How To Embrace Nose to Tail Cooking in 2023: A Guide for UK Restaurants

Nose to tail cooking offers a sustainable and cost-effective way for restaurants to keep affordable meat on their menus. In this blog post, we'll explore what nose to tail cooking is, the benefits of this approach, and action points for introducing nose to tail cooking into your kitchen.

What is nose to tail cooking?

Nose to tail cooking is a way of making sure no edible part of an animal goes to waste. Chefs use their creativity to make delicious dishes out of parts that are often overlooked, like liver, heart, tail, and bones. It's similar to ‘fin to gill’ cooking, where every part of the fish is used, and ‘root to fruit’ cooking, where every part of the fruit or vegetable is used.For some restaurants, the nose to tail approach can involve buying whole animal carcasses and butchering them on-site. But not every restaurant has the space or capacity for this, so they'll just buy pre-butchered meat. The key is to use every part of the animal in some way, like using bones and cartilage to make scrumptious stocks and sauces.To do nose to tail cooking right, in a manner that will ultimately appeal to diners, chefs need an understanding of traditional cooking skills, as well as a degree of creativity.

5 benefits of introducing nose to tail cooking

Boost your bottom linePurchasing a whole animal can be a smart way to drive down the cost of high-end cuts of meat and get more value for your money. The nose to tail cooking approach can also be highly profitable, as traditionally cheaper cuts can be transformed into delicious dishes with significant margins.Minimise food wasteIt's no secret that the restaurant industry plays a significant role in creating food waste, which is an enormous contributor to the climate crisis. Nose to tail offers a more sustainable approach to cooking, ensuring that parts of an animal that would otherwise create waste instead become valuable elements of a menu.Meet consumer needsConsumers today are increasingly environmentally conscious, and looking for sustainable, ethical and unique food options. Our sister agency Good Sense Research's recent Future Food Trend Tracker report revealed that restaurants adopting sustainability initiatives have increased in appeal amongst consumers by 6% since 2020, whilst restaurants adopting the nose to tail approach have increased in appeal amongst consumers by 10% since 2020.Powerful marketingNose to tail cooking offers an attractive unique selling point for a restaurant, which can be used to help promote, and set your business apart from the competition.Boosts creativity in your kitchenBy using all parts of an animal, chefs can get creative and showcase their skills in developing unique and flavourful dishes. Adopting this approach also helps cultivate an adaptable, resilient kitchen team, capable of making the most out of any ingredients available.

Nose to tail cooking: Three innovative examples

St. JOHN, London

 For over 25 years, St. JOHN has been taking nose to tail dining to the next level. Located near Smithfield Market, this Michelin-starred restaurant serves up a daily changing menu of delightful British classics with a devotion to offal and unusual cuts of meat such as pigs' ears, pigs' tails, trotters and bone marrow.

Poco Tapas, Bristol

Poco is a multi-award-winning tapas restaurant celebrating the freshest local produce and ingredients available on its doorstep. The chefs here are masters of nose to tail cooking, offering a 'Nose to Tail' sharing menu which changes regularly as they work through the various cuts of animals they serve. Dishes on offer in the past have included Pigs Head Terrine, Grouse Leg Rillette and Crispy Pigs Ear.

Celentano’s, Glasgow

Serving up Italian-inspired fare, Celentano’s is run by the talented husband and wife team of Dean and Anna Parker. Championing a zero-waste attitude and nose to tail cooking approach, Celentano’s serves prime cuts like rump steak, fillet, shins, and short ribs as secondi, while making a delicious ragú out of any leftovers using oxidised wine from the bar. Don’t miss the chicken liver mousse for starters - any leftovers are used in their delectable pasta sauces.

Three action points for chefs who want to adopt nose to tail cooking in 2023

Research, research, researchThe meat of one animal is different from that of another with each carcass requiring different methods of preparation and cooking. Take time to research and learn the different parts of animals and how to use them in cooking. A great resource for this is 'Nose to Tail Cooking' by Fergus Henderson - a true pioneer in the field.Implement changes graduallyAdopting nose to tail cooking can be overwhelming. Start with one or two staple dishes using ingredients such as the tongue or cheek before moving up to something more complex. Charcuterie boards with artisanal sausages, pates, or terrines are also a great place to start.Communicate with customersRestaurants that have had success using lesser-known cuts of meat have done so because they have been able to get buy-in from their customers. Sell interesting stories about the way your nose to tail dishes are prepared to your diners, and make your use of the nose to tail philosophy fully visible in your menu to attract the ever-growing number of sustainability-focused diners to your restaurant.

Need help adopting nose to tail cooking in your restaurant kitchen?

Nose to tail cooking is a sustainable and cost-effective approach to cooking that allows chefs to get creative and showcase their skills. By using all parts of an animal, chefs can cut costs, minimise food waste, and meet the needs of a growing consumer base looking for sustainable food options.At Food Innovation Solutions, we know how difficult it can be to develop new concepts and menus. If you’re unsure where to start with nose to tail cooking, get in touch with our friendly team today for a free consultation to see how we can help!