London chefs team up for “offal extravaganza” at Islington pub

The night was held at the Drapers Arms, in Islington and saw chefs including the Drapers Arms’ Gina Hopkins and Neil Rankin of Top 50 Gastropubs-ranking pub Smokehouse contribute a selection of nose-to-tail style offal dishes to a ten-course menu.

Nose-to-tail​

Nick Gibson, owner of the Drapers Arms, said: “Lots of people talk about nose-to-tail but there wasn’t really a consistent resource for people to get the full extent of how varied and enjoyable offal is.

“It’s not just old fashioned people who want liver and bacon but such flexible, incredible, treasured ingredients and how most chefs absolutely love cooking with it and would like to have an outlet for it.

"We just wanted somebody to have an opportunity to express themselves with all the ingredients. And people who genuinely like it to have an absolute extravaganza of offal indulgence."

Dishes on offer included chicken skin and offal nachos, veal kidney with sherry, chorizo crumbs and Andouille salad, lamb brain with spicy tomato sauce, black olives and pine nuts and duck hearts with a crispy egg, mole sauce, hazelnut and caraway crumb.

A selection of restaurant chefs also contributed to the menu, including Nieves Barragán Mohaco of Barrafina, Rob Mcleary of the Modern Pantry and Jacques Fourie of Ember Yard.

Passionate​

Gibson added: “Chefs are always passionate about nose-to-tail. They love cooking with those ingredients because the flavours and textures are so varied and they get to really express themselves.”

He said that with the increasing variety of dining options and the accessibility of different sources of food, he would not be surprised if it drove customers to be more adventurous with their choices over the next few years.

Is nose-to-tail eating really back on the rise? Read the PMA’s analysis​​