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Pasta, Pheasant and Festive Feasts: A Conversation with Chef Director Arturo Granato, Galvin Restaurants
Crab raviolo with a French accent, pheasant that becomes a Christmas bestseller and a pumpkin used from skin to seed. Galvin Restaurants’ Chef Director Arturo Granato talks to The Knife about generous cooking, festive feasting and why he’s one of his own restaurants’ best customers.

James Massoud
2 days ago6 min read


"Fine dining is not an elite sport": A Conversation with Culinary Strategist Michael Caines MBE, The Stafford
A Michelin star after five months, three AA Rosettes and bigger plans already taking shape. Michael Caines reflects on a remarkable first year at The Stafford London, explains why he refuses to let signature dishes stand still, and argues that fine dining should never feel exclusive: “It’s a sense of occasion, but it’s not an elite sport.”

James Massoud
4 days ago10 min read


2026 Spotlight Awards: A Conversation with Founder Lorraine Copes, Be Inclusive Hospitality
"I hate the word authentic." Be Inclusive Hospitality founder Lorraine Copes talks to The Knife about Nigerian tapas, Caribbean fine dining and the people changing UK hospitality. Following the 2026 Spotlight Awards, she explains why second chances matter, what restaurants get wrong about progression and how diners can turn recognition into lasting support.

James Massoud
Oct 297 min read


A Comeback with Bite: A Conversation with Chef Scott Hallsworth, Joe’s Oriental Diner
Why bring back Joe’s Oriental Diner now? Scott Hallsworth explains to The Knife the difficult decision to put Freak Scene on ice, recalls the Singapore chilli crab that stayed with him for decades, and reveals the one thing every table at his new Balham restaurant must have.

James Massoud
Oct 289 min read


Humble Ingredients, High Standards: A conversation with Head Chef Alex Rothnie, L’Enclume
What does it take to lead one of Britain's most celebrated kitchens? L’Enclume Head Chef Alex Rothnie talks exclusively to The Knife about life behind three Michelin stars, the influence of Simon Rogan, the beauty of humble vegetables and why great cooking is as much about nurturing people as it is about perfecting plates.

James Massoud
Oct 268 min read


Check In, Dine Out: Hilton London Metropole, Edgware Road
Hilton London Metropole is home to 1,100 bedrooms, five kitchens and a brigade of 54 chefs. For the latest ‘Check In, Dine Out’, The Knife heads behind the scenes with Executive Chef Paul Bates, discovering how one of London’s biggest hotel culinary operations feeds up to 2,000 guests while Bow Bar and Tyburn Kitchen give visitors plenty of reason to stay for dinner.

James Massoud
Oct 228 min read


Island Ingredients, Italian Instincts: A conversation with Executive Chef Luca Gallo, Maradiva
What can an Italian chef learn about tomato sauce in Mauritius? For Luca Gallo, learning never stops. Maradiva’s new Executive Chef talks to The Knife about coconut heart, spaghetti with an island twist, and why luxury on the plate starts with keeping things simple.

James Massoud
Oct 219 min read


The Wagyu of the Sea: A Conversation with Founder Apinash Sivagumaaran, ISSO
From a 16-seat restaurant in Colombo to a 90-seat opening in Canary Wharf, Apinash Sivagumaaran has built ISSO around one overlooked ingredient: the prawn. He tells The Knife why he calls it the “wagyu of the sea”, which curry tastes like home and what he wants London to discover about Sri Lankan food.

James Massoud
Oct 194 min read


From a TikTok Comment to Queues Around the Block: A Conversation with Co-Founder Mairi Livsey, CZER
Mairi Livsey announced CZER before she had a location. Then a customer turned up at 8am on opening day, the wraps sold out and London kept coming back. The co-founder tells us how a very specific Caesar craving became a Mayfair and Soho phenomenon.

James Massoud
Oct 156 min read


The CORD Game Dinner: A Conversation with Karl O’Dell and Joshua Hunter
At 3am, Joshua Hunter might be out deer stalking. In Karl O’Dell’s kitchen, venison is finding its way into raviolo with black pudding. Ahead of their British game dinner at CORD, the two chefs talk field-to-plate cooking, the mistake that can ruin grouse and why these seasonal ingredients deserve a spot on your shopping list.

