It was AA Gill who sent me to eat at St John, about 15 years ago. I went there alone, so compelling a case did he make, and I ate as much as I could off the menu. After my meal I remember tottering unsteadily into the kitchen, getting on to my knees and bowing down in front of Fergus. It really was the restaurant of my dreams. I loved absolutely everything about it: the attitude, the look, the food, the wine.
We became friends shortly afterwards and I'd go to St John every time I came to London. I advocated for a reprint of Nose to Tail Eating with my American publisher. Back then, a book concentrating on offal and heads and snouts was not an easy sell. Now, of course, he's a huge hero in the States. Chefs all over America have pig tattoos and "I love bacon" across their chests and "offal" printed on their hand. He completely expanded the larder and gave chefs permission to cook the parts they'd always wanted to cook.
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