What's Next with Adam Handling

We speak to Michelin Star Chef Adam Handling about food waste, sustainability in restaurants and cooking for the G7!

ABOUT ADAM HANDLING

Michelin-starred Chef Adam Handling started out at Gleneagles 16 years ago where he was the first ever apprentice chef, before he went on to become Fairmont’s youngest ever Head Chef. Adam has a number of impressive awards under his belt, including Scottish Chef of the Year, British Culinary Federation’s Chef of the Year, Chef of the Year in the Food & Travel Awards. Adam was (and still is) the youngest person to be one of the Caterer’s ‘30 under 30 to watch’ in the 2013 Acorn Awards. Voted for by both the public and a selection of esteemed industry judges, Adam was named Restaurateur of the Year in the British GQ Food and Drink Awards 2020, before earning his first Michelin star at his flagship restaurant, Frog by Adam Handling, in 2022.

Passionate about the best quality British ingredients and sustainability, Adam’s beautifully presented dishes start with careful sourcing of top quality, seasonal ingredients, prepared in a number of different, creative ways to bring their true flavour to life.

In 2016, Adam was keen to shake up the restaurant scene and he did just that with The Frog E1. Adam’s first restaurant, located in the Old Truman Brewery, was one of the first of its kind in London that offered high quality small plates and tasting menus in a cool and casual environment. The focus was on the 4 pillars that Adam deems make a successful restaurant – food, drink, art and music.

In September 2017, Adam opened his flagship restaurant and bar, Frog by Adam Handling and Eve Bar in Covent Garden. The restaurant has been heralded as a “smash hit” by the London Evening Standard and one of the “best restaurants in London right now” by Condé Nast Traveller. Frog by Adam Handling has won ‘Best Newcomer Restaurant’ in the 2018 Food & Travel Reader Awards, was voted ‘Best Overall Wine List’ at the 2019 Wine List Confidential awards and ‘Cocktail List of the Year’ at the National Restaurant Awards 2019. Frog by Adam Handling was awarded its first Michelin Star in February 2022. Eve Bar was awarded ‘Cocktail List of the Year’ at the 2019 National Restaurant Awards.

In May 2021 Adam opened his first ever venue outside of London and his first-ever pub - The Loch & The Tyne, a restaurant, pub, and rooms in the countryside of Old Windsor. Adam intends to make this one of the most sustainable pubs in the UK, complete with luxury bedrooms for overnight guests. Everything about The Loch & The Tyne is rooted in ‘Sustainable British luxury’, with exceptional attention to detail in every corner and truly personal touches throughout. The venue is the perfect countryside location for weddings, private events, and country getaways. In another first for Adam, he has named two of his chefs as Co-Chef Proprietors. Steven Kerr, his Group Executive Chef, and Jonny McNeil, Head Chef at Adam Handling Chelsea, have taken up the reins as an opportunity to showcase the skills they have learnt during their time with Adam. In fact, the name of the pub is representative of where Adam first met both Steven and Jonny - 2008 in Newcastle and 2010 in St Andrews. The Loch & The Tyne was included in The Sunday Times ‘Best Places to Stay’ list 2021, awarded Highest New Entry (no. 27) in the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropub Awards 2022, and has recently been awarded 5-stars from the AA.

The latest opening for the Adam Handling Restaurant Group is Ugly Butterfly, which is chef Adam’s most sustainable brand of restaurants, which launched at the luxurious Carbis Bay Estate on August 2nd 2021, offering British food, inspired by Cornwall. In keeping with both Adam’s and the Estate’s ethos, there’s a strong focus on sustainability. Adam has appointed Jamie Park – who has been one of the key chefs in the group for seven years – as Head Chef. The menus in the restaurant are as elevated and theatrical as at Frog by Adam Handling in Covent Garden and will use ingredients carefully sourced from in and around Cornwall. Offering an all-day dining experience, the Ugly Butterfly bar uses trims and offcuts from the ingredients used in the restaurant to create delicious drinks and bar snacks. The bar menu illustrates that there is no such thing as food waste, much in the same way that there is no such thing as an Ugly Butterfly.

Adam Handling Restaurant Group is committed to fighting food waste and has teamed up with a number of core charities, including The Felix Project and Quintessentially Foundation, who share the same goal. During the Covid-19 in March 2020, the Group worked with Open Kitchens to provide The Felix Project with thousands of meals to share with local communities and frontline charities.

Adam has made numerous TV appearances including Saturday Kitchen Live, Great British Menu and judging on amateur MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals.

Website: https://www.adamhandling.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamhandling/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamhandling