A tasting tour of London

I’VE BEEN backwards and forwards to London a lot recently to work with my long-suffering editor doing the final tweaking on the manuscript of my Forgotten Skills book.

I’m chained to the desk all day and well into the evening so I don’t get distracted by London’s many temptations. However, the deal is we must be allowed to fortify ourselves with lunch or dinner so I’ve had the opportunity to try some of the new (to me) places and in the process found a few gems to add to my London list.

Hereford Road in Notting Hill serves a simple, gutsy, no-nonsense style of cooking in this small restaurant which was originally a Victorian butchers shop. I enjoyed crispy rabbit fillets with aioli. The young chef, Tom Pemberton, has a terrific pedigree. I loved his food when he was head chef at Fergus Henderson’s St John Bread and Wine and he’s brought his sure touch, love of offal and seasonal ingredients to Hereford Row.

Close to Borough Market was another great find, Magdalen in Tooley Street. They got a whingy review from restaurant critic AA Gill a few weeks ago. They promptly put it up on their website and are now even busier than before. Perhaps this is a consequence of having a bad review from the entertaining but acerbic Mr Gill. Daylesford Shop and Restaurant was lambasted a couple of months ago and despite the recession had the busiest three weeks ever, immediately after publication. They have expanded their facility in Gloucestershire and now make three cheeses, a big variety of breads and the cookery school will open September under the guidance of chef Vadimir Niza. The cafe is open every day — breakfast is served from 9.30am and dinner is served from 6pm to 9pm.

Back to Magdalen — the enthusiastic young team, headed up by James Faulkes, have pooled their collective experience from Le Manor Aux Quat Saisons, The Fat Duck, La Trompette and my favourite gastro pub, Anchor and Hope. The result is beautiful, confident cooking where the menu changes every day, incorporating seasonal produce and rare breed meat and fresh fish from the market close by.

I loved the thinly sliced pigs head with pickled red cabbage and fried potatoes. The puddings were some of the best I’ve had around London.

It’s also tough to get a table at Bocca di Lupo in Soho but it is well worth booking ahead to taste Jacob Kennedy’s fried baby artichokes and shaved radish and pecorino salad and if you have to settle for sitting at the counter, look on it as a bonus — you can watch the chefs doing their magic. My last top tip this time is the new flavour of the month Terroirs Wine Bar and Restaurant in William lV Street. That’s another spot that got a dressing down from AA Gill. It too was packed. It has the feel of a French bistro. The simple menu has many charcuterie choices and great bar snacks. All these restaurants were fully booked despite the recessionary doom and gloom — the secret as ever was simple fresh food from superb ingredients in a convivial atmosphere. Some, like Magdalena, had starched white linen tablecloths, others had simple timber tables, all had well chosen wine lists, reasonably priced. Despite the times you’ll need to book ahead — all except the Anchor and Hope take bookings.

You’ll be forgiven for thinking I did no work on the book but a girl has to eat to keep up the energy and after all, it’s all in the way of research. A special thank you to all the restaurants who shared these recipes with us.

Hereford Road Restaurant 0044 2077271144 www.herefordroad.org/news/

Magdalen Restaurant 0044 2074031342 www.magdalenrestaurant.co.uk

Daylesford Restaurant 0044 1608731700 www.daylesfordorganic.com/scat/nottinghill

Bocca di Lupo 0044 207734223 www.boccadilupo.com

Terroirs 00442070360660 www.terroirswinebar.com