Bread

One of the many things we have learnt from the temple of British food that is St John is the importance of bread in setting the tone and giving rhythm to a restaurant. Fifteen years ago, St John was one of the few restaurants where you would sit down and immediately be presented with water and bread free of charge. This bread had been made by the expert hands of Justin Piers Gellatly, their former pastry chef whose disciples have spread far and wide across the world. It is a welcoming and vital touch – it says to the diner, ‘you are hungry and you are thirsty. Let us deal with that and look after you’. If the bread is good it can be the best way to make a good impression.