Chef Kirk Haworth, co-founder of restaurant Plates in London's Shoreditch, is currently one of Great Britain’s hottest chefs. After successful participation in the hit series The Great British Menu and election as Discovery of the Year, his plant-based cuisine was crowned with a Michelin star early this year. Food Inspirations' Sheila Struyck secured a seat at his chef's table last winter - even before the star frenzy broke out. Today, she interviews Haworth about the culinary consequences of success and his vision on cooking and entrepreneurship.

This year, it seems everything is falling into place for Chef Kirk Haworth and his sister, Keeley. Last July, they opened the permanent location of their fine-dining restaurant, Plates. Just before the launch, Haworth entered The Great British Menu, TV's toughest professional cooking competition in which 32 aspiring chefs compete for honors. Haworth scored a 10 on his fish course which was a vegan dish, then earned his spot in the Great British Menu Banquet with his dessert 'A Taste of Unity'. This dish won him the title of 2024’s Champion of Champions. An impressive achievement. Subsequently the reservations for Plates poured in.

First British vegan restaurant with Michelin star

Last December, Plates was voted UK Discovery of the Year by the We're Smart Green Guide with a maximum score of five radishes. Shortly thereafter another achievement followed. In February, Plates was awarded a Michelin star, making it the first UK vegan restaurant to receive this accolade. Michelin writes: "Chef Kirk Haworth gives vegetables the respect they deserve. Using his classic techniques, he creates innovative and inviting dishes.” The booking tool exploded. But those who think the Haworths are now resting on their laurels are wrong. In early May, the siblings opened a luxury retreat on a farm in southern France where guests can spend a week recharging and enjoying themselves for a mere £2,360 per person. That this is a totally new line of business doesn't seem to bother them.

Your sister as a companion

Kirk Haworth is the first to praise his business partner and team at every recognition and victory: "We do everything together. My sister Keeley is very strong operationally, a brand builder and a strategic thinker. I can run a restaurant at a high level and know what's involved in that." Since 2017, the duo ran several pop-ups before opening their permanent location last year. "At our previous pop-ups, we were in the business together, now Keeley works behind the scenes to help us grow. If she has a good idea, I will make sure we get it done."

This success didn’t come out of the blue, Kirk continues. “It took eight years for it to really take off. We always believed - sometimes as the only ones - that we had something unique on our hands. All over London we hustled and pop-upped until we got the right formula. We worked day and night for that. Completely on our own. We both own 50% of the company. We deliberately have no investors. When you work so hard, you want to reap the benefits yourself.”

Kirk and Keeley Haworth

Plant-based with classic preparations

When asked how they develop a new menu when customers come for the successful competition dishes, Haworth responds laconically. “We have a lot of repeat guests. Many have been two or three times since opening. I immediately started working on new dishes and recently hired an R&D chef and a fermentation chef. I bring them into my mindset and philosophy: start with nothing, experiment and try, and above all, don't be afraid to make mistakes." The Haworths find it crucial that the guest gets a consistent experience, with innovative, 100% plant-based dishes. "My style is described as classic. With a lot of sauces and preparations that are usually done with meat, like stewing, roasting and marinating. I apply that to plant-based ingredients.”

“As with the new dish of Jersey Royal potatoes. These, I smoke over Japanese charcoal and serve with medlar, watercress, pickled onion,miso and fried yeast sauce, topped with furikake. The result is a comforting and creamy dish, with interesting textures.” Guests choose from a 5- or 6-course menu (£90 - lunch only - or £108). There is also a selection of accompanying drinks: wine (£70), 50/50 (£60) or non-alcoholic (£55).

The impact of Lyme disease

At an early age, Haworth joined his chef father, Nigel Haworth, at Michelin-starred restaurant Northcote near Blackburn. He then worked at The Square* in London and Thomas Keller's The French Laundry*** in Yountville, California, among others. Next, he moved to Australia to continue his career at a more relaxed pace.

