FLOFFAL x The Wright Brothers: 'Pioneers & Innovators' Seafood Social, April 2023

Having hinted towards this here and there before, I am finally able and incredibly grateful to be able to divulge this collaboration - a 'Floffal' debut - with the renowned and truly pioneering, Wright Brothers.

Curated alongside the incredible and dynamic Jose Angulo (Head Chef at the Wright Bros. Borough Market flagship restaurant), the menu was about capturing the spirit of being a pioneer and innovator. To summarise what Co-Founder, Ben Wright, so succinctly described of the evening and this theme,

it's the not knowing that generates innovation and is much of the definition of being pioneering.

Not knowing, being curious and determinedly seeking knowledge both requires and generates boldness, challenges, new ideas and combinations, enthusiasm, and an inherent, genuine belief in something. In my case, this is offal.

I am trying and wanting to build a career out of offal, and being a 'domestic scavenger', and everything that Floffal is so far (and I'm sure will always be to some extent) is manifested from not knowing how to do that. This is what I said when I introduced myself to the Wright Bros., and this is what happened.

It began at The Groucho Club; I was there in early February, having a drink with a very dear Dorset friend (and as-so-happens, trailblazing chef) Mark Hix, as our semi-regular catch-up in London. Rather well into the evening, I was introduced to Richard, who is integral within The Wright Brothers' Restaurant & Club. He, correspondingly, was introduced to me as 'obsessed with offal - butcher in Ladywell - eats anything'. Pretty efficient an introduction, I must admit. As happens in such scenarios, conversations immediately struck up - the how's, why's and what-for's, which as I've mentioned earlier, are not so straightforward. Our evening concluded in an exchange of not only business and contact details, but of many ideas and events to venture into.

I met with Richard the following week to discuss how we might be able to work together on one of the Supper Club events that they were running within the newest restaurant they had opened at Battersea Power Station. Something I really hope to develop within Floffal is a means of practically demonstrating and involving others in how to be resourceful and respectful when it comes to eating meat - namely, ingratiating offal at least into our minds as just another (and I'd further argue, more exciting and positively challenging) ingredient and part of the animal. Working with the Wright Bros naturally enlisted ideas for a Surf & Turf-style menu, enlisting me to further my own learning and understanding of fish and its offal to offer, very much in the spirit of innovating and pioneering - pursuing the unknown and the 'why not's' - which the supper club was aptly themed around. Realising through our conversation a clear opportunity for a menu collaboration, I was then put in touch with the marvellous Jose Angulo, and settled a date in the diary to begin our devising....

A few weeks later, I was on my way on a brisk and bright Sunday morning to the Wright Bros first and flagship post in Borough Market. I'd given myself a little time beforehand to weave in and amongst the market itself and source some last-minute inspiration, i.e. offal, from the butchers there. Northfield Farm provided a portion of fresh Ox Kidney, while Wyndham House delivered me chicken hearts.

The openness, enthusiasm and encouragement I received from José as soon as we met was overwhelming, and just lovely. We went straight to it, considering traditional surf and turf combinations and then seeing what was readily available to experiment with, and that would also therefore stay in connection to the Wright Bros. One of the most obvious of these would be the oyster. Before the pioneering work of Ben and Robin, oyster production was essentially extinct in the UK. By investigating this clear absence, and therefore opportunity, to devise a means of revising not just the growth of oysters, but their place within culinary excellence and British identity in the industry, they are much to owe to how we consume and consider oysters today. With this underpinning our event and menu, beef and oyster as a classic British combination was what I decided to aim for, and 'Floffal' it. This is where the ox kidney came in. Devilled kidneys are another staple offal assortment we're more used to, so to combine and elevate this with the purity of a raw oyster was in fact rather poetic in terms of flavour, texture, temperature, aesthetic, and concept (the 'devilled' vs. the 'pure'). It's this reference to a more artistic and conceptual means of combining offal into food that I want to communicate as my 'style' of cooking.

Another key character of the menu was seasonality - using 'forage-able' and readily available ingredients to the UK of the moment is already a well-established aspect of restaurants and gastronomy, and so it should be. Hence the nettles, wild garlic, cockles, asparagus, lamb and pigeon making their appearances. The exquisiteness of the red prawn was introduced to me by Jose - inspired by his native Spain - and we spent approximately 8 minutes just revelling in 2-3-minute-grilled whole red prawns, united in our love for sucking the heads and brains dry. Jose's father used to hunt wild boar, and he told me with great passion about the wild boar blood sausage and butchering that his father would carry out and teach him about. To pair a sweet, succulent, joyous whole red prawn with offal might at first appear tricky, if not actually rather unnecessary. But this does not and should not make anything impossible or unworthy of doing. Contrast in multiple areas is key, certainly, but in this case - and having expressed my sincerest desire to involve lamb sweetbreads on the menu - we decided to double-up on those aspects of flavour and texture. Thus was born what, I think, is my favourite dish of the menu: Lamb's Belly, Sweetbreads, Red Prawn, Wild Garlic. The height of seasonality, delicacy, Spring-likeness, and spiritedness in bringing together so much onto a plate.

It was an immersive and inspiring 3 or 4 hours together, and we continued to research and develop things into the following weeks, by which time the 'tasting' had been arranged along with Richard to finalise things. I was so pleasantly surprised to see such an array of ingredients and bold quantity of plates that were delivered to us. It was also a chance to discuss wine pairings - curated by The Wright Bros partner Hallgarten & Novum - also showcasing pioneering wine makers in the industry across diverse regions.

Thursday 20th April. I arrived to the restaurant at Battersea Power Station, in a rather untimely horizontal rain-and-wind ambush, and was reunited with all of the wonderful Wright Bros team. Following the briefing with Jose and waiting staff, I sat down with Ben Wright to introduce ourselves and talk about the evening ahead, and my own work within the collaboration. As gathered throughout this experience, Ben emulated exactly the same authenticity, enthusiasm and interest in what I was doing that everyone within the business had expressed. Chef whites and apron on, it was into the kitchen to prep all mis en place ready to be running the pass for the evening alongside sous-chef Louis. I managed to escape to say welcome to a few guests and friends, followed by a warm and wonderful introduction to the evening and supper itself by Richard and Ben, before really getting into the action - service.

I had simply the best time. Having the opportunity to work alongside such dedicated, professional and dynamic chefs like Jose and Louis, and be so involved in the creating of my own food and immersing in that environment is something I'm still reeling in as I write this the day after. After what felt like a flash of hot trays, smells, steam and garnishes, it was time to venture back into the dining room to properly meet everyone and talk about 'me'. To be thanked and referred to as a 'chef' was a little surreal, but surrealism is much of the nature of this whole endeavour in many ways.

It has been such a humbling and invigorating experience, and again something I am continuing to reflect on for the fact of how embracing and open-minded everyone involved was. So much of Floffal is centred on the humanising effects of interacting with food and creating something can deliver - this was a testament to that, and to why it is so important, and so fun to be doing it altogether.

Endless gratitude and thanks go to all who were involved. Here's to the pioneers, and innovators, and to their - our - futures.

MENU:

Canapé: Duck heart, smoked cod roe, dill, keta caviar