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Xanthe Clay

@xantheclay

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2011

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Food writer/columnist @telegraph
Academy Chair (UK & Ireland) @theworlds50best
Trustee @andresimonawards
President Guild of Food Writers 2014-2018

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Some snaps from a glorious holiday in Australia, the beautiful. Victoria (the best farmers’ markets in the world, black swans, kangaroos, countryside) Sydney (that harbour! That Opera House!) and Queensland (cheeky kookaburras, wild wallabies and the ocean, the ocean). See you soon @australia 💋 by @xantheclay

Margaret @margaretdoublebay might be the perfect restaurant. Buzzing: chock full of people who are delighted to be there. Glamorous, beautifully lit: want to feel (and look) like a film star? Grab a seat at Margaret. The staff are charming, slipping elegantly between the tables, topping up glasses, smiling.

And the food. Epic quality Australian seafood - Neil seems to know the name of every fisherman. The creamiest, savouriest Tasmanian sea urchin from Shane Blackwell piled on toast with a ludicrously delicious insouciance. Simple yes, perfect produce yes - but it’s a bit more than just putting it on a plate. There’s a few coarse grains of black pepper, adding little points of heat, just the lightest spritz of lemon juice to cut the richness. Nothing to detract from the star of the show, those clean, cool urchins.

It goes on. Mud crab from fisherman Nathan Fox with macadamia cream, steak tartare with Japanese seasonings, grilled David Blackmore Wagyu tongue with chimichurri, Tasmanian white asparagus, 14 year old Wagyu breeder cow steak also from David Blackmore, with the best chips you’ll ever eat, period. Plus one of my favourite ever dishes: King George whiting with Australian olive oil. Do I look happy as I tuck in??

Fantastic to see the legends and all round nice guys @chefneilperry and Sam Perry: thank you for treating us, unexpected and incredibly generous. Glorious wines too, thank you, Mr Sam Shepherd.

#guest #lucky by @xantheclay

Sometimes there’s a restaurant that so radical that it shifts the parameters. Saint Peter in Sydney
is one of those: other contenders are London’s St John and Spain’s El Bulli.
Nestled in a quiet street of the pretty Paddington district of Sydney, round the corner from its
original site, Saint Peter was founded by chef patrons Josh Niland and Julie Niland, with the
principles of no-waste fish cookery (eye ball ice cream, fish charcuterie), no water fish preparation
and ageing fish - turning the “rules of fish” upside down.
Josh’s new book Chapter and Verse is out - there are recipes and techniques of course, but
there’s also a refreshingly straight talking account of what it takes to open a world class
restaurant, one that redefines how we think about cooking.
Thank you, Josh, Julie and all the crew for an amazing meal and stay. I booked a table fully
intending to pay my way: what a treat. The rooms are fabulous, and I got to eat the fish breakfast
- complete with pumpkin swordfish belly bacon and fish scale granola. Delicious, truly.

@julieniland @saintpeterpaddo
@thesaintpeterhotel @mrniland
Josh was on a well deserved family break when I visited - the photo is from last month when Josh was cooking @dorian.nottinghill.
#guest #lucky by @xantheclay

Beautiful meal @yiaga.au , a restaurant that champions the Australian from wines and ingredients to the craftspeople and materials in the building. Thrilling flavours and topnotch technique. Chef @hughsallen has plans afoot for more … watch this space. Huge thanks to Hugh, master sommelier Dorian Guillon, @michael____mcaulay and all the team. #guest #luckyluckylucky PS what are the best Australian tunes for this trip? Tell me 🙏

Posting again with less confused music. This is what happens when I try to post at night without disturbing the sleeping Good Doctor. 🤦‍♀️

Thank you for the comments lovely @alexandrawrites (who made the recommendation and introduction) @joanna_savill @chefneilperry @shanblanchard @wholespiceland @lambposts ❤️ by @xantheclay

Beautiful weekend of conversation @foda.festival … starting at the end with a catch up with @grovegamelarder who I wrote about for @telegraph - why don’t we eat more wild venison? 📸 by the amazing @vanessakimbell who brought her wisdom and passion for diversity and fibre to a special sourdough exchange (her new book Proven is out soon).

