fergus

Nothing is as good as peas in the pod eaten in the garden. And nothing is more dissapointing than starchy peas from the greengrocers. But due to our efficient veg supplier we can celebrate the pea in the pod, preferably with a glass of something before lunch. On the value side of things, we are not asking you to pay just for that celebration but for the fundamentals that keep a restaurant working.

Afraid not.

We do use pork kidneys at St. John. They go in to our stuffing for our whole roast suckling pigs and faggots. Certainly for my breakfast I would prefer a plate of Devilled Lamb's Kidneys, they do seem better suited to the above. Other kidneys served in the dining room are presoaked in milk to nuetralise the uric acid within. Thanks for your question.

To answer the second part first...we're not trying to replicate St. John over in Spitalfields, the new site will be a place of many parts, some of which will amount to a very different kettle of fish to our beloved Smithfield site. But the spirit of St. John will be ripe none the less. Back to the original question though...why has none one else done this? Ummm, not sure I can answer this one, I'm not really in a position to...life's rich texture. Sorry.

My definition? Straightforward, dour with a little wahey! But also nose to tail also describes a whole holistic approach to everything we do at St. John...nose to tail could refer to carrots, a piece of fish, our bread...without wishing to come across as "new age", it just sums up our approach the most succinctly. Hope that makes some kind of sense.

Why? it all comes down to the spirit of time and place, using indigenous local ingredients and enjoying the limitations of the seasons...it all seems quite straightforward and as things should be...to me anyway. Hope that covers both parts of the question.

Apart from raw celery, there is an eel like fish called Lampery. a parasitical, slimy beast that sucks the blood of other fish that just isn't for me. Otherwise...liberty hall...as long as it's delicious of course.