Getting High On Their Own Supply | The Rise of Growers and Importers Opening London Restaurants
Words by Christina Dean
Producers and suppliers are connecting directly with customers like never before
The idea of farm-to-table dining, that is restaurants sourcing ingredients locally and direct from those who produce them as a way of securing fresher, seasonal, more sustainable and higher quality food, is so obvious and so commonsensical now that it’s hard to imagine a time when it didn’t exist.
Alice Waters, who opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California in 1971, is considered one of the pioneers of the farm-to-table movement. In an effort to move away from the over-processed and bland food coming from the country’s industrialised agriculture systems, she used fresh, seasonal, locally grown produce in her restaurant, preparing it in ways that let the ingredients shine.
As well as resulting in better quality products for both chefs and diners, the concept of farm-to-table dining helps to better connect the end consumer to the food they’re eating, making them more aware of the systems that produce their food.
We all know about the impact that intensive agriculture has on animal welfare – just look at battery chickens – and we’re becoming more and more aware of its impact on the environment, (aided by the growth of the regenerative farming movement), so it’s no wonder that the farm-to-table philosophy has become popular around the world, including here in the UK.
There are a bunch of excellent restaurants across the country showcasing farm-to-table dining at its best, either through opening restaurants on or very close to farms (like Crocadon and Coombeshead Farm in Cornwall, Osip in Somerset, Wilsons in Bristol, L’Enclume in the Lake District, Heckfield Place in Hampshire and The Small Holding in Kent), or planting impressive kitchen gardens (like Grace & Savour in Warwickshire and Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire). And there are also plenty of London operators getting high on their own supply.
Obviously outdoor space is more limited in the capital but there’s some crafty urban growing happening – The Culpeper in Spitalfields grows produce on its rooftop and on its mini farm in Deptford, and Petersham Nurseries in Richmond is attached to a plant nursery. And then there’s using London itself as your own kitchen garden; Aidan Brooks sources and forages ingredients for his Eleven98 supper club menus in Hackney.
Other restaurateurs are making use of the farmland around the city to supply their operations. Ibai, a new Basque steak restaurant in the City run by Nemanja Borjanović’s meat suppliers Txuleta and chef Richard Foster, not only has direct access to the farms that supply Txuleta’s Galician Blond, British Wagyu and Black Angus beef, Borjanović is also working to establish the Galician Blond breed in the UK on his own smallholding on the Gorhambury Estate in St Albans.
The Gladwin Brothers, who operate four London restaurants under their Local & Wild umbrella, feature meat and wine from their Sussex farm and vineyard across their menus. Origin City is another one doing the double; its heritage breed meats are supplied by the owners’ family farm in Argyll, Scotland and the majority of the wine list features bottles from their organic vineyard Château De La Cômbe in Provence.
There’s been something of a burst in wine importers opening restaurants in the capital where they can supply the bottles. The likes of Noble Rot, 40 Maltby Street and Top Cuvée have been joined by a throng of cellar-to-table openings, from first-timers to wine veterans alike. Michael Sager, a stalwart of the city’s wine scene, expanded his little east London empire with Bar Bruno in Victoria Park Village. As well as being named after his dad and featuring a menu of filled pretzels in honour of his Swiss heritage, there are several bottles from his personal cellar in the bar too.
Francis Roberts and Tom Beattie may have only started their importing business Beattie & Roberts a few years ago but they’ve quickly built a stellar reputation, one that they cemented with the opening of Cadet on Newington Green. The list is made up entirely of their own selection of bottles and pairs perfectly with the food coming from charcutier George Jephson and chef Jamie Smart.
Charlie Carr also spotlights natural wine with his biz Wingnut Wines, which is focused around showcasing under-represented wines that are not readily available elsewhere. As well as operating a small bar in Netil Market, he’s got his bottles on the list at Papi, the London Fields restaurant he opened with chef Matthew Scott.
Newest on the scene is Cloth, the Farringdon restaurant opened by wine importers Joe Haynes and Ben Butterworth along with chef Tom Hurst. Half of the impressive wine list, including grower Champagnes, new-wave Bordeaux and German wines, comes courtesy of Joe and Ben, and it’s going down a storm with critics and punters alike.
Want more long reads? Check out the rest of our In-Depth features here.