@georgemlamb talked about the wild journey of @wildfarmed , bringing regeneratively farmed grain to bread in both artisan bakers and the supermarkets - and how selling a loaf that costs more than £2 is hard.

Legends @josh_eggleton @petersancheziglesias and Gareth Ward of @ynyshirrestaurant brainstormed on friendship, food and the realities of running a restaurant (plenty of off the record, Chatham House rules stuff - you had to be there).

@every.good.thing gave a fantastic, funny, engaging masterclass in fermentation backed up by proper trust-me-I’m-a-microbiologist science.

Speakers dinner @thekensingtonarms - so so good, especially when Josh prepares the bone marrow on toast. Queen Victoria had it for tea everyday, and if I was Empress so would I.

Wonderful panels on day one, on Forest, Soil, Air and Sea. @rogerjsaul put together an incredible group who unpicked the thorny issue of whether we can feed the planet without destroying it - forthright, difficult and meaningful.

Forest was another cracker with Will Mayor of @yeovalley on agroforestr, @lucywilliamsonnutrition on why it matters for our gut, @genevieveeats and @slatehillcharcoal on coppicing and British charcoal.

Great panels - Air chaired by @joingleby on community, food and tackling loneliness with @fadi.f.kattan and Sea chaired by yours truly on ethical seafoodwith Rachel of @discoscallops , Phillip from @cornishsea_salt and Megan of @car_y_mor seaweed and shellfish farm - no photos of these two, too busy! I didn’t make it for @anna.p.patrowicz masterclass on Palestinian wine or the Japanese Gyotaku fish printing or @flavour.ie talking about Blood Guts and Black Pudding or the butchery class - damn damn damn.
Final picks of the opening boat trip, a joyful start.

Head still spinning. THANK YOU @shotime @josh_eggleton , Cags, Emma, Jemma by @xantheclay

Four conversations. Four big questions. One day dedicated to the future of food.

The FŌDA Symposium returns to @arnolfiniarts on Saturday 26th of September, bringing together some of the UK’s most inspiring chefs, farmers, producers, scientists, campaigners and changemakers for a day of honest conversation and fresh ideas.

This year’s programme explores four themes:

🌳 Forest | 9.15am to 11.00am
Chaired by William Mayor from @yeovalley this panel asks why trees matter to our food system. From woodland management and regenerative farming to fire cooking and orchard restoration, we’ll explore the role our forests play in shaping a more resilient future.

🌾 Land | 11.30am to 1.00pm
Chaired by @rogerjsaul this panel asks whether the UK can feed itself. Together we’ll explore what it will take to build a food system that is productive, resilient and fit for the future.

🕊️ Air | 2.00pm to 3.30pm
Chaired by @josh_eggleton this conversation explores the space between us, bringing together inspiring voices who use food to build community, create opportunity and drive positive change.

🌊 Sea | 4.00pm to 5.30pm
Chaired by @xantheclay this panel asks what we take from the sea, and what we owe in return. From regenerative seaweed farming and low impact fishing to sustainable seafood and flavour, this conversation dives into the future of our oceans.

Featuring more than 20 incredible speakers, the Symposium promises a day of thought provoking discussion, inspiration and connection. Your Symposium ticket includes breakfast & lunch, so you can settle in and enjoy a full day of conversation, connection and great food.

Join us on Saturday 26th September at Arnolfini, Bristol.

Tickets are still available via the link in our bio.

#foda2026 #futureoffood #theponychewvalley #teamcanteen #visitbristol by @xantheclay

500years of the British Turkey! That’s right, in 1526 the first gobbler arrived over here from the New World. We had a fantastic evening in the beautiful Drapers’ Hall celebrating all things turkey with a fabulous crowd of farmers as well as @clareblampied @dhruvbaker1 @harrywallop @joshbythesea @awc_gram as well as the King and Crown Prince @kellybronze and Toby. There was a gobbling competition, a proper East End singalong, heraldic trumpets, and a slap up turkey dinner - and the world record holding carver Paul Kelly did the honours with ours. #guest #lucky #britishturkey by @xantheclay

The @andresimonawards entries are starting to arrive, along with review copies. Here’s the stunners making up the first batch …

2. @lucywilliamsonnutrition brilliant book Soil to Gut, showing the connection between soil and gut health. Super readable, with lots of practical advice, you’ll be properly informed about your choices after reading it.

