The SLMan Food & Drink List
The Collaboration:
St John X Fortnum & Mason
Top of this list for a reason, this is the capital’s biggest foodie launch this season. Next month, London institution St John will be recreating its Smithfield restaurant within the Field restaurant at Fortnum & Mason, just while the kitchen at Smithfield receives a well-earned refit. The first restaurant in residence in the Piccadilly institution's 317-year history, it will be decorated in unmistakably St John style – a steel-clad bar will welcome visitors for a glass of something good and there’ll be a whitewashed dining room adorned with Smithfield’s iconic wooden tables and chairs. Head chef Steve Darou and team will be serving breakfast and lunch from 6th to 22nd February, with dinners on Thursdays and Fridays.
Visit StJohnRestaurant.com
ADRIANNA GIAKOUMIS
The Drinks Launch:
Momo Hopped Kombucha
And now, a non-alcoholic option that beer drinkers can get excited about. Great Taste award-winning Momo Kombucha has launched Hops Kombucha with its south London neighbour Orbit Beers. Available to buy from the two brands and at Selfridges, the limited-edition bottles will be stocked until March. The drink is made with Hallertau Blanc and Nelson Sauvin hops that provide tropical fruit and gooseberry flavours, rounded out with a tart kombucha hit for a drink that’s both complex and refreshing.
Visit Momo-Kombucha.com
The Fun Mash-Up:
Richard Turner X Burger & Beyond
Burger & Beyond has opted to defy Veganuary with an exclusive menu of meat in collaboration with renowned chef and butcher Richard Turner, who’s best known for his involvement with Hawksmoor, Blacklock and butcher Turner & George. Until the end of the month, the restaurant will remove all vegan items from its menu, replacing them with dishes like rump fillet steak with bone marrow and onion; ham, egg and chips; and thick-cut maple bacon. Available for dine-in only, with reservations at all sites available (Shoreditch, Soho and Borough Yards), the collaboration hopes to shine a spotlight on the UK’s butchers and farmers, showing them support at a time when they need it most. All the meat used has been sourced by Turner, guaranteeing the best of rare-breed British beef and pork, dry-aged in house.
Visit BurgerAndBeyond.co.uk
The Meat:
Hill & Szrok X Norman’s
Hill & Szrok, the pioneering butchery and restaurant from Luca Mathiszig, has teamed up with buzzy greasy spoon Norman’s to create the perfect breakfast sausage. Available to buy at the east London butcher, or to try in Norman’s breakfasts and sandwiches, the sausages use high-quality pork from Somerset and an all-natural casing, and are flavoured with sage, pepper and nutmeg for a twist on a classic Cumberland sausage. The teams went through at least 12 iterations before falling upon the perfect breakfast bangers, so you know they’re going to be decent. For fun, a limited-edition football-style scarf has also been created as part of the collaboration.
Visit TheSmallHerd.co.uk
The Burger Pairing:
Greasy Fingers
Yes, there’s a lot of wine in this month’s Food & Drink List, but that’s because there are so many good things happening in the space. We’re intrigued by Greasy Fingers, an Australian wine that’s designed to perfectly pair with burgers. With names such as Luscious Red and Big Buttery Chardonnay, the new brand aims to challenge the traditional view that wine is best when served at formal gatherings and fine dining establishments. Both are bold in flavour – to cut through greasy, heavy dishes such as burgers. Bottles are currently available to buy at Sainsbury’s and Ocado.
Visit Ocado.com
GILLES DRAPS
The New Sip:
Manteca Amaro
Shoreditch restaurant Manteca is one of our favourites in London. A shrine to all the best parts of Italian cuisine (pasta, check; charcuterie, check), Manteca now has something for fans to enjoy at home, as the team has launched a selection of wines and an excellent amaro. Straight from the vineyards of southern Italy, the wine is a blend of Sicilian varietals from co-operative Valdibella’s 2022 vintage. Named ‘Volume One’, it is an aromatic, textured white wine with notes of honeysuckle and white stone fruit. Our pick is the amaro, which has been made for Manteca by Vault Aperitivo, a modern distillery in Saffron Walden. The Italian herbal liqueur has notes of green walnut, acorn and fig leaf. Simply serve over ice.
Visit Shop.ModalWines.com
The Wine:
Mas des Infermières Wines
Forget Napoleon and Gladiator 2, director Ridley Scott’s most impressive recent achievement might be his Mas des Infermières wines, which have just been introduced to the UK market. Ranging from £26 to £112, each bottle is dedicated to the classic flavours of southern France and features hand-drawn labels by Scott. Source is the first vintage made in 2009 by the Scott family, and takes inspiration from the historic abundance of water in its territory. Because of this, the site was established as a ‘place of healing’, which inspired the brand’s name – Mas des Infermières. The vintage’s red (70% syrah, 30% grenache) has notes of fresh spice and ripe black fruits; the rosé (75% grenache, 25% syrah) offers notes of red and exotic fruits on the palate; while the white (60% grenache blanc, 20% rolle, 20% roussane) has aromas of white fruits, vine peaches and fresh almond.
Visit TheModestMerchant.com
The Book:
A Beautiful Pint by Ian Ryan
One of our favourite accounts, @ShitLondonGuinness, now has a name behind it (hi, Ian Ryan) and a book. London-based Corkman Ryan is just the person to talk you through the all-important different elements of a Guinness pour, from what to look for (and what to run a mile from) when sourcing beautiful pints to what makes a great pub. Best of all is his ultimate list of pubs around the world to visit and enjoy the perfect serve. We’ll see you at Camden’s The Sheephaven Bay.
Visit Amazon.co.uk
The Dry Jan Essential:
Lucky Saint Superior Hazy IPA
For the first time since it launched five years ago, Lucky Saint has added a new beer to its line-up. Its Alcohol-Free Superior Hazy IPA uses only natural ingredients with no flavourings or additives, and is unfiltered to deliver maximum flavour and body. The IPA brings together New World hops and California ale yeast – for the heads, it’s a combination of classic US hops Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe. The result is a juicy sip with notes of tropical fruit, zesty citrus and fresh pine providing a refreshing and balanced beer. Plus, each can contains just 59 calories.
Visit LuckySaint.co
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