Core

Clare Smyth's Core opened in 2017 and earned a full three Michelin stars by 2021. Much of her career had been spent a Michelin-starred restaurants, including a stint as chef at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.

Located in London's Notting Hill, Core was designed by Smyth to offer distinctly British fine dining, one that relies less on imported luxury ingredients and draws on the island's own food systems. 

That can mean reinventing old-fashioned staples, such as jellied eel, which Smyth serves with toasted seaweed and malt vinegar, Her Cornish turbot is served with smoked mussels, red apple, cabbage, and cider. And the possibilities of sustainably conceived dishes are represented by a dish which offers lamb, hogget (lamb aged between one and two years), and mutton.

While some dishes do incorporate ingredients from elsewhere, there is no mistaking the distinctiveness of Smyth's approach.  And after several years in which books from major British chefs have been scarce or shied away from their actual restaurant fare, this is a refreshing, exciting new arrival.

Phaidon Books' design of this book is crisp and simple, allowing Nathan Snoddon's photography to effectively convey the elegance of Smyth's approach.

Hardcover. Color photography throughout.