The Sportsman

Stephen Harris, a former historian and financial advisor, is the chef behind The Sportsman, voted Best Restaurant in the UK in 2016.

“I absolutely love this restaurant – it is unpretentious, simple, warm, and delicious. Just a short drive outside London it’s a must visit and truly transportive. The food has such a sense of place, is incredibly soulful, and the recipes in this book easily translate to the home. I cannot wait to get to The Sportsman again, but know that I can at least bring a taste of one of my favorite restaurants in the world into my home kitchen now that I have this book.” —Daniel Humm

“Stephen Harris is one of the greatest British chefs cooking today. A man who wholeheartedly embraces his surroundings, environment, seasons, and producers… This is a snapshot and a window into his researched, moving, and personal connection to food.” —Tom Kerridge

“Long-awaited… its simple, stylish recipes epitomise all that?s great about British cooking.” —Farmdrop

“Anyone who is interested in British cooking will be waiting for this. The Sportsman has won so many awards – consistently – that there is nothing I can say except that I’ve wanted this book since I first ate there, right back in the early days. Stephen Harris is the British chef all other British chefs (and many from Belgium, France, Scandinavia and the Netherlands) admire. He is also of interest to home cooks because he is entirely self-taught and only uses techniques because they really make a difference to flavour (not just to show off and not to be ‘on trend’). The book doesn’t just have many of his signature recipes but also beautifully written accounts of the ‘terroir’ in Kent where Stephen cooks, along with notes on his personal approach to food and how he became a cook. He is the most down-to-earth, obsessive, un-starry and thoughtful chef I know. Unusually for a chef’s book the recipes look do-able. A lot of people have been waiting a long time for this. It’s going on my bedside table before I move it into the kitchen.”—Diana Henry, The Telegraph

“No faffing, no poncery, no energy and expense wasted on marble loos, groveling maître d’s or arrogant sommeliers; in short, never mind the bollocks. The Sportsman is all about the food – the sensationally good food.” —Guardian

“The Sportsman’s interior is the British pub of the imagination: knotty woods everywhere, a fireplace built of mismatched bricks, warrens of rooms, and a prevailing sense of welcome… and it is a meal to relish.” —Eater

“The Telegraph columnist and chef-proprietor at Michelin-starred pub The Sportsman, Stephen Harris is the personification of classic, unpretentious British grub. Each chapter of the book focus on a particular feature of the Kent terrain ith a section reserved for the basics, including recipes for seaweed butter, focaccia and parsley puree.”—Telegraph.co.uk

“Here’s a taste of why The Sportsman is a gastro-pilgrimage worth making… Ahead of his much anticipated book release, Stephen shares his wisdom and recipes.”—Image Interiors & Living

“Harris shares the secrets of his simple, seasonal cuisine in a recipe book that celebrates the plenitude of the Kentish terroirs, from woodlands and hedgerows to sea and salt mashes.”—Town & Country UK

“Sticky carpet seaside boozer turn acclaimed restaurant […] releases its first recipe book of Brit classics with flair.” —Country and Town House

“The Turner-esque landscape of the Kentish coast inspire the simple but staggeringly good food at The Sportsman… Chef-owner Stephen Harris is about to publish a cookbook.” —Jamie Magazine

ntroduction
Map and history of the area (Kent, Seasalter)
A style of my own: broken into 3-4 subheads, detailing the author’s personal story and cooking style
Recipe chapters
The North Sea
The Thames Estuary
The Elham Valley Famrs
The Weald
The Isle of Thanet
The Kentish Orchards
Index