Getting ready for the Blaggers' Banquet

It's all systems go for London's food bloggers - we've blagged far and wide for the finest ingredients to showcase at tonight's epic Blaggers' Banquet, held at legendary Shoreditch steakhouse Hawksmoor. Inspiration for the banquet came from Niamh Shields aka Eat Like A Girl and we're doing it all in aid ofAction Against Hunger. That's right, every single penny goes straight to a worthwhile cause, more of which you can read on Niamh's blog and of course in the coming days as we tally up the initial proceeds from tonight's fiestanza!

Having come to this late and blissfully unaware of the brouhaha earlier in the year when bloggers gained a reputation for supposedly "blagging" free meals I wasn't sure quite what to expect. Working with fellow bloggers, food suppliers and PRs the past few weeks has been a fascinating exercise both in military-style planning and a total revelation in how extraordinarily generous people are. I'll be writing more about the experience after tonight's event as now is the time to start hauling all the food supplies I've blagged downstairs to drive over to Hawksmoor. The cooks and prep team, of which I've been given the daunting task of leading today, are all meeting at 11am sharp and we've got a day of serious work ahead of us to honour both Action Against Hunger and in treating 50 banquet guests to a feast they'll remember. I'm confident the team of cooks and prep will triumph, they've been nothing but cool, calm and collected in the past week as I frantically organise a banquet menu and make last-minute demands on a Saturday night to come up with brilliant canape recipes. They shall all feature in blog posts next week so you can get to know the team :D

Follow our progress throughout the day and into next week on Twitter using the hashtag #blaggersbanquet and come join us on Facebook There will be an auction online to raise more money for Action Against Hunger, so if you can't be with us tonight but would like to bid on a fabulous foodie prize then please do so. Details will be up soon, I promise

Time to don the chefs' whites and get cooking. Wish us luck!