Neil Rankin

Chef test: @symplicity_foods with help from my kitchen pals at the other restaurant I work in - @scullyrestaurant #31daysofnomeatmay @no_meat_may (I’m posting every day in May to share tips, tricks and recommendations to better cook or eat with plants 🌱💚. A great alternative if you’re craving a burger or sausage. These products are made with fermented vegetables, meaning you can feed your gut microbiome AND be kinder to the planet (and ofc the animals). I asked @frontlinechef why he set up Symplicity and he said it’s because he had become disillusioned with the idea of eating, but particularly being in the business of, meat 🙏🏻🙌🏻. What a wonderful way to make a positive difference to the natural world. And if anyone knows about meat products it’s Neil, having previously set up Temper - a restaurant specialising in BBQ meat. I love that that knowledge is now being channeled into something so positive 🫶🏻. Thank you for the #gifts Neil & team! #vegan #plantbased #burger

3 years of marriage to @sophymho celebrated is style @updownfarmhouse_ with a cheeky Sunday lunch cooked by @chishuru that we weren’t expecting. The whole stay was brilliant from start to finish with wonderful food from @jake_normal and some incredible cocktails .From every area of service a masterclass in how to do hospitality and make you feel like you’re in a home away from home. I can’t really pick fault with anything. Can’t recommend this place enough and no this is not gifted from anyone but my beautiful wife.

east london pizza fans, listen up! we headed over to @thisisacepizza , turning out seriously good pizzas and yes, our veggie ’Nduja has its own spot on one of those crispy pizzas. we’ll take that. It’s right by Victoria Park, festival HQ this summer. pre festival fuel, sorted.

PANZANELLA quick, bright – right time of year for it. INGREDIENTS 200g dry rye bread, torn into chunks 8 cherry tomatoes, halved ½ blood orange, cut into segments 2 tbsp symplicity. veggie ‘Nduja Olive oil A sprig or two of rosemary Salt METHOD Heat a good glug of olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Add the bread and cook for a couple of minutes until beginning to crisp. Add the tomatoes and cook until they start to soften. Add the blood orange and nduja, cook for a few minutes until everything is warmed through, then finish with the rosemary and a little salt. all ingredients from @waitrose .

I get excited by lots of restaurants. But what really excites me about a good restaurant isn’t when they take food done incredibly well somewhere else and rework it within the limitations we all understand we have here. I get far more excitement from places that take simple food, available to all of us, and push it to a place we didn’t think was possible. If I were to sum up my meal at @holycarrotrestaurant , it would be this: they do that better than any restaurant I’ve eaten in. It’s simple food, but meticulous in its exploration of how to extract maximum flavour from every single ingredient. Without pomposity or reliance on expensive produce, they achieve this in a space that is welcoming to all, while exceeding expectations across every flavour dynamic. In short, it’s an incredible restaurant that deserves everyone’s full attention. This concludes my TED Talk on why everyone should be going here.”

Dishoom Permit Room x symplicity. Neil from symplicity. dropped into Permit Room Brighton to visit Chef Rishi. They made breakfast worth rolling out of bed for. The Veg. Sausage & Egg Naan Roll. Freshly-baked naan. Cleverly fermented, crispy-smashed veggie patty with runny-yolked fried eggs. Umami loaded. (Go vegan - ask your server.) Now at all Permit Rooms. Get happily-fed.

VODKA PASTA a bowl of pasta a day keeps the doctor away… or something like that. INGREDIENTS 2 tbsp olive oil 1 banana shallot (or ½ onion), finely chopped 100g nduja 5 tbsp vodka 100ml double cream 200g penne or rigatoni 30g parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve Small handful of basil leaves, to serve METHOD Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a low heat. Add the shallot with a large pinch of salt and fry gently for 10 minutes, until softened and translucent. Add the nduja and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the vodka and cook for a further 3 minutes. Stir through the cream, then remove from the heat. Cook the pasta in well-salted water according to pack instructions. Drain, reserving 150ml of the cooking water. Add roughly 50ml of the reserved water to the nduja pan, then tip in the pasta and parmesan. Toss everything together over a low heat until well coated and glossy, loosening with a little more cooking water if needed. Season to taste and serve with extra parmesan, a good grinding of black pepper and the basil scattered over.

Part 3. The 30+ plant point ragu. – 10–15 vegetables or fruits (chopped + cooked however you like) – 4–6 raw or pickled veg (chopped) – 1 fermented element (miso, red wine, cheese, yoghurt, kimchi, Symplicity nduja… anything) – 1 flavour base / condiment (garlic, ginger, harissa, pesto, curry base, spice mix, chilli crunch…) – 1 grain / starch / carb (rice, pasta, tortilla, stale bread, beans…) – Optional protein (beans, meat, tofu, tinned fish, Symplicity burger…) – Garnish (seeds, nuts, herbs, olive oil, dried fruit, fried onions…) Mix + match. Use multiples. No rules. Throw it all in a pan and heat through. ⸻ Tip: Make a big batch of base veg at the start of the week. Then switch up grains, sauces and garnishes each night → never boring. ⸻ Let me know if you try it 👇

Thank @andreldeluca for you're exceptional hospitality and generosity looking after me in Lisbon. A truly wonderful friend. Amd thank you Lisbon for all the fish and piri piri. .

Part two of cooking with loads of vegetables to make your mealtimes actually taste better. Part three next wee we’ll talk about how to make this into a flavour powerhouse.

A few thoughts directed at nobody in particular.

they’re known for serving one of the best burgers in London (yes, they use our pattie) but honestly… the taco. symplicity. chorizo mince, coconut yoghurt, pickled cabbage, salsa verde, chilli lime salt, coriander, crispy onion. the flavour is ridiculous. this is why partnerships matter to us. chefs cooking it their way. local spots backing it. Thanks to @leytonstonetavern and @jamietack for having us in the kitchen. @frontlinechef still can’t quite believe this is work.