News
Hospitality Heroes 2024
While there’s no National Hospitality Day this year, we’ve decided to keep our own NHD tradition going with the Hawksmoor Hospitality Heroes competition. And here are the winners…
What’s the best wine for steak?
Now that’s an interesting (and not-so-straightforward) question. But don’t worry, Clara Rubin, Hawkmoor’s wine Guru, is here to help. A good one! Wine critic (and co-founder Will’s mum) Fiona Beckett says, “It’s just not worth drinking minor wines with steak.”And she’s right. But, as Fiona will attest, there’s a little more to it than that.
It’s International Men’s Day
Let’s talk about men’s mental health in hospitality. International Men’s Day is a day to focus on the health and wellbeing of men and celebrate the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities. All of which made us think, for the past two years we have run campaigns to recognise International
2023 Purpose in Numbers
0 Carbon Positive/Net Zero Farming Recently, a journalist emailed: does Rishi rowing back on Net Zero targets have any impact on what Hawksmoor is doing in this area? Our answer … err, no! While this appears to have become something of a hot topic in the (to our mind quite draining) culture wars, it’s something
Meet Our 2023 Hawksmoor Hospitality Heroes
Being an award-winning employer recognised for our commitment to our people is one of our proudest achievements. So, it’s only right that on National Hospitality Day, we spotlight some of our incredible team members. Last month, we asked our teams to nominate colleagues they felt embodied our Hawksmoor values; put simply, ‘work hard and be
Private Dining to Impress Your Guests
From bankers to brides, our events and private dining expert, Stefana Chirvase, has hosted every sort of private dining guest. Here she shares how to do private dining best. “It has to be in the city. Great food, obviously. Super private, please. Dedicated staff would be nice. Oh, and a chef – we must have
Annual Charity Dinner 2023: Meet The Chefs
There’s not long to go until our 11th Annual Action Against Hunger charity dinner at Hawksmoor Guildhall. Over the years, we’ve had multi-Michelin superstars in our kitchen, like Jason Atherton and Nathan Outlaw, global superstars like Dario Cecchini and Judy Joo, up-and-coming talent that made it HUGE like James Knappett and Tom Adams, and overseas
4 Questions To Ask Your Butcher
Talking beef can be tough. There are dozens of terms for different cuts, which can vary from one end of the country to the other, before you venture overseas. Exactly how a piece of beef is cut can make a big difference. Returning from research trips, we have fallen in love with coxão mole or
A Short History of the Martini
Take the evolution of music. A succession of colourful geniuses (Beethoven, Hendrix, MC Hammer), unexpectedly leapt from tradition and forged new paths for others to follow. But of course that’s not the whole story. If an unremembered bod hadn’t come up with the sustaining pedal, then no Midnight Sonata. No electric guitar, no rock ’n’
How Manchester Created Al Capone
As Londoners, we’d been on the receiving end of out-of-towners from places like New York, Hong Kong and Paris, rolling into our patch and telling us how they were bringing enlightenment where there was only darkness. There was also the London factor – the city we love is rarely accused of being understated. The tone
Meet Carla – Queen of Puddings
Carla Henriques, Group Executive Pastry Chef “The biggest influence on my approach to cooking has always been my mum.” After a childhood spent mixing, folding, baking and bowl-licking alongside my mum, who managed a bakery specialising in traditional Portuguese pastries, I decided to head to London. First off, I had to learn English, however. During
What International Women’s Day Means to Us
D’you remember last year when we interviewed some of our team about what it’s like to work at Hawksmoor? Well, we’ve done it again. More women. More stirring stories. Honestly, their candour is nothing short of inspiring. Let’s start with our Egalitarian-in-Chief, Sofia Gassne. In this short video, she talks lucidly about IWD and how
November 2022 Purpose Update
You may or may not have heard we’ve recently been certified as B Corp. This means that we’re now one in a thousand UK businesses working collectively to transform the economic system. Put simply, it means we’re part of the movement working together for people and the planet – who are trying to run themselves
The Sacred Six
The first names on our team sheet. Six timeless Hawksmoor classics which will always be on our menu. If you’re not already familiar with our bestsellers meet them below. Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew Beefeater Gin, Ginger, Lemon, London Pride Our most popular cocktail for over a decade, ‘Shaky’ Pete Jeary’s ode to the Power Shandy
Lost Village & Meatopia 2022
What do a secluded woodland in the Lincolnshire countryside, and a 19th-century dockyard in East London have in common? They’re both places where you may have spotted Hawksmoor over the last couple of months. Two very different events that we’ve been involved in for the past couple of years – Lost Village festival and Meatopia
Meet Our 2022 Hawksmoor Hospitality Heroes
