Sally Clarke
It was most probably the family holidays in France with her parents and brothers which ignited Sally’s love of food. There, from a young age, she became familiar with the ebbs and flows of the seasons through the displays of the farmers’ markets. Experiencing the wide variety of ingredients and the joy of choosing from them to create a menu, undoubtedly sowed the seed of a restaurant life for her. After school, she studied at Croydon College and then in Paris at the Cordon Bleu, which was followed by gaining invaluable kitchen experience as an unpaid commis chef in various restaurants in Paris.
On returning to London, she wrote to Elizabeth David for advice, thinking that a writing career may suit. Meanwhile, Prue Leith offered her a teaching position at her newly formed Leith’s School of Food and Wine.
From there she moved to live and work in southern California, learning both kitchen and dining room skills, while broadening her wine knowledge through the wineries and the wine producers of the USA. It was during this time that she met Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, who became a friend, and subsequently her mentor. Alice continues to be her inspiration on a daily basis.
In 1983, Sally returned to London to search for premises, her goal initially to open and run a modest restaurant with a small menu and a wonderful wine list. The plan was for this to fill ‘just a few years’ and to then move to the countryside, where she imagined the creation of a ‘restaurant with rooms’, cooking from the garden while writing menus to reflect what was growing in the surrounding area. As she readily admits now, the plans changed, and ‘things snowballed a bit’ … but perhaps that is an understatement.
Sally outside her shop on Campden Street
Now, 41 years on, Sally can proudly claim that over this time, the restaurant has not only grown in size and recognition, but also given birth to a shop, situated directly opposite the restaurant. Sally’s shop sells a wide variety of take-away meals, sweet and savoury baked goods, own label wines and olive oils, hand-rolled chocolate truffles and many other vital ingredients for the kitchen cupboard.
The Clarke’s family of staff, past and present, has grown from a small handful to well over 100, some of whom have worked alongside Sally for decades. Others have gone on to open businesses of their own, in locations all over the globe; from Ireland to Yorkshire, Tokyo, and Melbourne, and from Tuscany to Provence, upstate New York and beyond.
Meanwhile, Sally can be found most days in the restaurant dining rooms, the kitchen or in the shop, or all 3, seemingly at the same time!
Clarke’s Restaurant
In December 1984, a few days before Christmas, Sally opened her doors in Kensington Church Street – chef by day and maitre d’ by night. Her ‘no choice’ dinner menu soon became a talking point, and customers arrived from near and far. Some booked weeks in advance, most of them not worrying about the details of the menu – they just wanted to come! The menus were written every day, to accurately reflect the seasonal availability of the fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Breads, pastries, ice creams, and chocolate truffles were all made by hand in the kitchen, and all ingredients were prepared and cooked fresh on the day – a process which we proudly continue, 40 years on.
In the 2000s, the restaurant was beautifully renovated, placing all the seating on the ground floor, an elegant private dining room was added, plus a pretty garden to look out to from the main rooms.
The British and Mediterranean-inspired menus still change twice-daily and showcase a wonderful array of ingredients from a trusted list of farmers and fishermen from Sussex to Cornwall and Scotland, France, Italy, and Spain. Lunch offers a 3-course set menu priced at £38, with a selection of a la carte dishes alongside, while the dinner menu offers a wide variety of dishes to suit all tastes and appetites.
Regular customers speak of the unique qualities of Clarke’s – that it is like no other restaurant – it has its own personality and taste. We feel that we offer a certain style of service which is ‘Clarke’s’. Formal, yet not stuffy; relaxed, yet not familiar – and the food served is uncomplicated, unfussy. It has a focus on the freshness and seasonality of the ingredient which is handled with care and respect from delivery to the plate. Perhaps it is the simplicity of the dishes and the elegance of the service that draw our customers back.
Shop
Within a few years of the restaurant opening, Sally was able to acquire the building next door, which allowed not only the expansion of the seating area but also ample space to create a retail outlet for the many baked items that were being prepared also for the restaurant menus.
Breads, sweet and savoury tarts, biscuits, cakes, muffins, and chocolate truffles were first on the list and very soon soups, pasta sauces, salads, and braises were added. A little cafe was created at the back and the takeaway coffee with a pastry was born!
Scroll forward to today, the ‘original’ shop is now situated directly across the road from the restaurant on Campden Street, including Clarke’s Corner Cafe on the corner of Campden and Kensington Church streets … serving delicious coffees and pastries from early morning each day.
Sustainability
Dads House
From its outset, Clarke’s Restaurant and Shop has been concerned about waste.
Menus have always dovetailed into one another, reducing waste, and the trimmings of fish or meat which may be unsuitable for our menus, plus any excess of vegetables, salads and herbs have, for over 40 years been part of the process of the creation of our staff menus. Â
Over the years we have supported various local charities, by donating our excess breads and pastries. Most recently, we have teamed up with the Felix Project and Dads House, both of which collect and distribute our excess to those in need, local families who struggle to make ends meet, particularly during these times of lockdown.
To support Dads House or just to find out more, please visit: https://www.dadshouse.org.uk/
Packaging & Delivery
We are making it our mission to reduce our carbon footprint and plastic as much as possible. This year, we exchanged the majority of our single use plastic for biodegradable cellophane (a completely sustainable plant based alternative) and we are constantly looking for environmentally friendly solutions in every part of our business.