3.Blood, Bones & Black Pudding by @flavour.ie and published by @9beanrowsbooks (fab publisher with the best name ever if you love Yeats). A much needed history of fresh blood black pudding in Ireland and some other fascinating blood products like drisheen, made from serum. Almost all black pudding in the UK, except @fruitpigcompany ‘s, is made with imported dried blood which is a crying shame - like making an omelette with dried egg.

4. Sugar Coated by the estimable @marionnestle and Lisa Sutherland. An excoriating expose of the US breakfast cereal industry.

5. Kitchening by the most fabulous @jeremyleeqv - another banger from JL, written with infectious exuberance and improving exactitude. A cook book that makes us better cooks. Lemon and blackcurrant trifle. Need I say more?

6. Egypt by @suzannezeidy and @rawahbadrawi - I gasped when I unwrapped this book, it’s so gorgeously, lavishly produced. A recipe book, a history, a travelogue, it’s ravishing. I’m delighted it includes Sudanese recipes: I spent a summer in Sudan as a nineteen year old and their peanuts are the best in the world.

7. The Kitchen Book by @ellarisbridger - a recipe book full of things I want to cook and eat (caramel cumin cauliflower, yes please). The recipes are very adaptable and the conversational style is beguiling. There’s a lovely spreadsheet on ways to roast a chicken too.

Apologies for the crappy flick through videos. If only I was as polished and professional as these writers.

#cookerybooks #cookbooks #foodbooks by @xantheclay

It’s the battle of the kamado grills. 🔥⁠
⁠
The Big Green Egg has dominated the market, but with a new rival stepping into the ring, is the £1,495 original still worth the price tag?⁠
⁠
@xantheclay tested out the lower-priced Ottimo Searsmith to deliver her verdict. by @xantheclay

Issaka Kolongo has been KP at @restaurantgordonramsay for 23years. That means he started only just after my last visit. Restaurant Manager Enrico Baronetto was definitely there back in 2001, although he’s worked at other places in the meantime. In a world of restaurant “concepts” designed to last two or three years, this kind of dedication and longevity is special. It shows in beautiful food and even more in the perfectly choreographed, warm, understated service. Thank you for inviting me in: I hope Issaka gets a great party for his 25th anniversary.
#guest #lucky by @xantheclay

‘We are no longer sleepwalking. We have walked straight off the edge of the cliff.’

That’s from my piece in @the.independent last week, ‘We are at red alert for food security, the UK is running out of water’. 💧 Full piece linked in bio.

Three-quarters of England is in drought. This year’s walnut harvest at Sharpham Park is coming up small again, two dry summers running, and there’s still no government support for irrigation, even though grants exist for planting the trees in the first place.

This is not just a bad year…. It’s a pattern.

I’ll be picking this up in person on Saturday 26 September at FoDA, the Festival of Food Ideas, at the @arnolfiniarts in Bristol, hosting a panel called ‘How Can We Feed Britain?’. 🌾

Come and join the conversation.

-Roger

@rogerjsaul @josh_eggleton @foda.festival @xantheclay @shotime @emmeline_bristol @champagnecoffee_ @geordie.greig

#FoodSecurity #RegenerativeFarming #BritishFarming #HowCanWeFeedBritain #FoDA2026 by @xantheclay

Mesmerisingly beautiful evening celebrating the Ferragosto with @pharmacyfieldkitchen and @bocca_di_lupo in a Somerset orchard near @osiprestaurant - a mere 1.5hours by train from London, city guys. Great to see @merlin_johnson and @jacobkenedy and eat their fabulous Italian feast made with local ingredients - as well as @jessicaparkhouse and @phoebelambert1 . I hear there are going to be more chefs collaborations with Pharmacy Field Kitchen 👌🙌👍
#guest #verylucky by @xantheclay