Our approach to cooking is about ingredients (or essentially flavor) and simplicity. It’s about knowing when ingredients are at their best, and understanding how the use of their flavors or textures is going to transform something from standard to outstanding in the simplest way possible. Some pasta in the pantry, sage or rosemary growing at the back door, some Parmesan and good olive oil, and in a matter of minutes you’ve got something deeply satisfying and delicious on your plate. Minimal ingredients, little cooking, and maximum flavor: it’s a method we like to follow as much as we can.
Every Friday at the restaurant, Tom and I sit down together and talk about food. Not in any specific way—we just share our thoughts about ingredients, what’s in season, and what we’re in the mood to eat, and ideas often grow out of that. It’s important for us that what we cook is based around our own stories and experiences, because it means that so much more soul and understanding go into the dish. The simplicity of how we cook means the dishes often evoke something familiar and innate in both ourselves and our customers. This is because much of our food is inspired by a dish we cook at home, something we’ve had while traveling, or even something we’ve imagined eating.
Once you’ve cooked a few recipes from this book, you’ll quickly become familiar with how we cook using our 'larder' essentials: the things we come back to time and time again. We like to think of them as our natural flavor enhancers. A squeeze of burnt lemon, a sprinkling of fried curry leaves, a handful of toasted nuts—these simple things have the power to transform a dish.
Keeping things really simple means that we often describe our menu as being 'clean'. We want our food to taste of itself, so we do little to it. We don’t wrap it up in butter or sauces, but just add a gentle seasoning or an ingredient that will help it become a better version of itself. We try to think of each little ensemble as a group of people all going out together; we think of how they might get along, who might be the leader, who might be the enabler—that sort of thing. Of course, the ideal situation is when each ingredient supports and nurtures the others, so they become more bold and confident in flavor.
Without good ingredients it’s not easy to achieve the above. Seasonal produce or ingredients that have been lovingly produced or grown means they will be full of flavor; when you have these, you’re halfway there. We use a lot of vegetables in our cooking—this isn’t because we’re catering to vegetarians, it’s simply how things have developed over time. The flavor pairings we use in these dishes are so delicious that we haven’t felt the need to use as much meat. However, don’t be alarmed if you like meat; there are plenty of recipes in this book that use it.
I suppose we have quite a magpie approach to cooking and draw on a palette of ingredients inspired by our travels—whether Italian, Middle Eastern, Spanish, or Nordic. We use the best ingredients from different places, and because our style of cooking is so free, these recipes are very easily re-created at home.
We like to think of our menus as a journal of what we want to eat. In short, it’s simple, humble cooking, using minimal ingredients and lively flavor pairings. This book is a snapshot of those dishes, the ones we think work well for the home cook. And we hope that you’ll love using these recipes.
This salad pairs their citrus sweetness with the slightly bitter flavor of radicchio, which is also in season at this time of year (you can use any type of radicchio, but we like the pink radicchio because it's so pretty). The ricotta salata adds another layer of texture to the dish but also acts as the seasoning.
Blood oranges are the ingredient we all look forward to after harsh winter months; their bright red and orange flesh bursts through those gray winter clouds, offering a little sunshine.
Trim the roots from the radicchio, gently pull the leaves apart, and place them in a mixing bowl.
Peel the oranges by first slicing off the top and bottom and then carefully running a knife around the orange from top to bottom, following the shape of the fruit. Make sure you remove all the skin and white pith. Slice the oranges horizontally into 1/4-in [5-mm] slices so you see the full shape of the segments in each slice. Add to the bowl.
Cut the ricotta into small nuggets and drop them into the bowl. Dress everything with the lemon juice, olive oil, and a little salt and pepper to taste. Remember, the ricotta is your natural seasoning, so be sure to taste before adding too much salt.
To serve, tip the bowl over a plate and gently coax the salad onto the plates, allowing it to fall naturally. Scatter with a few dill fronds and the pistachios and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
Clare Lattin started her career in book publishing over 20 years ago with Hodder Headline; she then traveled the world for 18 months working in restaurants. On returning to the UK she fell back into publishing, most recently at Quadrille, where she worked for 10 years as head of publicity, overseeing all their major cookbooks. During this period her passion for the food scene became obsessive, and it was here that she met the characters who put her on the path to opening her own restaurant. Clare also is the cofounder of Eightyfour, a small PR agency specializing in restaurant and food brands. Most recently, she has launched a ceramic brand called 'vessel and time'.
Tom Hill's love of cooking began as a child in the kitchen with his mother. Today, as a professional chef, he is executive chef of Ducksoup and co-proprietor of Rawduck. Tom has worked with a number of leading lights in the restaurant industry. He has managed the kitchens for Mitch Tonks of Fish Works, Mark Hix of Hix Restaurants, and Ed Wilson of Terroir (now chef-proprietor of Brawn).