COOKING CLASS, EVERYONE SINGLE | LONDON, OXFORD STREET, FRIDAY 20TH NOVEMBER

On Friday 20th November, join us at Jamie Oliver Cookery School, Oxford Street for a cooking class, everyone single.

Split across two vibrant classrooms on the third floor of John Lewis, the spaces have been designed with creativity, connection and memory-making in mind and form the perfect environment for meeting new people.

We’ve worked closely with their experts to pull together a menu exclusively for Haystack guests and designed a bespoke format that combines the opportunity to cook in curated pairs, followed by a group dinner party dynamic. All the fun of a dinner party, everyone single.

This month, we’re cooking a Sichuan sensation...

Get stuck into this superstar Sichuan sensation and learn the secrets behind powerful Kung Pao flavour. You’ll nail the stir-fry and discover how to balance sweet, heat and umami. Plus, there’s egg-fried rice and a smashed cucumber salad to tie it all together. Become a Kung Pao pro: Marinate and stir-fry chicken (or oyster mushrooms for vegetarians) to absolute perfection. Upgrade your egg-fried rice: Learn the secrets to proper, restaurant-level results. Super smashed cucumber salad: Turn a simple cucumber into something truly magnificent. Then take a seat at our chef’s table to tuck into your knock-out Kung Pao.

7pm - arrive to be greeted by your host for the evening and enjoy your first glass of fizz on us. Then grab yourself an apron and meet your cooking partner. We’ll be using our Haystack matching system to pair up single people with similar interests and we’ll be swapping partners halfway through the class.

After cooking, we’ll head out to the beautiful dining area to enjoy our creations and drinks will be available to pair with dinner.

10pm - the event closes, however for those eager to continue the evening there is of course the option to continue on for some drinks.

Your ticket includes:

- All ingredients, equipment and aprons

- Arrival glass of fizz

- Easy-to-follow demos, led by an expert Jamie Oliver trained teaching chef

- A sit down meal to enjoy your culinary delights around the chef’s table

- A digital recipe pack with everything you need to recreate the magic at home

See you at the chef’s table?

We’re a small business with a big mission - to make dating fun again. We feel really passionately about connecting fun, interesting people and put our heart and soul into every event we host.

We couldn’t feel more grateful for the absolutely lovely community we’ve built - feel free to read what some of our guests have had to say here.

If there's anything at all you want to see us do differently, please reach out; we read every email and we care a huge amount about you guys!

But for now, if you’re open to meeting some new people, we’d love for you to join us for a cooking class on Oxford Street!x

FAQs

Are dating events worth it?

We have worked very hard to create events for single people that don't feel like typical ‘dating events’, which we know can sometimes feel overwhelming. We hire great venues, invest in fun entertainment and bring compatible single people together in groups, so you can go on multiple low-pressure dates in one evening. There are always new dating apps popping up, but let's be honest - we can barely keep up with our family's WhatsApp chat, let alone another dating app. We're all about getting people off their phones and meeting in real life.

What are your dating events?

Our events use a combination of technology and human judgement to bring single people together. When you arrive, you'll be greeted by our lovely Haystack host/s, who'll help you settle in before introducing you to your matched groups. Depending on the event, you'll meet different groups of people throughout the evening. We host everything from relaxed drinks in beer gardens to arcade games, crazy golf and sporty activities. The whole idea is to make meeting new people feel as natural as having a drink with friends - with the added bonus that everyone happens to be single.

How do you match single people?

When you book, we'll ask you a few questions about yourself, your interests and your dating preferences. Behind the scenes, we use a combination of matching technology and our team's judgement to put together groups of people we think you'll get along with. Depending on the event, this might involve our own software, AI-assisted tools or manual matching. We consider things like age, dating preferences, shared interests and the overall balance of each group. The aim? To make meeting new people feel as natural and pressure-free as possible. Some sensitive matching information requires your separate consent, and you can find the details in our Privacy & Data Protection Notice.

We know making friends as an adult isn't exactly easy, so we now also optimise groups for friendship matches too!x

What should I wear?

We get this question a lot - our recommendation is something you'd wear to a first date in a gorgeous bar or an evening out with friends. Wear what you feel best in and come with an open mind, ready to chat to lovely new people!

