I was in London last week (picking up an award for my father who is unable to travel), and the food highlights of the trip revolved around Fergus Henderson's St John Restaurant and a pub staffed by alumni of that kitchen, The Anchor & Hope.
Well-deserved slurs aside, I've been trying to believe that British food can be truly spectacular; the signature chicken pot pie from Tamasin Day-Lewis's Tarts with Tops on was one of the best things we ate last winter. The two restaurants above are game-changers for one's perspective on British cooking, and by far the best food I've ever eaten in the UK.
There's a generational difference between the two places, in every sense: The first has white tablecloths, a Michelin star, takes reservations, and I'm not the oldest person in the room. The second has sanded wood tables, no reservations, I could be the oldest person in the room, and is a true madhouse in the evening as the 6 pm kitchen opening approaches. I was only able to get a table because a bartender spotted me through the crowd and introduced me to the list keeper as one who had kind words for their cooking at lunch time. They're alumni gunning for St John's crown, and the no reservations policy is a brilliant way to assure energy in the room. I'm still torn which place is better; if the descriptions don't bias you, why choose?
Fergus Henderson has a pair of books available in the UK, the first of which is now a paperback in the US: The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating. At the song for which it sells, I'd call this an essential cookbook. Only partly a carnivore's circus, but very on-topic for the KK crowd, with many dishes that would benefit from a bit of smoke, and lots of advice and recipes involving brines or cures. The sides also would go great with any KK fare; a bit of anchovy, caper, parsley dressing on broccoli transforms it into a dish that can hold its own at a barbecue table. More generally, I want to think of my KK as my go-to oven for that extra edge, for any dish that pops into a 375 F oven. The flavors here are certainly lusty enough to stand up to an outdoor fire.