“Hawksmoor’s never just been about the bottom line. We really care about this thing, we really care about the people who work here.” – Huw, co-founder Hawksmoor really is a story about people, because at the heart of what we do is the simple philosophy that everyone who comes to the restaurants has a really
Hawksmoor is now a certified B Corp
After a long, rigorous assessment, Hawksmoor is now a certified B Corp, joining a global community of businesses audited and proven to meet high environmental and social standards, accountability, and transparency. Certified B Corporations are leaders in the global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy. Unlike other certifications for businesses, B Corp is
Six Brits, Two Greeks, an American, a Czech, a Georgian, and a Lithuanian Walk Into a Fish Market…
What sounds like a shaky start to an even shakier joke, is in fact an affair taken very seriously at Hawksmoor – the return of the annual staff trip to Brixham. Tucked away below the green hills of South Devon and centered around a stunningly beautiful harbourside, the town is home to our fish supplier
The Hawksmoor Eight
Not sure what to order on your next visit? Meet the magnificent eight. We use the other parts of the animal in burgers, hot dogs, pies and braises, but these are our favourite cuts for steak. Sirloin This cut sits just above the fillet. A good balance of flavour and tenderness. This is a cut
Meet Pete Jeary A.K.A Shaky Pete
I joined in 2008 and on my first day ended up arriving four hours late. I’d been to Thailand for a month, on the last day we found a place that sold Seagram’s gin for £2 a bottle; needless to say that didn’t end well. I started as head bartender; and it was very small
Part-Time Vegetarians
School dinner mounds of greying green beans, waterlogged cauliflower and mushy carrots, a small pile of sweetcorn (from a tin?) and a dollop of (delicious) creamed spinach. No butter or sauce, but ketchup, horseradish and three different kinds of mustard were offered when asked. We were in a venerable steakhouse at the tail end of
The Hawksmoor Story
It was an inauspicious start. A few days after signing a 20-year lease on a failing Turkish restaurant at the wrong end of a traffic-clogged street in East London, a bank loan we desperately needed fell through. On the same day, we discovered that the site didn’t actually have planning permission to be a restaurant.
Hawksmoor in the Limelight
The reviews are in… You may have heard that Hawksmoor New York has been a hit. Even The New York Times asked and answered: “Does New York need a British steakhouse? Yes, if it’s Hawksmoor.” Elsewhere, Eater declared it, “New York’s hottest steakhouse.” You can probably imagine how exciting (and cathartic) this has all been for
Celebrating Hawksmoor’s women on International Women’s Day
The women of Hawksmoor. They make our restaurants better. As part of our International Women’s Day celebrations, we asked a few of them to share their Hawksmoor story. In a word? Inspiring. But don’t take our word for it… Louisa Richards, Assistant Restaurant Director Been at Hawksmoor nine years Favourite dish is rib-eye steak, with
Hawksmoor is now Carbon Neutral
In November we announced our commitment to go carbon neutral in 2022 – we’ve just done that ahead of schedule. Hawksmoor is now a carbon neutral restaurant group. scope one – direct emissions: A/C, heating, fridges, vehicles etc scope two – indirect emissions from electricity we use scope three emissions – the supply chain emissions
Sustainability at Hawksmoor
Ever since we first started Hawksmoor we wanted to do things the right way. As our ambitions have grown, we’ve focused on building a restaurant company with real integrity, to show that you can be successful while prioritising the things you care about most. For us, that has always included championing regenerative agriculture and proper
Brixham Crab on Toast Recipe
Serves 4 as a starter 2 slices of white sourdough, toasted and cut in half 80g picked brown crabmeat 120ml good-quality mayonnaise 100g cucumber slices, skin on 40g gherkins, julienned 20g lilliput capers 40g watercress 20ml honey mustard dressing 240g picked white crabmeat 1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges Place a half piece of
Love Food Give Food
This September marks the beginning of Action Against Hunger’s annual Love Food Give Food campaign. As a charity that has always been very close to our hearts, we will be adding an optional £1.00 donation to each restaurant bill throughout September and October. You can also do good by eating chocolate. All year round we
A Day in the Life of a Hawksmoor Chef
Ever wondered what it would be like to be a Chef for a day? Mat Kelly, Senior Sous Chef at Hawksmoor Spitalfields tells us all about it below. If you or you know anyone who you think would like to join our team, we have multiple chef vacancies across all our restaurants from CDP roles,
Introducing Our New Restaurant – Hawksmoor Wood Wharf
The reports of London’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. For 15 months the city in which we live has been a hollowed-out version of itself. If the pandemic has reminded us how much we love Hawksmoor and how much we love the restaurant industry, it has also reminded us how much we love London. So,
Why should anyone work here?