I'm nervous!?

We cannot emphasise enough how completely normal and ok that is! Putting yourself out there can feel daunting, let alone turning up to something solo, and honestly we totally get that! We've designed every single step of the process to feel relaxed, fun and informal.

When you sign up, you'll fill out a short form. On the day, jump into some clothes you feel good in, then come meet our host. They'll introduce you to some new people straight off the bat, then a little later into the evening you'll get introduced to your cooking partners.

We can absolutely promise you, the scariest part is signing up and we would really encourage you to come down with an open mind and see this as a fun opportunity to meet some lovely new people! If at any point at all in the evening you'd like to chat with someone who looks familiar, come say hey to the host. They'd love to chat, and it's their entire job to feel like a new pal, which they absolutely love doing x

It's my first time! Any advice?

YAAAASSS welcome! Tip one - come with an open mind, ready to say hey to anyone and everyone. Everyone's in the same boat; never be afraid to approach someone and say hi, it's the whole point! Tip two - have fun, be kind and relax into the evening. It's designed to feel like a fun evening with some new friends and interesting new people and the crowd we attract are absolutely lovely! Tip three - if you have literally any questions at all, please reach out; we're here to help and really care about every single guest having a fun experience with us!x

How does it work with data?

Your privacy matters to us. We collect and use relevant booking and questionnaire information to organise events and, where you've given the necessary consent, arrange compatible groups. You can read our full Privacy & Data Protection Notice and Guest Code of Conduct here: https://haystack-dating.github...

How does it work with social media?

We're a sociable bunch and sometimes take photos and short videos at our events for our website, social media and advertising. We try to avoid identifiable faces where possible. If you'd prefer not to appear in our content, just let our team know on the night so we can make a conscious effort to avoid filming you. You can also contact us about privacy concerns or objections afterwards. More information is in our Privacy & Data Protection Notice.

What's the cancellation policy?

There's a lot of planning and matching that goes into each event, so tickets are generally non-refundable if you simply change your mind. If you'd like to transfer your ticket to a friend, please email us at least 7 days before the event so we can check whether we can accommodate the change. Nothing in this policy affects your statutory rights, including any refund rights that apply if we cancel or materially change an event. If something unexpected happens, please get in touch and we'll do our absolute best to help in any way we can x

What's the age group?

Our guests tend to range from their early 20s to their mid-40s, although this can vary between events. We take age into account when arranging matched groups, alongside dating preferences, interests and other relevant factors.

Is this event wheelchair accessible?

The cookery school is on the third floor of John Lewis, 300 Oxford Street, London W1C 1DX. Please get in touch before booking if you have any accessibility requirements so we can confirm the kitchen workstation and event arrangements with the venue. If there’s anything at all we can do to make your experience more comfortable, please reach out. We are really passionate about getting this right x

Is this a speed dating event?

Hard pass lol x The thought of having to pitch yourself to a stranger every two minutes is our worst nightmare lol. Our events are designed to feel organic, like you're having a drink and a laugh with a group of new friends. We do all the thinking behind the scenes to create compatible groups, so you can just turn up and enjoy yourself. No pressure. Just fun, kind people with shared interests who also happen to be single. And most of our guests come not knowing anyone so everyone's in the same boat and so far we've attracted an absolutely lovely community of people x

How does matching work at this cooking event?

We’ll use your questionnaire answers to pair you with a cooking partner, then swap partners halfway through the class. Afterwards, we’ll sit down together to enjoy the food you’ve made. All the fun of a dinner party, everyone single x

Who are Haystack?!

We're a small, independent business with a very big dream of making dating fun again. We run trips and events - everything from ski trips to surf camps, to paint and sips to mini golf and we're trying our absolute hardest to make dating a positive space again, one day at a time!

I can’t cook! Does that matter?

The Haystack Dating founder once googled how to pre-heat the microwave. She has since done several classes with this cookery school, always had an amazing time and learnt many new things. All cheffing abilities are welcome, encouraged and the fabulous Jamie Oliver Cookery School hosts are on hand to help!

Is this class suitable for vegetarians?

Absolutely! Please note this particular class is not able to facilitate gluten-free or vegan requirements. Any other dietary requirements will be requested at checkout!