Starting his kitchen career at23, James stumbled into a job as a waiter in Wapping, East London to make ends meet (his aim to bea pilot wasn’t as plain sailing as he first thought). Luck had it that he was taken a-back by the restaurant’stalented chefs and their respect and adoration for the produce that they were handling. This first imprint of the culinary world still resonates at James’ restaurant, Lyle’s, which is also in East London. With his heart re-set on becoming a chef and determined to own his own restaurant by the time that he was 30, he worked tirelessly at ‘s restaurant The Fat Duck, Rob Weston’sLa Trompette and ‘s St Johns, finally working with his friend in a pop-up at The Ten Bells pub-cum-restaurant before fulfilling hisheart’s yearning toopenhis own restaurant.Lyle’s was born.
18 months after opening, James and his team were awarded a covetedMichelin star. At Lyle’sthe cuisine is devoted to fresh and seasonal producemaking for stunning dishes that echo the roots ofeach ingredient. With a passion for learning, James is on a quest to inviteworld-wide chefs to cook with him and teach him about their produce, in exchange for his knowledge of British produce and an opportunity to cook with them. The menu is therefore forever expanding, with local produce at its core and a peppering of international highlights.
- 1 Michelin star
Tea Building
56 Shoreditch High Street
London
E1 6JJ
United Kingdom
Images by Per-Anders Jorgenson and Xavier Girard Lachaîne