James Massoud
Oct 147 min read


Mates, Flames and Big Plans: A Conversation with Chefs-Founders George Uren and Adam Thomas, Pit Kitchen
From a shipping container to one of the Cotswolds' hottest dining destinations, Pit Kitchen has come a long way. Childhood friends George Uren and Adam Thomas talk cooking over fire, viral Instagram fame, the dishes customers won't let them remove and their ambitious plans to take Pit Kitchen nationwide. Oh, and why a good glass of wine is essential after service.

James Massoud
Oct 135 min read


From Wild Garlic to Baked Alaska: A Conversation with Head Chef Charlie Crote, Constance
From tending chickens and picking wild garlic in Gloucestershire to The Ritz, Allegra and now Constance, Charlie Crote’s career has come full circle around great British produce. He talks to The Knife about seasonality, reinventing the classics, working with Adam Byatt and why a Baked Alaska can still create a little bit of magic.

James Massoud
Sep 295 min read


Less Is More: A Conversation with Head Chef Will Bee, Rosina
From starting in kitchens at 13 to leading Rosina on Wandsworth Common, Will Bee has built his career on humility, hard work and an appetite to learn. He tells The Knife about life at Paul Ainsworth at No.6, leading 20-plus chefs at Lita, working with Adam Byatt and why learning to strip food back has become one of his biggest challenges yet.

James Massoud
Sep 287 min read


Twelve Years, No Shortcuts: A conversation with Executive Chef Marco Corsica, Bocconcino
Twelve years in Mayfair, three London restaurants and more than 30 years in professional kitchens. Executive Chef Marco Corsica reveals to The Knife what it really takes to keep Bocconcino relevant in London's ever-changing dining scene, from the importance of consistency and nurturing talent to rising costs, changing tastes and why some Italian classics should never be touched.

James Massoud
Sep 2310 min read


From Japan to London: A conversation with Founder Mr Taro, Taro
From arriving in London in 1979 to opening 11 Taro restaurants, Mr Taro has spent decades making Japanese food feel at home in the capital. He talks to The Knife about Soho memories, Holloway, Arsenal-inspired sushi, the ramen that takes him back to Kumamoto and why the greatest reward is seeing generations of the same families return.

James Massoud
Sep 178 min read


Ambition and Evolution: A conversation with Head Chef Simon Ulph, Rothay Manor
After helping The Stafford earn a Michelin star, Simon Ulph made an unexpected move: leaving London for the Lake District. Now at the helm of Rowan at Rothay Manor, he talks to The Knife about family, Cumbria’s extraordinary produce, lessons from some of Britain’s best kitchens and why he’s "not cooking for guides".

James Massoud
Sep 155 min read


"Sometimes You Just Have to Give People the Opportunity": A conversation with Owner / Founder Xiaoxiao Wang, Noodle & Beer
Century egg, raw garlic and perhaps pig brain next? Noodle & Beer founder Xiaoxiao Wang talks to The Knife about challenging British palates, the rise of Sichuan food in London, balancing a growing restaurant brand with parenthood, and why every Noodle & Beer needs its own personality.

James Massoud
Sep 114 min read


Success Doesn’t Need to Get Fancy: A conversation with Chef / Founder Dave Pynt, Burnt Ends
From running out of food at an East London pop-up to building a Michelin starred restaurant and international hospitality group, Dave Pynt has never been interested in making Burnt Ends "fancier". He talk to The Knife about signature dishes, brewing beer in Singapore, barbecue in the Maldives, a possible London return, and why sometimes the smartest thing a chef can do is leave a great dish alone.

James Massoud
Sep 48 min read


From Royal Banquets to Family Tables: A conversation with Executive Head Chef Paul Reader, The Ickworth
Royal banquets, One Hyde Park and now one of Suffolk's grandest family hotels. The Ickworth's Executive Head Chef Paul Reader talks to The Knife about refined dining, brilliant local produce, getting children's menus right, the unseen work behind great hospitality, and why running a kitchen isn't so different from an F1 pit stop.

James Massoud
Sep 25 min read


Cabbages, Camping Stoves and Big Feastival: A conversation with Chef Proprietor / Founder Simon Rogan, L'Enclume
Simon Rogan is swapping L’Enclume for the festival field at Big Feastival over the August Bank Holiday. Ahead of his appearance at The Big Kitchen, he talks to The Knife about 900kg of cabbage, the festival dish he’d create, raiding Our Farm for camping supplies, supporting Tom Barnes and where you’ll find him once he’s officially off the clock.

James Massoud
Aug 273 min read
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