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Harborne Kitchen is not just an amazing place to eat, did you know it is also a zero-waste champion? Alongside listings in the Michelin and Good Food Guides and its two AA rosettes, the business is also doing its bit for sustainability.
Harborne Kitchen is not just an amazing place to eat, did you know it is also a zero-waste champion? Alongside listings in the Michelin and Good Food Guides and its two AA rosettes, the business is also doing its bit for sustainability.
Harborne Kitchen is not just an amazing place to eat, did you know it is also a zero-waste champion? Alongside listings in the Michelin and Good Food Guides and its two AA rosettes, the business is also doing its bit for sustainability.
We caught up with head chef Tom Wells to find out more about this exciting neighbourhood eatery.
Working sustainably
Starting at the beginning, Tom told us all about his restaurant career before Harborne Kitchen. “I have worked for Jonathan Fraiser at the Bath Spa Hotel, and he had a great influence on my career. In terms of work ethic, he was exceptional - always first in and last out. I also worked for Tom Aikens, running his Birmingham restaurant, and this opened my eyes to zero waste and using every part of the animal or the vegetable in dishes.”
Since then, the idea of zero waste has been at the forefront of Tom’s working ethic. “At Harborne Kitchen, we have developed multiple tactics to help us create a zero waste, more sustainable kitchen.
“Not only do we use ingredients grown in our teams’ gardens and local area, but we have also found new ways of using the kitchen ‘leftovers’ across other areas of the business, especially in the bar. For example, the cocktail, Rhubarb Fizz, came from the team noticing that we always had rhubarb syrup leftover from the Forced Yorkshire Rhubarb pre-desert in the tasting menu, and so we decided to use the syrup to create a delicious cocktail. This is also relevant for several other cocktails on the bar menu.”
Fine dining with a conscience
Perhaps it’s this approach that has made Harborne Kitchen such a success. Tom describes the restaurant as, “a super relaxed, casual fine dining restaurant, somewhere you can pop in for a couple of cocktails and some bar snacks or an eleven-course tasting menu and spend a few hours being wined and dined.
“We have always been very consistent in terms of our offering and how we deliver it. Amazing food and drinks all made with love and care; we’re here to look after our guests as if we are welcoming them into our home.”
He believes the definition of fine dining is changing as a new generation starts to enjoy good food. “I think we are seeing a younger guest coming through the doors. Fine dining is a lot more relaxed than it used to be, without the white tablecloths and pretentious service.” That said, he is not motivated by following food trends, “Trends in general will come and go. High quality food and drink produced by passionate people will never go out of style.”
Designing dishes you’ll love
There’s a new menu at Harborne Kitchen right now and Tom is very excited about it. “We have a small plates menu where you can come in anytime and have a few beautiful dishes to share and enjoy with a cocktail or a nice glass of wine. We have some great cured meats, burrata, chicken liver parfait and some fantastic British cheeses.
“My favourite dishes at the moment are our Amela tomato dish served with tomato ponzu, lovage and a Parma ham that we make in-house. I also love our new dessert which is Yuzu and burnt white chocolate cheesecake, meringue and yuzu sorbet.
“We always start our dishes with what’s in season, then it’s all about the flavour. Get those two right and the rest is easy!”
A passion for excellence
Harborne Kitchen opened in 2016 and Tom took over as head chef five years ago. His work ethic is unstinting,with his shifts starting at 8am and ending at 11pm most days.
When growing the team he’s looking for chefs with similar qualities. “The people that work at Harborne Kitchen are not just staff, they are like my family. They are all hard working, dedicated, loyal and hungry to achieve things in their lives. Some of us have worked together for over seven years in different establishments but above all, they are all really amazing cooks.”
He has high hopes for the future of Harborne Kitchen. “Onwards and upwards for us all! We have an amazing group of people working at Harborne Kitchen and together we just want to make all our customers happy. If awards come along, then that’s a bonus.”
Chicken liver parfait, English strawberry, White chocolate
75ml Maderia
30ml Brandy
75ml Port
100g Shallots (diced)
1 Clove garlic (crushed)
400g Chicken livers
5 Free range eggs (room temperature)
400g Unsalted butter (clarified)
20g Pink salt
175g White chocolate
45g Firm tofu
500g Strawberries
20g Minus 8 vinegar
6g Agar agar (or 1g per 100ml liquid)
100g Chicken skin
85g Chicken fat
85g Caster sugar
85g Oats
15g Salt
5 Springs thyme (picked)
English Strawberries
Freshly ground black pepper
Terrine mould (lined)
Preheat oven to 110 degrees C.
Reduce Maderia, brandy and port with the shallots and garlic until reduced by half.
Blitz the livers with the reduction in a blender until smooth. Add 1 egg at a time, blending for 3-4 minutes until smooth. Add melted butter a little at a time while blender on low speed, season with pink salt.
Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into the terrine mould and cover with foil. Place into deep oven tray and fill with warm water until two-thirds of the way up the terrine. Cover the oven tray with foil too.
Cook for 55-60 minutes and, using a temperature probe check the temperature has reached 70 Degrees C for a minimum of 2 minutes.
Cool the terrine in an ice bath in the fridge; it’s important to chill the terrine within 90 minutes until core temp is below 5 degrees.
While the parfait is cooking, heat the chocolate in a Bain-Marie until melted then transfer to a small blender and blend with the tofu until smooth, transfer to a piping bag and set aside.
Steep the strawberries and vinegar under vacuum at 80 degrees C in a water bath for 2 hours. Alternatively, use a mixing bowl and Bain Marie. Drain the liquid, bring to the boil and add the agar agar. Whisk and bring to the boil, then transfer to a suitable container. Once set blend the mixture, then pass through a fine sieve, transfer to a piping bag and set aside.
Pre heat oven to 180 Degrees C (fan).
Scrape and remove the fat from underneath of the skin, then place the skins on a baking tray. Bake for 25 minutes or until crispy. Chop and set aside.
Pre heat oven to 95 Degrees C (fan).
Combine the rest of the ingredients and bake in the oven for 2 hours or until crunchy texture is achieved.
Combine the chopped chicken skin and crunchy oats to make the topping.
Plate as shown in picture.
Speak to your audience directly within articles of their interest both digitaly and through our printed issues.
Speak with our friendly team today and discover how you can stand in front of our readers.
Speak to your audience directly within articles of their interest both digitaly and through our printed issues.
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