Best chef recipes from UK restaurants

Marmite bread with seaweed butter

In this bread roll recipe from Etch in Hove, the dough is laced with moreish Marmite while a salty seaweed butter amps up the flavour.

Hereford onglet, Cafe de Paris butter and spoonwort

Taken from the diaphragm of a cow, onglet has a unique flavour. Camille restaurant serves this with spoonwort, succulent leaves with a similar flavour to horseradish.

Laminated milk bread, Studio Frantzén, Harrods

We have Björn Frantzén to thank for this heavenly recipe. Golden, puffy rolls are baked together into one spiralled loaf which will be sure to impress guests.

Hainan chicken rice - Med Salleh, Bayswater

Make the condiments while the chicken cooks, and this recipe from Malaysian street food restaurant Med Salleh will be quicker than it first appears.

Celeriac carbonara, Nessa, Soho

This playful rendition of the classic carbonara using spiralised celeriac instead of spaghetti and a rich duck egg is the masterful creation of the modern British bistro Nessa.

Hogget with leek, Etch, Hove

This dish from Etch in Hove sees hogget – a young sheep – marinated in honey, worcestershire sauce and garlic, then served with cubes of salty feta.

Crab rarebit, Queen's Head, Chalke Valley

Upgrade your traditional Welsh rarebit by topping it with a creamy mixture of sweet and salty crab, zesty lemon and crème fraîche. Taking seasonal produce and using them to enhance crowd-pleasing pub favourites is chef Dean Freckleton's speciality at the Queen's Head pub.

Set chocolate custard with blackberry ice cream, Etch, Hove

This dessert from Etch in Hove boasts a silky texture and rich, chocolatey flavour. Serve with homemade blackberry ice cream – it takes it to the next level, and you don't even need an ice cream machine.

Fried corn ribs, Fallow, Piccadilly Circus

This umami-packed dish from sustainable dining restaurant Fallow is irresistibly crunchy, and makes a great starter or snack to serve with drinks.

Tikin xic (sea bream cooked in banana leaves), Cavita, Marylebone

Stuffed into tortillas and served with avocado, this Mexican-style sea bream makes for a zingy sharing dish that's great for a crowd.

Kashmiri lamb chops, Gunpowder, Soho

These griddled lamb chops are fantastic served with a zingy mint chutney and watermelon salad to cut through the meaty richness. For the green chilli and coriander paste, whizz 30g of coriander with two green chillies and 4 tbsp of water in a high-powered blender. To make a whole feast, pair with Gunpowder's golda chingri, malai broccoli and a saffron martini.

Bateman's lobster roll, Manzi, Soho

The lobster roll to end all lobster rolls, from Manzi's seafood restaurant in Soho. Homemade mayo and a sharp thousand island dressing take this posh sandwich to the next level.

Rigatoni with kale sauce, Manteca, Shoreditch

This recipe comes from nose-to-tail Italian restaurant, Manteca. The pasta's striking colour from an earthy kale sauce. Sprinkle with pecorino for an umami tang. Serve alongside Manteca's artichoke alla giudìa and rhubarb frangipane.

Socca with sa tartinade, Socca Bistro, Mayfair

Claude Bosi delivers us perfect unleavened pancake squares with this delicious French recipe from his Mayfair restaurant.

Burmese coconut noodles with chicken, Lahpet, Covent Garden

This recipe for ohn-no kauk swé comes from Burmese restaurant Lahpet in Covent Garden, London. It's a brothy, coconut-laced dish with chilli, ginger, paprika and fish sauce. Pair with Lahpet's grilled aubergine and finish with cassava cake.

Crispy salt 'n' pepper okra, Fatt Pundit, Soho

Recreate Huzefa Sajawal's Indo-Chinese recipe from his Soho’s chic Kolkata-inspired café, Fatt Pundit. Okra really shines when you add Himalayan pink salt to the mix.

Spiced cauliflower shawarma, Berber and Q, Haggerston

This recipe, shared with us in 2015 by Josh Katz of London’s Berber & Q, signified one of the biggest shifts in the food world in recent years. Cauliflower became trendy – it was riced, it was sliced into steaks, it was baked whole – and vegetables in general became the stars, not the side act. If you have access to outdoor space, this is a great excuse to get some fresh air and fire-up the BBQ. Otherwise, follow the cook’s notes for instructions on how to cook in the oven. Like all of our featured chefs and restaurants, Berber & Q Grill House and Berber & Q Shawarma Bar had to close during the coronavirus crisis, but Josh and co-founder Mattia Bianchi have launched Berber & You to raise funds to deliver their food to NHS workers around London. 100% of the money raised will be spent on supplies and staff to cook it all – donate what you can here. You can also support the team by buying a signed copy of the Berber & Q book and restaurant merch (including some snazzy t-shirts).

Malabar monkfish curry, Fatt Pundit, Soho

Recreate this Indo-Chinese recipe from Soho’s chic Kolkata-inspired café, Fatt Pundit. It's well worth making your own sauce for this decadent monkfish curry.

