Lasagna Made of Yarn and Knitted Salami: A Restaurant Opens in London Where Nothing Can Be Eaten

An exhibition titled Knitalian is taking place at the Air Contemporary gallery in London. The space is designed like a cozy Italian restaurant with traditional checkered tablecloths and a variety of treats. However, instead of chefs, the menu here was crafted by an artist armed with knitting needles, hooks, and balls of yarn. On the tables, one can see multi-layered lasagna, golden cannoli tubes, slices of salami, and various cheeses. At first glance, many of the exhibits resemble real food, but upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that all of them are hand-knit. Creating such a "menu" required several months of meticulous work. To achieve maximum resemblance to real products, Jenkins carefully selected yarn shades, experimented with knitting density, and used various techniques. For example, for the lasagna, the artist separately knitted layers of "dough," made a textile "sauce," and then assembled all the components in layers, achieving the characteristic shape and volume of the dish. Kate's passion for knitting began in childhood. Her grandmother taught her the first lessons in handicrafts. Later, Jenkins built a career as a fashion designer, collaborating with renowned fashion houses, and then decided to dedicate herself to an unusual direction in art — creating realistic food products from textiles. Today, her works are not just amusing crafts but complex artistic installations where the mastery of handwork combines with humor and attention to the smallest details. The very idea of the project is to encourage viewers to look at familiar objects in a new way and to enjoy the unexpected transformation of ordinary food into a work of art. The exhibition also reflects the growing interest in traditional crafts and handmade work, which are becoming popular again, including among young people. And although no one will leave this restaurant feeling full, visitors are sure to have plenty of impressions. After all, it is not every day that one gets to see an Italian dinner that can be knitted rather than cooked.