Fallow

It’s the whole cod’s head, drenched in sriracha butter, that brings us face to face with the truth: the pursuit of sustainability is going to change the way chefs cook and we eat. Leading the charge are Jack Croft and Will Murray, two young chefs who honed their skills at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal before opening Fallow, originally a pop-up, now a fixture in St James’s. ‘Creative cooking, sustainable thinking’ goes the strapline, and that’s certainly what we get. The menu is broad, incorporating small and large plates, sides, snacks, steaks (45-day dry-aged dairy cow) and Sunday roasts (fallow deer, for example). The £44 lunch is a good deal, though sides and supplements soon bump up the bill. Two snacks to start: piping hot, liquid-centred cauliflower cheese croquetas with black garlic mayo, and fried corn ribs dusted with kombu seasoning, best enjoyed with a drink. Mushroom parfait, sounds pricey at £18, but with hefty slices of sourdough toast it’s generous and as rich as any chicken liver parfait. Impressively, the mushrooms are grown in-house. Presentation throughout is rustic, bordering on eccentric. To wit, that cod’s head, concealing plentiful, beautiful moist flesh. Credit to Fallow for the focus on nose-to-tail eating, even if the lamb’s tongue with caper sauce proves divisive. Desserts are interesting and mostly impressive, such as sourdough soft-serve and a wobbly caramelised whey tart, which just wanted finer pastry. Fallow is progressive but approachable: the glass-walled dining room with bar and open kitchen is boisterous and packed with folk of all ages. The casual vibe belies the ambition of the wine cellar, which offers few bottles under £50 and some ' grands noms ' for those with the means.

One-time pop-up restaurant Fallow finally laid down permanent roots in 2021 in London's St James's Market and has settled comfortably into its new surroundings. Fallow takes a 'sustainably focused' culinary approach with much of the produce sourced from chef owners Will Murray and Jack Croft’s smallholding near Esher – although some ingredients are sourced even closer to home with the restaurant cultivating its own mushrooms. There is also a focus on whole animal butchery, with the downstairs kitchen boasting a dry ageing room. The menu is split between snacks, small and large plates, but all are big on flavour. Indeed, Fallow has already established a number of dishes as its signatures - not least its corn ribs with lime that are a heightened way of eating corn on the cob and the striking cod’s head with sriracha butter, which features a charred head served in a pool of red sauce. There’s more meat on the menu than at some sustainable restaurants that have taken a broadly plant-based approach, but its inclusion is considered, with steaks coming from venerable dairy cows and whole animals used creatively. That said, its extensive menu means there is also plenty on offer for vegans and vegetarians. In a world where a drive for sustainability can often lead to well-meaning menus that lack punch, Fallow stands out.