‘Seasonal menus’ have become common buzzwords in the culinary world lately. It seems every chef has become obsessed with the seasonality of the food they’re plating up, and while we’re not saying that isn’t a good thing, it often makes us question who is taking its meaning seriously. However, one chef who knows exactly what she’s talking about when it comes to seasonality is Amber Francis, the head chef at new Shoreditch restaurant Maene.
No stranger to getting her hands dirty in the kitchen garden, the 26-year-old chef cut her culinary teeth at The Ritz before moving on to more produce-driven kitchens such as the Bermondsey Larder and The Zebra Riding Club in Hertfordshire (where she was tending to vegetable patches and chicken coops). Although now in London, and vegetable patches are few and far between, it’s this eco-conscious food ethos she has carried into her new role at Maene: the rooftop restaurant above Europe’s largest yoga studio, Mission, in Spitalfields.
The converted Victorian warehouse’s top floor – furnished with cobalt-blue furniture, varnished wood accents and industrial filament bulbs – was the brainchild of restaurateur Nick Gilkinson (chef at Whitechapel’s Townsend and formerly of Anglo in Holborn) and opened its doors to the public last month. Embodying a buzzy, community atmosphere, Maene – an old English word meaning connections to community – was a perfect match for Francis, given her involvement in locally-run programmes such as the Hackney School of Food and The Felix Project. She was also crowned Young Chef of the Year 2022 at the British Restaurant Awards and appeared on Great British Menu earlier this year, making her one of Britain’s most talented rising stars in the culinary world.
In keeping with Maene’s bold but minimalist interiors, Francis has translated this theme into her seasonal menu. Concisely printed on one page but offering an array of vibrant flavours, diners can expect allotment vegetables, herb and sunflower seed tahini and gnocco fritto, iron cap squash, London stracciatella with chilli to start, before moving onto Cornish mussels in smoked cider and butter sauce and spring garlic and coco bean cassoulet with pickled seaweed salsa verde for mains. The brunch offering is equally delectable (think ricotta hotcakes, Earl Grey milk jam and poached rhubarb) while over at the bar, you’ll find a mix of signature serves that can all be adapted into non-alcoholic beverages too.
Now a month into her new role at Maene, we caught up with Francis to learn what enticed her away from the countryside and into one of the most exciting parts of London.
I grew up in the countryside near Bristol, where food was a big part of family life. My sister and I were fortunate to be introduced to lots of different foods from a young age, from paella to cracking crab claws. I was always interested in food, loving watching Great British Menu as a pre-teen with the likes of Tom Kerridge, Angela Hartnett and Richard Corrigan. School didn’t want me to follow a career in food, telling me that my scholarship was a step backwards academically for me, but a local chef encouraged me to view being a chef as a fulfilling and exciting career. The support from that chef as well as my family gave me the courage to follow my heart.
I began working at The Ritz as an apprentice in 2013 as part of The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Specialised Chef Diploma. I stayed there after the completion of my studies and I am grateful for the knowledge that I gained at The Ritz. I have taken the foundations that I learnt there with me throughout my entire career. A highlight for me has to have been the restaurant achieved a Michelin Star during my time there.
It just seems totally logical to me. As a young chef you learn that certain ingredients taste better at certain times of the year and that ingredients that grow near to each other have a natural affinity. Why then, would we feel the need to do anything other than use what is available to us at that time of the season and, within reason, local to us? I certainly don’t claim to be a British-ingredient-only chef, with a menu within a 10km radius, but I am utterly inspired by what we create in the UK and our amazing artisans, producers and growers is what leads my menus.
I hope to achieve a relaxed experience for guests whilst surprising them with some of the amazing produce grown on their doorstep. Our honey is gathered from hives that are two miles away!
Amber Francis
In the earliest stages of my career I staged at restaurants whilst studying for my A Levels, including two-Michelin starred The Hand and Flowers, Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir and French restaurant Chez Bruce. Later I staged at WastED, the pop up lead by Dan Barber, The French Laundry and Benu for the briefest of stints in America.
Being crowned Best Young Chef was an incredibly surreal experience, I was just so privileged to have been listed against so many other fantastic chefs. I couldn’t quite believe it when my name was called, and I certainly didn’t have a speech prepared!
Gnocco Fritto
Nutbourne tomato tarr
I loved Great British Menu. The preparation for it was tough alongside running a restaurant kitchen, but once I was there and competing it was a magical experience. I bizarrely enjoyed being in front of the cameras, something that I had been daunted by prior to it, and amazed myself with how cool, calm, collected, and supposedly confident I appeared to come across.
Breaking into a male dominated industry was not something that was hard as such, I knew that I would be working with mostly men and that didn’t phase me. Once you’re in a kitchen everyone is head-down focusing on prep and service, it feels equal. When climbing to management positions there were times where I felt overlooked as a woman, but thankfully that is few and far between. Young aspiring female chefs should follow their heart, this is a fantastic career and if you stick to what you love doing, keep learning, work hard and trust your gut. Then the world is your oyster.
I was inspired by Nick’s ethos for the restaurant, it was very aligned with my own morals and approach to not only the food and sourcing, but also the treatment of the team and how we approach work life. I love the countryside, it is where I grew up and where I feel most at home, yet I have spent the last nine years in the city. I am fortunate enough to live close enough to the city to work but far enough out to be able to go on walks in the countryside.
Ultimately the seasons and the amazing produce that we grow and create in this country is what influences my menu. That and the size of the kitchen! It is a fun challenge and really makes you think as a chef. I hope to achieve a relaxed experience for guests whilst surprising them with some of the amazing produce grown on their doorstep. Our honey is gathered from hives that are two miles away!
Pork loin
Sea buckthorn sorbet
I love the tomato tart at the moment. It is super fresh and light as well as just letting the ingredients speak for themselves. I have been surprised at how much people love the bean cassoulet with pickled seaweed salsa verde, I’m chuffed to see it slowly becoming a menu highlight, alongside the mussels and smoked cider sauce.
I love Towpath Cafe (near Haggerston) on a summer’s day. Choosing from their chalkboard menu and watching the world go by on the canal is a dream.
I spend as much quality time with my partner as I can, we cook a lot for one another at home and often have friends over for dinner. I also spend time with our chickens – if you take the girl out of the countryside, she’ll just bring it with her!
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