Will Murray and Jack Croft from Dinner by Heston Blumenthal recently established Fallow in St James’s with great success, celebrating creative cooking while adhering to sustainability and waste reduction principles.
Menu offerings vary daily and feature lesser-used ingredients, like cod head and dairy cow beef, to reduce waste. Other dishes available are grilled shiitake and grey oyster mushrooms as well as Chelsea tart with caramelised whey.
Nose to Tail Dining
Nose-to-tail dining is an admirable culinary movement that emphasizes using every part of an animal in its preparation. At Fallow, founded by Dinner by Heston alumni Will Murray and Jack Croft as part of Dinner by Heston’s alumni network, this philosophy takes an innovative approach while respecting traditional cooking skills.
Instead of purchasing pre-butchered meat, they prefer to slaughter and cut their own, which ensures higher-quality ingredients. Chefs then utilize all parts of the animal – bones and cartilage included – for rich stocks in their dishes. Furthermore, this restaurant takes an imaginative approach to offal that’s often ignored – their haggis is made up of lamb heart, liver and lungs rather than just sheep stomach as is commonly done elsewhere.
At their root-to-stem ethos is on full display here with their exquisite menu, boasting soft corn ribs seasoned with their house kombu seasoning as a starter, followed by their mushroom parfait topped with vibrant slices of grey oyster mushrooms glistening across its meringue-like surface.
To experience something truly spectacular, order the roasted cod’s head which makes an eye-catching display with its glassy eyes and wide mouth glazed in house-made Sriracha butter. For dessert try their Chelsea tart: an intricate tarte tatin topped with caramelised whey (the chefs are currently experimenting with an on-site mushroom farm). In a city where food trends quickly come and go, Fallow’s admirable principles feel at home here.
Sustainable Dining
Committing to sustainability can help your restaurant attract and retain customers, reduce operating costs, improve customer service and purchase higher quality equipment.
Fallow embraces sustainability and waste-free dining as its cornerstone values, offering creative food while supporting ethical sourcing practices. Former Heston Blumenthal chefs Will Murray and Jack Croft have created an institution known for its revered cuisine that’s fast gaining a loyal following. Restaurants like this one often become famous for renowned dishes like their rhubarb souffle – made from whey and sugar combined into an irresistibly creamy pudding that taste like custard when heated – served in glasses made of recycled oyster shells. Menu offerings vary frequently to take advantage of lesser-used ingredients and reduce waste, while those interested in sustainability will appreciate its thoughtful interior design – for instance, walls adorned with recycled mussel and oyster shell tiles make an impressionful statement about sustainability.
Eco-friendly Interiors
Sustainability in interior design has become an important topic, yet many misconceptions about its scope still exist. While many conflate sustainability with second-hand furniture purchases alone, Storie states it is possible to create an eco-friendly home by selecting products with ethical sourcing practices and reduced impact – this way reducing long-distance transportation needs while supporting local businesses!
Fallow restaurant from Heston Blumenthal’s team behind Veg Out restaurant on Heddon Street. Head chefs Will Murray and Jack Croft follow a root-to-stem philosophy inspired by Fergus Henderson but with their own creative twist. This can be seen in their food: corn ribs dusted with kombu seasoning or strips of sweetcorn skinned off the cob before grilling are delicious while their vegetarian fare doesn’t have to be dull with dishes such as Shiitake mushroom parfait and Pump Street Chocolate Mousse as examples of how vegetarian fare doesn’t need be boring.
The space has been designed with environmental consideration in mind – its large room features dripping, stalactite-like’seaweed’ installations which double as chandeliers and garnish, and walls lined with tiles created from repurposed mussel and oyster shells from Fallow’s pop up days. The menu has snacks, small plates, large plates, grill section and raw bar menu offerings; regulars from Heddon Street pop-up will no doubt recognize their favourite dishes such as corn ribs on its new menus!
Drinks
Fallow first opened as a temporary residency at 10 Heddon Street before eventually finding its permanent home at the former Duck and Waffle Local in St James’s. Chefs Will Murray and Jack Croft take an innovative approach to dining by serving dishes from nose-to-stem; their menu demonstrates this philosophy.
At Dairy Cow they serve a range of snacks and small plates alongside the dairy cow cuts that have made their name. There’s also a grill section, raw bar and sides menu designed for sharing!
Kitchen is an incredible space, filled with ingenuity. Seaweed installations feature drippy stalactite-like structures while strange cubic contraptions sprout fungi (it’s part of the chefs’ personal project to find ways to grow mushrooms in urban settings).
Even humble brassica gets a makeover here: an irresistibly hot and juicy cauliflower cheese dish drizzled in black garlic mayo is sure to please, while their unique kombu seasoning makes fried corn ribs taste meatier and satisfying like no vegetable could ever.
Vegetarian dishes are equally impressive. A mushroom parfait appears dense, yet it was generous and perfectly balanced, while cauliflower cheese croquetas are amazing. Dessert options also stand out, such as sourdough soft-serve and an interesting caramelised whey tart which needed finer pastry layers to complete it all.