Fergus Henderson

Career

Henderson had no formal training in cooking, and has never worked under any other chef. In 1992 Henderson and his wife, Margot, opened the French House Dining Room at Soho's French House pub before he left to open the St. JOHN restaurant in 1994. St. JOHN was awarded a Michelin star in 2009.

In 2003 he opened St. John Bread and Wine in Spitalfields, London. A second St John restaurant within the hotel in Chinatown was awarded a Michelin star in 2009. This venue is no longer open.

''Nose to Tail'' Books

In 1999 Henderson published Nose to Tail Eating: A Kind of British Cooking in which he provides recipes incorporating trotters, tripe, kidneys, chitterlings and other animal parts. The book explains the philosophy behind his cooking explaining that "it seems common sense and even polite to the animal to use all of it. Rather than being testosterone-fuelled blood-lust, it actually seems to be a gentle approach to meat eating." In 2007, he published a sequel, Beyond Nose To Tail, and in 2012 The Complete Nose to Tail: A Kind of British Cooking.

Hotel

Henderson opened a hotel in spring 2011 that was described by his business partner Trevor Gulliver as being 'in the St John vernacular'. It was located in London's Chinatown district near Leicester Square 1 Leicester Street. The hotel went into administration in October 2012, and was sold and subsequently closed.

Personal life

Henderson is married to fellow chef Margot Henderson; the couple have three children.

He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1998. In 2005 he underwent innovative Deep Brain Stimulation which improved his mobility.

He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2005, and was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to the culinary arts.

Bibliography

• 1999 – Nose to Tail Eating: A Kind of British Cooking (Bloomsbury Publishing)
• 2007 – Beyond Nose to Tail: A Kind of British Cooking: Part II (Bloomsbury Publishing)
• 2012 – The Complete Nose to Tail: A Kind of British Cooking (Bloomsbury Publishing)

References

References

1. "Fergus Henderson".
2. (2 December 2011). "The Inventory: Fergus Henderson". [[Financial Times]].
3. Lewis, Helen. (2011-11-16). "The NS Interview: Fergus Henderson, chef at St John".
4. (2017-09-07). "At home: Fergus Henderson".
5. (October 2010). "Out to Lunch with Fergus Henderson".
6. Rachel Cooke. (19 August 2012). "Margot Henderson: British food's best-kept secret". The Guardian.
7. (April 2024). "New Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2009".
8. Henderson, Fergus. (September 2004). "Nose to Tail Eating: A Kind of British Cooking". Bloomsbury Publishing.
9. Douglas, Ian, ''The Daily Telegraph'' (25 October 2004). [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/3315464/Swine-of-the-times.html Swine of the Times]
10. Kuhn, Kerstin, caterersearch.com (9 October 2009)[http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2009/10/12/330334/St-John-team-to-launch-hotel-in-Londons-West-End.htm St John Team to Launch Hotel in London's West End]
11. (2017-03-19). "How hard is it to be a chef and a mother with young children?".
12. (26 February 2006). "Fergus Henderson: 'They drilled into my skull. Now I can cook again'".
13. {{London Gazette. (31 December 2020)