Stow

There’s no fryer, no microwave, and definitely no shortcuts at Stow – a compact, quietly confident restaurant and bar that’s all about cooking over fire and keeping things honest. Brought to life by Jamie Pickles and Matt Nellany — longtime friends with roots in Trof and Albert’s Schloss —it’s a place where glowing embers do the heavy lifting, where menus shift with the seasons, and where the food is both elemental and precise.

The restaurant has two distinct personalities: up front is the cocktail bar, all slick monochrome lines and vintage touches; down the corridor, things soften in the main dining room where earthy textures meet candlelit warmth. At the centre of it all is the open kitchen, dominated by a Gozney oven, a Big Green Egg, and chefs moving charcoal as often as they plate dishes. The counter dining seats at the pass offer a close-up view of the fire in action – and it’s not just for show. This is a kitchen powered entirely by flame, and that decision infuses every plate with purpose and personality.

The food is small in number but big on flavour. Expect a rotating menu built around what’s growing, swimming or grazing best at the time, with ingredients from local suppliers like Littlewoods butchers and seafood from Shetland. Dishes like overnight-roasted beetroot with smoked honey and ricotta, or monkfish kissed with coal, are given the same fire-driven finesse as the ribeye of ex-dairy cow cooked to share and served with roasted garlic. Even desserts lean into the flames – think smoked cream tart with rum-soaked plums.

Drinks-wise, the bar follows the same back-to-basics approach. Classic cocktails are the order of the day, occasionally twisted but never gimmicky, alongside a thoughtful wine list that pairs seamlessly with the char and smoke of the food. It’s a spot where the drinks reflect the food ethos: focused, refined, and never overcomplicated.

Stow isn’t trying to be flashy. There’s no famous backer, no social media bluster, and no craving for hype. Instead, it’s a passionate, grown-up take on live-fire cooking – confident in its craft and fuelled by a genuine love for ingredients, technique, and warm hospitality.