If you aren’t ordering the specials, you don’t know what you’re missing. Harrison Britton, our head chef, has perfected the classics, but he is always intent on creating novelty, especially for the Arlington regulars. (Some of us now order his day boat fish exclusively, and if you haven’t experienced the caramelised figs with Ashlynn goats cheese, we almost pity you.) He’s also one of the loveliest young men in London. Let’s get to know him, shall we?
Harrison, what was the first dish you ever made as an amateur chef?
My dad makes a cracking paella. I remember cooking that together when I was young.
What inspired you to pursue cooking professionally?
This is normally where people tell a cute story about cooking with their grandmother when they were young, but to be perfectly honest, I just enjoyed eating and learning to cook was an opportunity for me to eat nicer food more frequently. That, combined with not really knowing what I wanted to do, caused me to fall into the industry by accident. But I’ve never looked back, and I know so many people say it, but I genuinely mean it when I say I love my job and all the people I work with. I will never do anything else.
How did you enter Jeremy King’s orbit?
I started as an apprentice with Jeremy at The Delaunay when I was 17. I remember meeting him in the kitchen, as he so often is, on my first day. I wasn’t actually sure who he was at the time — I was very green to it all and a little overwhelmed.
I worked my way around lots of his restaurants before coming to Arlington in September 2024. Soon after, the opportunity came to take over the reins as head chef.
What is your vision for the food at Arlington? Answer carefully, as you know we are all very nostalgic for the old days…
I think we all know Arlington is all about the classics and it’s about maintaining that feeling people come to Arlington for. The core menu is so important and I’d upset a lot of people if I started messing with that. Knowing and working around that is really the key.
What’s the story with your specials? How often do you change them? What inspires your approach there?
We change them as often as we can, generally running them for about a week. This allows us to use the best possible produce at its absolute peak.
We also run a market fish, which changes daily or even at every service, depending on the landings from Brixham Fish Market. It’s a great opportunity for all the chefs to get involved and it’s very exciting for them getting a dish onto the menu.
As we are now in the thick of fall, what are your favourite menu items?
Simple: Caesar salad and steak tartare. They’re absolute classics for a reason.
What overlooked menu items do you suggest we try? Forgive us for sticking to our old favourites…
Shepherd’s pie. It’s something so many people cook at home, so it’s often overlooked on our menu, but it is an absolute staple for a reason — comfort food at its best and a favourite amongst the chefs. It’s always the first empty bowl at the staff tastings.
What are your other passions beyond the kitchen?
I love the outdoors in all its forms. Fishing is probably my favourite thing to really switch off.