The answer to that question is one of the most important things for people who run or manage restaurants to know, because if you can’t explain it how will anyone else know the answer? Sometimes when I get asked that I apologise that my answer is boring, because it’s basically that everyone is really nice
The Best Roast Beef
The British institution that is the Sunday Roast is a reminder that food can deliver so much more than calories. For centuries families and friends have gathered together for comfort and cheer over slices of roast beef, crisp roast potatoes and monumental Yorkshire puddings all liberally doused with gravy. It carries the weight of tradition
Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe
It’s been our best seller since day one and we’ve experimented with it relentlessly. Both to tweak and improve the basic recipe and to come up with new variations on a theme, more of which can be found in our cookbook. Below is our classic Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe for 4. Serves 4 To make
Creamed Spinach Recipe
500ml double cream 1 large sprig of rosemary 2 cloves of garlic, crushed a good pinch of freshly ground nutmeg a good pinch of cayenne pepper 10g anchovies, chopped Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1kg spinach Place the cream, rosemary, garlic, nutmeg, cayenne, anchovies, salt and pepper in a pan and bring
Macaroni Cheese Recipe
2 cloves of garlic 240ml whole milk 25g butter 25g plain flour 40g Stichelton or Colston Basset Stilton, grated 40g good Cheddar (we use Montgomery’s), grated 40g Ogleshield, grated a pinch each of sea salt, white pepper and ground nutmeg 320g cooked macaroni (100–150g uncooked) 150g Danish mozzarella (or similar), diced 30g Parmesan, grated 30g
Give Water Give Life in support of One Water
11th March 2020 Throughout the month of March, we will be adding a voluntary £1 donation on every bill in all of our restaurants, in support of the One Foundations annual campaign, Give Water Give Life. One is a life-saving ethical bottled water brand – we stock One Water in all of our restaurants. Their
Rare Form #2 – How are you so handsome but so bald?
I’m glad you asked, person-who-is-in-no-way-a-friend-taking-the-piss. I think the secret is steak, you see it’s a scientific fact that a meat-heavy diet releases natural hormones in male restaurateurs that makes them slightly more attractive. If my post-graduate degree in, err, science serves me well I remember it being something to do with pheromones in the top
Rare Form #1 – Do you have a strict selection process for your staff?
Yes and no. In a way almost anyone can get a job at Hawksmoor, because we have entry-level jobs in the kitchen and front of house. I say almost anyone, because the test isn’t education or experience – you can come and work here if you left school at 16 with no qualifications and have
Tamworth Belly Ribs Recipe
Serves 4–6 This has been on the menu since day one and has consistently been our most popular starter. It has also, at times, been the bane of our lives. 25g fennel seeds (they will deteriorate with age so make sure they are fresh) 25g black peppercorns 5g cumin seeds 5g coriander seeds 1 onion,
What is orange wine?
What is orange wine? Wines made from oranges, obviously…? Well, no actually. Orange wine is made like a red wine, but from white grapes. Instead of discarding the precious skins after pressing, as is usual with white wine, the wine is left in contact with them for days or sometimes months, or occasionally even longer.
Podcast with Will Beckett | Humans of Hospitality
One of our founders, Will, was asked to go on the Humans of Hospitality podcast where he talked about Hawksmoor, his friendship with co-founder Huw and how they work together, about the upcoming Hawksmoor New York, about growing a restaurant company and whether investment and scale are positive for restaurants, about influences in his life
Our Top 10 Tips on How to Cook the Perfect Steak
If you don’t happen to have a charcoal grill, a Josper or a Thermodyne at home, fear not, you can still cook a great steak. In our first book we gave you some tips on how to do that – which we still stand by – so we make no apologies if you’ve read this
Hawksmoor Manchester voted Best Front of House team
24th December 2019 At its simplest our ambition for Hawksmoor is really just to have a great restaurant staffed by really nice, talented people who love what they do. At last week’s Food and Drink Festival awards you guys voted our team Best Front Of House for the second time in three years (and you