole when they left London a decade ago for a new start in San Sebastián. There, inspired by the vibrant local food scene, they began leading private culinary tours for visitors seeking an authentic experience, which led to a cookery school and a shop bursting with regional specialities, from olive oil to sherry and Iberian ham. They have since opened in Seville, Mallorca and the Algarve and are now bringing Mimo home with them.

From left: founders Jon and Nicole Warren and head chef Joseba Lasa

The new cookery school, located in a historic building on Cathedral Street, has the kitchens of every foodie’s dreams – contemporary designs by award-winning Roundhouse, with state-of-the-art Gaggenau appliances, Caesarstone worktops, communal industrial-style tables and floor-to-ceiling sash windows – and classes are led by Basque-born head chef Joseba Lasa, formerly executive chef at Urban Caprice, and his team.  

Sessions include the four-and-a-half-hour San Sebastián Pintxos Old Town Cooking class (£175), where, armed with a welcome drink, guests are taught the art of making the specialities of San Sebastián’s most famous tapas bars, from Goiz-Argi’s prawn skewer to Borda Berri’s slow-cooked beef cheek – all followed by lunch with wine. 

The 60-minute Mimo Lunch Hour sessions (£35) start with guests guided in the creation of a seasonal aperitif, followed by a hearty main dish with a glass of wine prepared and served by Mimo’s chefs – with 90 per cent of the ingredients sourced from Borough Market. 

Tours of the market will be led by Mimo, as well as wine-pairing guides, while Family Sessions (with one child aged five upwards; £75) will also be on the menu. And for those cooking at home, there’s a Basque bounty for the larder, from sal de Añana (£6) from the southern Basque salt flats to Mimo’s own sauces and preserves (from £7).