Sound of the underground

I have been interested in going to an underground restaurant for a couple of years after seeing a great documentary on London's Secret Ingredient. For those of you that don't know, a secret or underground restaurant is a dining experience in someone's home, generally a price per head is confirmed up front and it is BYO.

I've been told its a fantastic experience not only for the food, cooked by talented and passionate home chefs, but for meeting and dining with strangers that have a shared interest.....food, glorious food.

At the time, I tried to find out more about this apparently explosive trend by googling 'supper clubs Leeds' (tipping up OAP social events), 'secret restaurant Leeds' (showcasing Leeds centre finest outlets - nothing secret about that) and 'underground tasty time' (I cant say in polite company what those google results were!).

So if it was a trend, it was staying well and truly underground, I couldn't find out a peep.

It wasn't until I joined Twitter last year that I began to hear more about the craze actually alive and thriving in Yorkshire*. So this week I have booked my first underground experience at the Birky Lodge Dining Club in Huddersfield (my soon to be stomping ground after a house move in March). The listed cottage has 24 places and an open fire and will be serving traditional Indian cuisine made by a mother-daughter team.

Other Yorkshire beauties include Leeds based Secret Tea Room which is impressively booked up until 2012 and Huddersfield's Cafe Nouveau At Home. Both of which I intend to visit as soon as possible but until then the colourful blogs and recipe tweets keep me entertained on a daily basis.

A special mention should also go to anarcho-restaurateur, founder of The Underground Restaurant, @msmarmitelover who started this UK craze and is incredibly passionate about spreading the news of events outside of London.

It would be a dream come true to host an underground evening in my own home. I have experience in catering and let's face it, I love to be the hostess.

My new house is the perfect venue and I have a good network of friends - I'm talking to you Cupcakery Bakery - that have the talent and the passion to join me in this little venture.

Hmmm, it's a thinker and one I really will consider.

Since attending as many underground restaurants as my belly can cope with will technically be research, I better get to work!

*by ekkers!