We all need a varied diet, right? And, over the holiday season, the 24/7 routine of mince pies, turkey sarnies and mulled wine can get a bit much. If you crave something different, take inspiration from olive's hit list of venues, from food halls to ambitious restaurants, where Christmas is a mindset not a menu plan, and cranberry sauce is largely conspicuous by its absence. However, you eat your way through December, have a blast and a fantastic 2023.
HOT TICKET St Bart's, London New from the team behind Nest and Fenn, this 15-course Smithfield restaurant pays tribute to exceptional seasonal, artisan UK produce. The aim, says executive head chef, Johnnie Crowe, is to show respect for "the natural environment, the incredible produce that comes from it, and everyone in the process". Snacks of house-cured mangalitsa pork or oyster and pea with lovage granita precede dishes which, showcasing one or two prized ingredients, use progressively more interventionist techniques to platform them, from raw preparations to open-flame cooking. Expect foodies to flock. Dinner from £120pp; restaurant-stbarts.co.uk
HIP FOODIE SPOT Heron, Leith Modish spot amid Leith's waterways, offering exacting food and a relaxed vibe. Deft use of Scottish produce in dishes such as barbecued langoustine with home-cured lardo or venison with pickled, foraged blueberries and potato terrine, has won twenty-something chefs Tomás Gormley and Sam Yorke a sterling rep. December tasting menus from £65pp; heron.scot
This story is from the December 2022 edition of Olive.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2022 edition of Olive.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
kitchen therapy with Rosie Birkett
Give salad the Jersey Royal treatment with Rosie's rustic new potato platter
PUB MENU The Barley Mow
Put aside some quality time at the weekend to recreate this relaxed Anglo-French pub menu from a newly restored Mayfair landmark
BOLTHOLE Fort Road Hotel, Margate
Kentish ingredients, local artists and extra touches of hospitality give this distinctive seafront hotel the perfect combination of contemporary style and seaside nostalgia
COOK LIKE A LOCAL South Korea
Su Scott introduces the deep, complex flavours of this East Asian country
READY? SET MENU? GO!
Delegate decision making to the experts - say feed me, thrill me. Rather than poring over menus, opting for a great-value set menu or a blow-out tasting experience allows you to kick back and relax, confident that incredible food will follow
Speedboat Bar SIGNATURE DISH
Whip up a spicy chillispiked dish and zingy ginger cocktail from Thai canteen Speedboat Bar in London's Chinatown
Coronation chicken cups
Give this gorgeously creamy filling the canapé treatment - perfect for easy entertaining
3 WAYS WITH Pickles
Whether it's cornichons, onions, beetroots or dill pickles, you can do so much more than you might think with these vinegary beauties
Keep it sweet
Show-off desserts to end your meal with a flourish, from food writer Claire Saffitz
Cook with the season
That sweet spot between spring and summer brings with it some of the very best produce
