If you've ever searched for a seasonal tasting menu in London you'll know how far the word seasonal gets stretched. Sometimes it means one special. The menu here on the Grand Union Canal in Westbourne Park keeps changing as the year goes round.
When a dish never changes nobody in the kitchen has a reason to taste it with fresh eyes, and nobody tries this year's peaches and wonders what they'd go with. We think that's because a kitchen still working things out tends to cook with more attention.
For us it means an ingredient is at its best where it grows and the dish gets built around that moment. The produce makes the first decision and the cooking follows.
We talk to growers and producers about what's coming up and write around what they tell us, so the menu can shift when a crop arrives early or late. The menu follows the supply chain and the printed page finds out last.
It makes life more fun for the cooks as well. A rotating menu restaurant in London has to stay curious, and each new ingredient gives the kitchen something to work with.
Spring begins with wild garlic and early radishes before Jersey Royals take over, and British asparagus has one of the shortest seasons going.
By summer it's peas and broad beans and then strawberries and cherries, with tomatoes ripening late and tasting nothing like the ones you'd find in February. Autumn brings apples and pears and squash and wild mushrooms, and game birds like pheasant come into season in October.
Our menu has British and European roots so when something is at its peak in Italy or Spain it can earn a place alongside the local produce, and anyone who enjoys a seasonal tasting menu in London will know the best ones borrow this way. Italian tomatoes are ready while ours are still ripening and Sicilian blood oranges brighten the darkest weeks of winter. Truffle season arrives in autumn and chicories from northern Italy bring a bitter edge that suits the cold months.
Spring plates tend to be light and green. Summer is terrace season so the menu leans towards stone fruit and fresh fish and salads that suit a long afternoon beside the water, and our piece on summer dining on the Canal terrace goes into more detail on that part of the year. Autumn gets richer with mushrooms and squash and game, and winter is for slow braises and deep flavours with a little citrus to cut through them.
A Canal menu change rarely comes with a fanfare. Dishes show up when their ingredient does and leave once it's had its moment, so small changes happen often and the bigger ones follow the seasons.
A table in March and a table in September are two different meals. Couples find something new to share and friends find a fresh excuse to meet up, and solo diners get a different order each time they drop in. Part of the appeal is seeing what has changed since your last visit, and a good seasonal menu in London should give you a reason to return.
Canal-side dining in London changes with the light too. The same terrace seat looks different in May than it does in October. If you're comparing spots by the water our guide to the best outdoor restaurant terraces in London is a good place to start.
A table by the canal is the easiest way to taste the season. Come as a pair or a crowd or on your own and ask the team what's just come into the kitchen. Sunny weekends fill up quickly on the terrace so it helps to book a few days ahead.