There, Kirk's health suffered so much that he had to stop working in the kitchen. Four years and many doctors and tests later, he was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2016 as a result of a tick bite. His diagnosis required Kirk to drastically overhaul his diet. He stopped eating meat, then fish, and eventually switched to a completely plant-based diet, focusing on fermentation and unprocessed ingredients. This led to a remarkable improvement in his health and allowed him to tentatively pick up his work again.

In 2019, Haworth and his sister Keeley started their first pop-up concept called Plates. However, lock-downs during the corona crisis forced the restaurant to close its doors. Kirk shifted his focus to culinary consultancy and teaching online cooking classes. In 2024, Plates finally opened in a permanent location in the London hotspot, Shoreditch.

On the hunt for a second star

“You can sum up Plates' business philosophy in four pillars. These are: 'nature is art,' 'work hard and be nice to people,' 'perseverance is fruitful,' and 'cook with passion.' If you look on our website, you will see that you can buy our motto. I have created artwork from it, in collaboration with Anthony Burrill. For £100, you will be the lucky owner of a signed print."

By participating in the TV show, in which Kirk is open about his health, many Brits know how Lyme disease has affected his cooking style. But at no point is it mentioned during the dining experience. "Everything starts and ends with taste," he says. “The restaurant is open four days a week, Wednesday to Saturday. Since this month, we are closed on Sundays and I have reduced the number of covers from 50 to 40. That allows us to raise the level of hospitality and the quality of the dishes. After all, we very much want that second star. And a four-day week also means a better work-life balance for the whole team."

"My dishes start with the best pure, healthy ingredients. I'm always looking: which ones are interesting? How do I bring out the best in them? If I use strawberries, they have to be the very tastiest ones available at the time. And without pesticides, of course. I want to know where that maitake, a.k.a. hen of the woods, comes from. In what soil it grows and who the grower is. I am on top of it. I want as much information as possible about growers, farmers and producers, to select products of the highest quality, but also to come up with new ideas. For instance, we found a very special tomato, grown from Japanese seeds. These 'amelas' cost £3 each, but they are the hero of the dish. We serve them beautifully chopped with a dressing of verjuice, radishes, sour gooseberries, creamy ricotta and icy tarragon granito. With that, comes a broth of barbecued tomatoes."

Sheila’s dining experience 

Plates is a small open-plan establishment, with lots of blond oak and beige tones. Think uncovered wooden tables, rustic crockery and chefs and waiters in loose-fitting green linen blouses. It feels like a cross between Scandinavia and 1970s England. The buzz gives a relaxed atmosphere. Young businessmen populate the bar, a family celebrates a birthday and two middle-aged couples enjoy an afternoon out. Definitely not your archetypal 'goat-haired woolly-sock types.' But solo diners at the bar, like me, also get the full attention of the friendly hosts and women.

With my nose on top of the bar and kitchen, I enjoy the tranquillity of the tiny kitchen. You can taste Haworth’s classical training – his sauces bring all the elements together and turn every dish into something irresistible. Pure, tasty dishes, served with great flair and attention. Think roasted maitake with a mole of black beans or a cocoa gâteau with sour cherries, macadamia and a raw caramel sauce. The house-made sourdough bread with spirulina butter blew me away. Laminated, turned into a roll, with creamy butter. Incredible when you consider that there is no dairy involved here. 

 

And now for a retreat in France...

Asked if he will also cook those dishes at his new luxury retreat in France, Haworth says: "I will stay in London, the restaurant is my number one priority. Keeley is the boss at our retreat in France. The retreat is definitely not a copy of our restaurant in London, because guests are not going to travel hours to the French countryside for that, are they? Surely they want to experience something different and exciting there. The concept does start from a shared vision and mission, though."

Having visited many different retreats due to his own health, Kirk has a clear idea of what he wants to put down. "I know exactly what places like this are all about. Six years after we found this location in south-west France, we are finally opening. Guests come here for a whole week to enjoy nature and tranquillity. They are served breakfast and lunch every day and dinner twice. Reservations are running well, but we don't know exactly who will come," Haworth chuckles. "That's the beauty of it. We have no idea beforehand what exactly is going to happen."