Cacciucco (Tuscan fish stew), Caldesi in Campagna, Bray

Cacciucco is a fish stew from Livorno, a port on the coast of Tuscany, and it should contain five types of seafood. This recipe comes from Caldesi in Campagna, an Italian restaurant in Bray.

Pici cacio e pepe, Padella, Borough Market

Three of the most comforting words you'll read: pasta, butter, cheese. This is one of the most queued-for dishes in London, from Borough Market's Padella. Check out Padella's instagram for live cookalongs with owner Tim Siadatan and family, some including live music guest appearances.

Courgette agrodolce, Little Duck The Picklery, Dalston

Dalston’s Little Duck The Picklery was a gamechanger when it opened in 2018. Describing itself as a “fermenting kitchen, eatery and wine bar”, this third venue from the same team behind Soho’s Ducksoup and Hackney’s Rawduck centred around one large, family-style kitchen table from which the team prepped and cooked a carefully curated selection of seasonal small plates. The diner quickly became famous for its jars of unpasteurised, fermented treasures, drinking vinegars and kombuchas, and its impressive choice of natural and biodynamic wines, as well as the series of workshops it held on all its funky ferments. This dish, which chef Tom Hill shared with us, is a great way of perking up courgettes with very few ingredients. Follow @littleduckthepicklery for updates.

Tommy Banks' tomato salad with shaved goat's cheese, Black Swan at Oldstead, Yorkshire

Try Tommy Banks' Great British Menu tomato starter topped with shaved goat's cheese. This vegetarian recipe is deliciously refreshing and gluten free, inspired by the celebration of midsummer. You can help support Black Swan at Oldstead by buying homemade products from Tommy's website – we love the bottled cocktail set including a damson sazerac. Or if you live in the Oldstead, Harrogate or York areas you can purchase a Made in Oldstead food box, including two oven-ready, freshly made three-course meals for two people.

Lamb ragu pappardelle, Bancone, Covent Garden

If ever there was a time to indulge in slow, meditative cooking, it’s now. This pappardelle recipe from Bancone was a big hit with the team (and you! – it’s one of our most popular chef recipes). Open since the summer of 2018, Bancone was part of a new wave of pasta bars popping up in London that offered bargain plates of dreamy carbs (from silky pasta handkerchiefs to honeyed garlic focaccia and gorgonzola stuffed polenta) alongside pokey negronis and sparkling, sweet bellinis. Its first branch, in Covent Garden, a mere stomp from Trafalgar Square, proved such a hit that a second, much larger site quickly followed a year later in Soho. Sadly Bancone is now closed until further notice, and founder Will Ellner says: “The best thing you can do to support us is to come and get your pasta fix as soon as we open our doors again”. Follow @bancone.pasta for updates.

Sweet potato gnudi, 27 Elliots, Edinburgh

Founded in 2018 by cookbook author and food stylist, Jess Elliott Dennison, 27 Elliott’s opened as a small neighbourhood café in Edinburgh’s leafy Southside in 2018. Another Jamie Oliver alumni (Jess previously worked for his food and homeware range), Jess’s food and drink focusses on using the best produce (often veggies) in an accessible, effortlessly cool way – from pickles and ferments to fresh pasta, preserved cordials and homemade shrubs. This recipe takes a little time but is simple to make and seriously comforting, which is very much needed in these times. You can still support Jess now by ordering the restaurant’s good-quality local staples, so that they can continue to support their usual suppliers (think groceries, bread, milk, eggs and natural wine). You can also buy Jess’s brilliant (and particularly helpful right now) cookbook, Tin Can Magic, and tote bags here. Follow @27.elliotts for updates.

House dahl, Brigadiers, the City

The family group behind Trishna, Gymkhana and many more of London’s most successful and delicious eateries, JKS Restaurants opened Brigadiers in the City of London in 2018. A barbecue joint and drinking den inspired by the army mess bars of India, its slick interior (red leather booths, plush velvet curtains, distressed mirrored walls, monkey lamps and a whisky vending machine) matched its playful menu. Tender, incredibly moreish butter chicken wings soon became the star attraction (get the recipe here) but this house dahl wowed us in the test kitchen, too. Comforting and nourishing, simple to make, and easily adaptable to what spices you have at home, this recipe should be on your weekly roster. Support the team by ordering home delivery from Motu (it uses the same suppliers and the same team as JKS Restaurants), which serves British-Indian classics across selected London postcodes. The name refers to the affectionate Hindi term for fat man (‘motu’) and is a nod to the dabbawalas of India, who would traditionally deliver packed meals for workers in triffins. Follow @brigadiersldn for updates.

Jujeh kabab, Berenjak, Soho

Styled on the kabab houses of Tehran, Berenjak was one of many Iranian restaurants to open in 2019. Serving the likes of refreshing sharbats (non-alcoholic Persian fruit cordials), flatbreads cooked on hot pebbles, kababs and khoresht (stews), and baklava ice-cream sandwiches, it was a welcome addition to London’s Soho (and the site of some boozy bonding for team olive). This particular recipe, from chef Kian Samyani, was originally served with garlic sauce, chilli sauce, roasted tomatoes and fresh herbs – proof that you don’t need many ingredients to impress. You can support the team by buying vouchers here. Follow @berenjaklondon for updates.

