What’s behind the sudden, rapturous interest in “normal food”? Does it speak to our desire for comfort in difficult times?
James Knappett is one of only 22 chefs in Britain who currently hold two Michelin stars. The 40-year-old’s main restaurant, Kitchen Table in central London, serves a tasting menu that costs £300 per person, without drinks, which used to sound like a lot, but is now roughly the same price as heating your house for the evening.
“Normal” is a word that Knappett returns to often when talking about food. At one point, he picks up his mobile phone and thumbs through Instagram. “Have you heard of this place, Norman’s Cafe?” he asks. “These guys are friggin’ geniuses. That’s an ideal restaurant of mine.” We are talking about the arrival and rise of the “foodie”: a contender for the most objectionable word in the world and some of the most objectionable people, especially when they use the term to self-describe. These are folk who, if they buy instant coffee at all, it’s only to give to the builders who are working on their side return.
“Normal food” somehow feels right in 2022. We want value for money from food, especially when we eat out. Perhaps, we also desire the crutch of familiar food in settings that feel comfortable. Knappett certainly recognises that. In addition to Kitchen Table, he has recently taken over the food offering in two London pubs: the Cadogan Arms in Chelsea and the George, where we meet. The menus in these places are made up of unfussy and familiar classics: prawn cocktails, roasts, Ploughman’s.
The success of Norman’s Cafe may, in fact, just come down to a sprig of cress. When Hayes was finalising the menu in the winter lockdown of 2020, he had to decide how to finish the dishes. All his training and instincts were screaming “Garnish!” but something told him not to. “I had to really hold back on putting cress on some things,” says Hayes. “Like not fancying something up that shouldn’t be fancied up.
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