the ritz — Blog — Beatrice Aidin

Eleven UK chefs share their top supplier secrets

Assaf Granit, chef patron of Coal Office, King’s Cross, London
“I get my fruit and vegetables from Natoora. Spring is the highlight of seasons for me, so I’ll tend to buy Cornish spring greens and salad leaves from Mora Farm, white sprouting broccoli from Worcestershire and forced rhubarb from Yorkshire – the list goes on. The point is to eat seasonally and the season will sustain you in good health.” Download the app for home deliveries, home-delivery.uk.natoora.com; natoora.co.uk

Richard Corrigan, chef-proprietor of Corrigan’s Mayfair and Bentley’s Oyster Bar and Grill, Mayfair, London
“I’ve been ordering for many years from butchers Crowe’s Farm in County Tipperary, which also supplies Virginia Park Lodge, our business in Ireland. It is one of the country’s most successful outdoor-reared pork producers, with its own abattoir, butchery and delivery service. As well as the extremely high-quality meat, it’s the family element that really attracts me – John Paul rears their pigs and butcher TJ processes the meat using a special recipe passed down to him by their father. A delivery of its pudding (€4) and smoked back rashers (€4.50) is such a treat for the family – especially for me.” crowefarm.ie

John Williams, executive chef of The Ritz, London
“I’ve been ordering caviar – specifically Beluga (from £50, 10g) – for over 16 years from King’s Fine Food, both personally and for The Ritz. I think it’s the best sold in this country. What makes it so special is the perfect size of the eggs and the creamy, nutty flavour with a slight taste of the sea. I can’t recommend it more highly.” kingsfinefood.co.uk

Lisa Goodwin-Allen, executive chef at Northcote, Lancashire
“Wellocks is our local supplier of regional and seasonal fruit, but it also supplies the hospitality industry. As restaurants were forced to close due to coronavirus, it turned its hand to delivering high-quality, seasonal fruit and vegetable boxes (from £14.95), along with other essential items, to the doorstep, such as dairy boxes with yoghurt, cheddar cheese and milk (£22.50).” wellocksathome.co.uk

Multiple Michelin-starred chef Pierre Koffmann
“I have worked with fish suppliers The Upper Scale for 30 years. When I had my restaurants (La Tante Claire and Koffmann’s at The Berkeley), I would call them every morning and we would discuss what was good to order. We have become friendly over the years and the fish is beautiful – it tastes like it’s just out of the sea. I had a delivery yesterday and we ate tuna steak (from £7.80 each), which I pan-fried with salad. It was delicious.” theupperscale.co.uk

Monica Galetti, chef-proprietor of Mere, Bloomsbury, London
“For fruit, veg, eggs and specialist ingredients I’ve been using First Choice Produce, which is brilliant – the quality is top notch and it’s been really great at getting it to me safely (and with as little contact as possible). I’ve ordered its fresh produce boxes (from £20), and it was kind enough to give me a few extra boxes of supplies to pass on to the local NHS workers, who are doing such a good job for us all. It’s a tough time, but food is one way we can help.” firstchoiceproduce.com

Carlo Scotto, chef patron of Xier, Marylebone, London
“I’m buying vegetables from Turnips, based in Borough Market. The produce is incredibly good and you can order retail, and it will deliver the next day. I feel it’s not only my job but my duty to support local businesses. I also order from HG Walter. Its T-bone (from £15.75) and tomahawk steak (from £35.09, 1.1kg minimum order) is of the highest quality.” HG Walter, hgwalter.com. Turnips, 020-7357 8356; retail@turnipsboroughmarket.co.uk; turnipsboroughmarket.com

Yotam Ottolenghi, chef-owner of six restaurants in London
“I buy the London cure oak-smoked salmon (sliced from £13, whole fillet sliced £72) from east London’s Secret Smokehouse for the wonderful quality,” says Ottolenghi. The smokehouse’s owner Max Bergius has teamed up with Mark McCutcheon, senior sous chef at Wiltons Restaurant, to make fish pies (£10), with 10 per cent of profits going to Hackney’s St Joseph’s Hospice, while NHS workers or first responders will be offered a 50 per cent discount. secretsmokehouse.co.uk

Anthony Demetre, chef-proprietor, Wild Honey St James, London
“I make bread religiously every weekend for the family and I am currently getting the best organic quality flour (the T65 variety) from Fine France. It’s restaurant quality, although it comes in 25kg bags (£25); nothing smaller is available. Still, we eat a lot of it and although bread making is quite time consuming, we’ve all got plenty of time to enjoy it at the moment.” 020-7622 1020; newcoventgardenmarket.com

Jason Atherton of Pollen Street Social and The Betterment, Mayfair, and Adam Handling of Adam Handling Chelsea
“I buy Meat Me at Home’s iberico pork secreto (from £29) because it’s just an ultimate piece of pork,” says Jason Atherton. Chef Adam Handling also calls on the supplier from home. “I love the bavette,” he says. “It’s such a delicious cut, but with it being Wagyu it has enough of the fattiness combined with the texture of a bavette (from £80).” meatmeathome.com

Laura Wiedemann, owner of Pompette, Oxford
‘‘I’m ordering native-bred Tamworth pork from Paddock Farm, reared with great care on its estate in the Warwickshire countryside. It’s consistently an incredibly well-flavoured meat and brilliantly butchered. We order them for Pompette, most often pork chops, one of my favourite things to cook as well as to eat (Tamworth pork taster box, £50).” paddock.fm