Baharat-spiced lamb, hummus, pine nuts, raisins and flatbreads, littlefrench, Bristol

A regular face on Saturday Kitchen and Sunday Brunch, chef Freddy Bird knows good food, and we’ve been seriously impressed with every restaurant he’s been involved in. This spiced lamb is a twist on a Lebanese classic and can be adapted to what you have – it’s worth making the hummus and flatbreads alone. You can buy baharat readymade in supermarkets and online if you can’t get all the spices to make it from scratch. This recipe is from Freddy’s time cooking at the Thames Lido in Reading. Before that, he was at the Bristol Lido, as well as London’s Moro, and he’s also cooked under Phil Howard at The Square. Last year he opened his debut solo restaurant, littlefrench, in Bristol’s Westbury Park area – you can find more recipes from Freddy and the restaurant here. Sticking true to its modus operandi, this neighbourhood restaurant is now providing the local community with veg, meat and fish boxes (either for collection or doorstep delivery to those in self-isolation), as well as eggs, vegetables, La Fromagerie cheeses and Extract Coffee coffee. You can also order a box of Freddy’s Buxton & Bird pies (think pork, leek and cider; Indonesian butternut and sweet potato curry; and chicken, ham, leek and tarragon). Follow @littlefrench_bristol for updates.

Chilli cheese toast, Dishoom, various UK locations

If you haven’t tried a Dishoom dish (in either one of the eight locations across the UK, including London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham; or via the Dishoom cookery book, which quickly became a bestseller upon its release last year) you’ve not lived. Inspired by Bombay’s old Irani cafés, Dishoom is best known for its addictive, queue-worthy brunches – bacon naan, anyone? – cool, quirky interiors and crowd-pleasing curries. In 2017, olive celebrated the opening of the first branch outside London (in Edinburgh) with a series of recipes – check out the gunpowder potatoes, or chloe bhature (a vegetarian chickpea and potato curry). This recipe, Kejriwal, aka chilli cheese toast, is incredibly simple and uses very few ingredients, making it ideal for kitchens with limited supplies. You can support the Dishoom family by buying the cookbook, Dishoom: From Bombay with Love, which is as much a collection of recipes as an ode to Bombay. Follow @dishoom for updates and may we recommend cooking the house black dahl first, if you do buy the cookbook.

Maple syrup and smoked-bacon scones, Frenchie, Covent Garden

Nantes-born chef Greg Marchand was nicknamed ‘Frenchie’ by Jamie Oliver during his time as head chef at Fifteen restaurant. Greg’s eponymous bistros in Paris and London’s Covent Garden won legions of fans thanks to charming staff and minimalist, modern French menus. We’d happily eat his ingenious, super-light and fluffy maple and bacon scones (served at Frenchie as a starter) for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can support Greg and his team during this time by buying vouchers, the Frenchie cookbook and more right here. Follow @frenchiecoventgarden for updates.

Spiced aubergine and tomatoes with yogurt, Westerns Laundry, Islington

This easy recipe packs a punch and was shared with us back in 2017 by Westerns Laundry in north London. The second restaurant from Jeremie Cometto-Lingenheim and David Gingell, the focus at Westerns Laundry is on seafood sourced from Devon and Cornwall, alongside Yorkshire meat. Follow @westernslaundry for updates.

Banana bread, Snackbar, Dalston

Oat milk, tahini and super-ripe bananas keep this egg-free, dairy-free banana bread moist and moreish. Freddie Janssen of Dalston restaurant Snackbar says, “We like to serve our banana bread toasted with a slab of butter and some Maldon salt, which un-vegans it but it tastes great as is, or vegan butter would work, too.”

Chicken curry, Kolamba, Soho

Make this your go-to special chicken curry. Straight from the kitchen of London's Kolamba restaurant, this Sri Lankan recipe uses oodles of fresh spices and a homemade roasted curry powder.

Sardine katsu sandwich, Two Lights, Dalston

Check out this twist on the Japanese katsu sandwich, packed with breaded sardines. This moreish recipe comes from chef Chase Lovecky of Two lights in east London.

Miso crème brûlée, Four Legs, Islington

Recreate modern pub food in the comfort of your own home with this easy dessert recipe from Islington’s Four Legs.

Kid goat stew, José Pizarro, various UK locations

Slow cook kid goat with peppers, paprika and sherry for tender, flavour-packed meat. Serve with a salad or crisp roast potatoes.

Heritage potato terrina with caviar lentils, Pilgrm, Liverpool

Get a taste of the Spanish Camino with this smart potato and lentil dish from My Million Pound Menu winner, Pilgrim.

Roast cod with slow-cooked English peas and shoots, Gold, Notting Hill

Recreate simple yet delicious sharing plates in your own home with this easy cod recipe from Notting Hill's Gold.